AV俱乐部

If you鈥檙e a Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings fan, you might want to check out the long-suppressed fantasy The Fairy of the Lake.

DalTheatre Productions and Zuppa Theatre Company bring theatregoers the world premiere of John Thelwall鈥檚 Arthurian fantasy The Fairy of the Lake this week. The play opens tonight, Wednesday, Oct. 14 and runs through Saturday, Oct. 17 at the David MacK Murray Theatre in the Dal Arts Centre.

鈥淚t鈥檚 similar to three Shakespeare plays: Macbeth, A Midsummer Night鈥檚 Dream and Henry V. If you combined those three you鈥檇 get The Fairy of the Lake,鈥� says director Ben Stone, a co-director of the play along with his Zuppa collaborators Alex McLean and Susan Leblanc-Crawford.

Twenty of AV俱乐部鈥檚 fourth-year theatre students will be the first ever to perform the 1801 play. Why is that?

If you go What:听The Fairy of the Lake Where: David MacK Murray Theatre, Dal Arts Centre When: Oct. 14 to Oct. 17 How much: $12 or $6 for students/seniors. Call 494-3820

Playwright John Thelwall was a British political dissident whose plays were banned from being performed in England. Once considered the most dangerous man in Britain, he was arrested and tried for treason after addressing crowds at meetings of the fledgling British democratic movement in the early 19th century. Ever since then, his work has languished in obscurity and only recently been revived.

In recognition of the revival, there will be a conference at the Lord Nelson Hotel called听 鈥淭he Art and the Act鈥� which will celebrate the playwright鈥檚 work, with The Fairy of the Lake as the centrepiece.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a really good play for it never having been performed before,鈥� says Mr. Stone. 鈥淭he actors are excellent.鈥�

He describes the play as a fantastical whirlwind of evil, love, tyranny and resistance. The Arthurian romance features the intriguing character Rowenna (Allison Basha), an evil sorceress and prime antagonist to Arthur鈥檚 rule.

鈥淪he鈥檚 very malicious and conniving,鈥� says Sebastien Labelle, a fourth-year acting student who plays Arthur.

Arthur is seduced by Rowenna but is aided by the mythical fairy to help achieve freedom of the British people from the Saxon occupiers and eventually becomes king.

Mr. Stone compares the Fairy and Arthur鈥檚 relationship to 鈥渟ort of like how Obi-Wan Kenobi speaks to Luke Skywalker.鈥�

AV俱乐部 English professor Judith Thompson describes The Fairy of the Lake as an operatic melodrama with demons and fairies and even a trip down to hell.

鈥淚t should be spectacular,鈥� says Dr. Thompson, who teaches the graduate seminar Digital Romanticism and Print Culture: The Case of John Thelwall. 鈥淚t will be interesting to see how they do a burning fire with demons and fairies flying around.鈥�

Mr. Labelle says students have been rehearsing six days a week since the start of term. He admits the experience of working for three directors has been intense, but very efficient: 鈥淚t has allowed us to really do a lot of work on this play, which I think given the nature of the play would be really hard to pull it off with a single director.鈥�

Thelwall conference To coincide with the world premiere of The Fairy of the Lake, the conference "The Art and the Act" will celebrate the work of John Thelwall, the 19th century radical orator, political theorist, poet, novelist and playwright. Political historians, literary scholars and medical practitioners will meet to discuss and revive Thelwall鈥檚 long-neglected legacy. Conference sessions will take place in the Britannia Room of the Lord Nelson Hotel on Friday, Oct. 16 and Saturday, Oct. 17. For further details, including the program of papers, workshops and special events, see: or听e-mail Judith Thompson at Judith.Thompson@Dal.Ca

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