Two hundred years ago, Mary Shelley published her seminal novel Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus and profoundly changed the literary world. Across the Atlantic Ocean, the ninth Earl of AV俱乐部 was inspired to launch an academic institution which would in time become world-renowned.
After a tumultuous and triumphant two centuries, emerging playwright and Dal alum Gillian Clark, has created a theatrical celebration of both the school and the novel. Drums and Organs looks at how human connection has evolved since both Frankenstein and AV俱乐部 came to be.听
The modern experiment 听
Fountain School professor and director Roberta Barker has found this modern 鈥渒aleidoscopic play鈥� to be unlike any show she has worked on in the past 鈥� calling it a sort of 鈥渏azz riff on Frankenstein.鈥�
From the infamous fictional scientist to a Haligonian medical student, all of the characters in Drums and Organs are strikingly fresh in their modernity, and will undoubtedly evoke images of friends, enemies and roommates that all university students have experienced.
Read also: Profile of playwright and alum Gillian Clark
鈥淭he show kind of has the feeling of one of those FYP parties I would go to in first year,鈥� says the playwright Clark, reminiscing on her first year as a student at King鈥檚 College. 鈥淚 remember at the end of one of them, we went into one of my friend鈥檚 鈥榯ickle trunks鈥欌�� and we put on these really stupid costumes [and] ran down Spring Garden road at 3 a.m.鈥�
Ian French (left) as Arthur and Zo毛 Mackey-Boehner as Mary.
Clark wanted Drums and Organs to capture that sort of feeling. 鈥淏ut I also want this show to remind us what it鈥檚 like to [go] through heartbreak for the first time,鈥� she adds, 鈥渙r lose the dog you had since the second grade, or miss your mum so much that you actually can鈥檛 even remember how to connect with her anymore 鈥斕� all things that happened to me at Dal.鈥�
The centuries
There is no way to understate how much has changed for humankind over the past 200 years, from technology and science to theatre itself. 听
Rebecca McCauley, who plays the role of Alex, a young woman grappling with a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, believes that a 鈥渃onnecting thread over the centuries [is] the fact that humans continue to search for connection.鈥� Clark鈥檚 work showcases a fresh take on the unchanged fundamentals of love and connection.
Rebecca McCauley (left) as Alex and Lindsey Ross as Jaime.
鈥淚 wanted it to be fast paced and accessible,鈥� says Clark, 鈥渓ike you are scrolling through your Instagram feed. It鈥檚 little snippets of stories that are cut and sewn together to create a larger overall picture of what it means to be [a] human being today.鈥�
With characters and settings that hit much closer to home than the worlds of Shakespeare or Chekov, young people will leave Drums and Organs feeling as though this show was written expressly for them. Yet the production also serves as a showcase of connections and love that have transcended through time and space to create a metaphysical fusion of the past and present.
The collective
Putting together a production of this calibre is no short order, and with 80+ individuals working on the project, from costume cutters to sound designers, there are a lot of moving pieces. Not only is working on a Fountain School show a fantastic challenge for students hoping to hone their own craft, but an opportunity for people from multiple disciplines in the theatre to meet and flourish together.
鈥淲orking on the show has reminded me of the power of theatre to connect people,鈥� says production dramaturge Alexandra Geist. 鈥淭his show is so special because it speaks to something that unites us all: grief, loss, and most importantly, love鈥� I have grown so much as an artist and a writer from working with such an amazing cast and creative team.鈥�
Jonah Campbell (left) as Lab Assistant and Taylor McMillen as Professor.
Drums and Organs also features a six-piece band and an original score by Dal alum Jackson Fairfax-Perry, who has found acclaim as a member of the local band Hillsburn. Claudia Gutierrez-Perez, who plays the role of Angela, says Jackson鈥檚 score complements Gillian Clark鈥檚 text extremely well.
鈥淭he relationship between the actors and the musician has really come down to listening, which is at the core of this story鈥檚 message,鈥� she says.
The creation
Drums and Organs was commissioned by the Fountain School of Performing Arts as the final show for the graduating acting class. A self-proclaimed 鈥渢heatrical creature,鈥� it鈥檚 a transfixing amalgamation of creative minds. providing the actors with the opportunity to originate a set of diverse and memorable characters who have never been seen on stage before.
One character audiences might recognize, however, is the role of Dr. Frankenstein, played by Ryan Gallant.
Ryan Gallant (left) as Victor Frankenstein and Jonah Campbell as Creature.
鈥淒r. Frankenstein has been portrayed numerous times and in numerous ways, says Gallant, 鈥渟o I found myself trying to really listen to the text and really discovering [it] before I applied any other knowledge to the character.鈥�
Gallant鈥檚 take on the obsessed scientist is a definite departure from canonical incarnations, and finding a unique take on such a well-known character isn鈥檛 the only challenge the Dal students have been tasked with ably navigating. 听
Rebecca McCauley has found that, 鈥淚t has been a great acting exercise working with contemporary speech and living with characters who speak very similarly to the way that we do.鈥� While Zo毛 Mackey-Boehner鈥檚 challenge playing the principal role of Mary 鈥� a graduate student hoping to be a surgeon and coping with the responsibility and morality of saving lives 鈥� was bringing something brand new to life.
鈥淎n incredible experience鈥� and an emotionally affecting challenge鈥� I put a lot of pressure on myself, thinking, I am the first 鈥楳ary鈥� to ever perform this鈥� I鈥檝e been able to find a lot more freedom in realizing [that] the role of the actor is to create.鈥�
听
Gutierrez-Perez sums up the unique experience for the actors.
鈥淲e鈥檝e loved being part of the collaborative process; from the very beginning, our feedback has been incredibly valued and helped shape the text that we鈥檙e working with to this day.鈥�
The pulse
Drums and Organs is a show that oozes theatrical allure. As well as her bold projection and costume design, Karyn McCallum has envisioned a stellar set which reaches an expansive 21-feet high. The design is invigorating, props are vivid, and the plot is a rollercoaster that refuses to release you until the very end.
Read also: Behind the seams: Making the costumes of Drums and Organs
Roberta Barker feels that the play has tapped into a universal pulse.
鈥淟ife and especially love is something that is passed on from person to person [and] actually surrounds us all of the time鈥� The love that comes out of human interactions is greater and more powerful than all the darkness that comes out of human interactions, and [it] will spread forwards and backwards鈥� Love permeates the play鈥�
As a young playwright, Gillian Clark has a sense of the relevance of the cycles of love within her play and says to any prospective audience. She writes:
As a playwright- I aim to make unique experiences that bring people together. 听
So think of Drums and Organs as that.
Make a night of it.
Go with your best friend or crush or nemesis.
Put on your favourite outfit, or your favourite sweatpants鈥�
Grab a burger and a beer from somewhere yummy before because it鈥檚 Burger Week鈥�
And go to a show. A live experience. A show that has a pulse.
Drums and Organs has live music, amazing costumes, and a cast of fearless students telling a story that is funny, vulnerable and fresh. It is both a timeless tale of connection and moral responsibility, and a modern masterpiece of recycled love that comes electrifyingly alive on the stage.
Drums and Organs runs from March 27-31 at the AV俱乐部 Arts Centre鈥檚 Sir James听 Dunn Theatre. Tickets are available from the .