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Read MoreThe Mulroney Hall is the newest in a string of construction and renovations across campus. The university’s president offered an announcement of a performance space in the new hall, a “classroom, performance, and presentation space” according to the university’s Twitter page.
This follows suit in a trend of new buildings offering grand lecture halls, but a lack of actual performance space. A curious trend given how the school often advertises its small class sizes.
StFX is the host of Festival Antigonish, a wonderful and large series of plays that occur throughout the course of the summer. The shows are held principally in the Bauer theatre, with the children’s shows in Immaculata Hall. These are two excellent performance spaces and offer different unique traits to their audience. For those who have not been in the Bauer, it is an approximate 300˚ stage, so the actors are surrounded by their audience, which makes for more complicated stage blocking and a captivating theatre experience.
Immaculata Hall is your more standard stage layout, but it is only slightly elevated and does not have strong acoustics for performance. Seats are arranged on a flat surface with other seating elevated on the sides and at the very back.
A forgotten theatre space is the StFX Auditorium underneath the school chapel. The space is well laid out for bigger performances but has a negative reputation.
Rumours have circulated for years about issues with the foundation, possible mould and more; although, dance performances still occur there which begs the question of how much truth there is to the stories.
Upon visiting the auditorium, it is evident that the space is long overdue for some renovations. The peeling paint and worn floors offer a comforting sense of age and good use but deliver a sense of urgency for renewal.
In a town that is overflowing with talent, and thrives off its theatre community, it would make sense for the community to keep up to date on its infrastructure. To do this, Theatre Antigonish often hosts fundraisers, such as cabaret events, to maintain upkeep and to buy the rights to put on further productions.
The question some individuals have regarding fundraising is how much of the funds can go directly to the Theatre community rather than the university itself.
The 2019-2020 budget has just been approved with a renovation budget allocated to the locker rooms in the Oland Centre. It is highlighted that the six million dollars were fundraised, but with no mention of how or why the budget approval was necessary if it was by donation. If fundraised funds can go directly to a building, then I promote the beginning of a fundraiser for the renovations of the arts buildings on campus.
Were renovations for the Oland Centre not voted upon as an addition to the student fees charged to students? This would suggest that funds raised were not by donations or events.
Our town hosts bi-weekly art fairs, open-mic nights, poetry events, lecture series, music performances and more. It only makes sense to have more spaces to promote and encourage this culture as it is clearly prominent and successful. Looking at recent events, Hairspray and The Shoe Project were both events that were sold out during their performance runs.
The upcoming Sunshine on Leith is already said to have strong ticket sales well before opening night. These are clear signs that the theatre community is vibrant and strong. This is also something the university can use to promote its arts programs and benefit its current struggling reputation.
The continued creation of spaces for larger class sizes and grand lectures in the new building is fine but given the nature of our community and the already pre-existing spaces that can accommodate those types of events, it would make sense to create spaces that can still be used for those purposes but that can incorporate the community on a larger scale.
StFX already has very strong ties to the community, but by offering resources that they desire, it can help boost those connections and promote future student enrolment to StFX. I call to action the student population and community; how do you think StFX or the community should approach the subject of performance spaces on campus or within the community?
March 9, 2021, Queer students entering Bloomfield Centre were met with a common but unexpected sight. Canadian Blood Services (CBS), who due to the Health Canada restrictions on donations from men who have sex with men (MSM) enforce what many describe as a discriminatory ban on blood donations from Queer men, had set up a donation clinic in the MacKay room.
The spirit of Ovid loomed in Bauer Theatre starting November 8, the opening night of Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses. A six-inch deep center-stage pool is host of Narcissus’ self-gaze, Phaethon’s hilarious conversation with a therapist and the powerful scenes involving Midas among Zimmerman’s nine myths inspired from Ovid’s Metamorphoses and others who wrote about Metamorphoses such as Rainer Maria Rilke. About a hundred people in attendance rose for a standing ovation after the surprise ending on opening night.
There is no doubt that changing a work from poetry to theatre changes the experience of it. Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses is not a staging of Ovid’s literary triumph, as she goes beyond changing the medium through which Ovid’s saga is enjoyed. Rather, Zimmerman’s production borrows characters and stories from Ovid to create a more focused story about the changing power of love.
The tale unfolded on stage by Zimmerman is far from the one riddled by Ovid, though they are not entirely disconnected. In both fables, King Midas’ judgement is clouded by his desire for wealth. He similarly encounters a follower of Bacchus, takes care of the man, and is rewarded by the god with the power to turn all things to gold. This however, is where the two depictions part ways. There are many minor differences. As an example, Ovid’s Midas is an old drinking friend of Silenus, “When Midas saw the old man was Silenus - They had been filthy drunken good old friends - He ordered up a dozen rounds of drinks - Then more and more, and drank ten days and nights” (Ovid, 290). Zimmerman’s Midas does not know Silenus, but only speaks with him out of the possible prospect of profiting on the key to immortality, “Go on. Is it an animal? Even better if it’s an animal, we could breed them here. My god, the millions!”
What is more important though, is how tragedy strikes. In Ovid’s version, Midas uses his wealth to order a feast but comes to the sad realization that he is unable to satisfy his most basic need to eat, “The feast laid out before him, he went hungry - And though his throat burned dry, no drink could wet it - By his own choice gold had become his torture” (Ovid, 291). Zimmerman morphs the misfortune entirely. Midas is surprised by his daughter who leaps into his arms and is, as his new power demands, turned to gold. Ovid’s honeyed words never even make mention of a daughter, or any family of the king for that matter, excluding a reference to Bacchus as, “His foster child in drink” (Ovid, 290). After their respective tribulations, the two writers similarly display a remorseful Midas who appeals to Bacchus’ pity and asks that he be freed of his once-desired condition.
In each case, Midas is granted this wish by washing his hands in faraway waters. Ovid, not often being one to end a story on a happy note, ensures that the once-greedy king’s luck soon runs out. The next punishment Ovid envisions for Midas, Apollo changing the king’s ears into those of an ass, is entirely absent from Zimmerman’s interpretation. She opts to end the story of the king, and indeed the entire play, on a hopeful note. After a long absence from the stage, Midas returns to the spotlight. The king arrives at the faraway waters in the pool, and after washing his hands as instructed, he is freed from his gift-turned-curse and reunited with his daughter.
For Zimmerman, the story of the greedy king is the alpha and the omega. The far greater length of Ovid’s work allows him to explore a vast number of themes, love being one of many. Zimmerman finds ample space to express several ideas within love such as chaos and order, justice versus injustice, theology, and rebirth.
Each of her stories represents some form of love. For examples, the beginnings of romantic love with Pomona and Vertumnus, the loss of love between Orpheus and Eurydice, the paternal love of Apollo and Phaeton, the forbidden love of Myrrha and king Cinyras, the self-love of Narcissus and of Erysichthon, and the different forms of undying love in Alcyone and Ceyx, Eros and Psyche, and Baucis and Philemon.
Salome Barker, an outstanding actress in the play, says, “The biggest take away that I have from performing the different characters within the play Metamorphoses would be the idea of change and transformation. The best way I can describe this is when I played the character of Eurydice. The opening part is the classic tale, on Eurydice and Orpheus’ wedding day, Eurydice is killed by a snake and must go to the underworld. In this version of the tale, she is devastated and wants to be with her husband. However, in the Zimmerman version she tells two stories, the second one being from Rilke. In this tale, death is so new to Eurydice that she forgets about Orpheus, and she does not need him anymore. She’s content with this new life. It was very challenging for me to portray this, going from loving Orpheus to then changing and realizing that she was okay without him.”
One who attends the play expecting to see a faithful representation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses will undoubtedly be sorely disappointed. Zimmerman’s play simply isn’t that, and it doesn’t try to be. Instead, Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses rents Ovid’s myths and interprets them in unexpected new ways, to create a theatrical parable about the transformative power of love. For those with a soft-spot for happy endings, and a stomach for tragedy, Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses is sure to delight.
Something magical is happening on the Bauer Theatre stage. The popular venue for live theatre has been home to several hundred different plays, set designs, and theatrical elements over the years, but staging a play set entirely in water is an exciting first!
In November, Theatre Antigonish will open its 44th season with the Tony-award winning play Metamorphoses, by Mary Zimmerman. This play is a spellbinding adaptation of the classic myths of Ovid. It is storytelling at its best, with a series of short stories told in and around a shallow pool of water on stage. With its evocative images, visual exuberance, and exquisite costumes, this play is a clever juxtaposition of the ancient and contemporary as it explores the theme of transformation. And since the entire play is set in water, audience members will even have a chance to catch a fun splash or two, if they choose to sit up close to the stage!
Metamorphoses begins with a pay-what-you-can preview on Wednesday, November 7, and opening night on Thursday, November 8. Performances will take place November 7-10, and November 17-18, at the Bauer Theatre, located on the campus of StFX University. The show begins at 7:30pm and doors open at 7pm. The play is directed by Theatre Antigonish’s Artistic Director Andrea Boyd, with set and lighting design by Ian Pygott and costume design by Martha Palmer. The stage manager for the show is Ashley Pettipas. The cast includes a large group of community members and StFX students, some of whom are veterans of the Bauer stage and some who are new to the joy of acting. The prospect of performing a play in water poses unique challenges for all aspects of the show – set design, costumes, direction, acting, backstage work, audience seating, climate control – but it also brings excitement, exuberance, and the joy of creative discovery as the cast and creative team work through rehearsals.
Boyd says “I am so excited to direct this play. The stories will provoke laughter, tears, grief and joy. It will surprise us and draw us in. The actors are all amazing, and the creative team is working wonders to bring the play to life. It is a beautiful play with stunning visuals. And who doesn’t enjoy playing in water?”.
Advance tickets for Metamorphoses are on sale now – online at www.theatreantigonish.com or by phone at (902) 867-3333. Tickets are $15 regular, $12 seniors, and $10 students. Season passes are also on sale, providing a saving of up to 30% on all five shows for the season.
Now entering its 44th year, Theatre Antigonish is a professionally-led community theatre organization, offering high quality productions at the Bauer Theatre during the fall and winter months. As a non-profit organization, Theatre Antigonish brings together StFX students and members of the local community to work together on all aspects of the plays, including acting, designing, set-building, sound and light, and promotions. For more information, contact tickets@stfx.ca, call (902) 867-3333, or visit the Facebook page at facebook.com/TheatreAntigonish.
Name: Nicole Zambrano.
Year of Study/Program: First year Bachelor of Art in Political Science.
Where are you from? Guayaquil, Ecuador.
The first play that you’ve ever been in? Metamorphoses will be my first play!
Name: Michael Gillis.
Year of Study/Program: Second Year, English Major.
Where are you from? Georgetown, Ontario.
The first that that you’ve been in? Goodnight Desdemona Good morning Juliet, a Shakespeare parody.
Name: Devon Side Walker.
Year of Study/Program: Third Year Business, Management advanced major.
Where are you from? Grande Prairie, Alberta.
The first play that you’ve ever been in? First play I was in was at Theatre Antigonish: Eurydice.
First play ever: a Christmas play in the 8th grade.
Name: Tyler Kingston.
Year of Study/Program: Second year, Nursing.
Where are you from? Miramichi, New Brunswick.
The first play that you’ve ever been in? Snow White and the 7 dwarfs.
Name: Salome Barker.
Year of Study/Program: Fourth year, Women and Gender Studies.
Where are you from? Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland and Labrador.
The first play that you’ve ever been in? The Nutcracker.
Name: Madison Kendall.
Year of Study/Program: Second Year, Arts Program.
Where are you from? New York City, USA.
The first play that you’ve ever been in? Solidea Island.
The latest play from the Bauer Theatre opens March 8th.
Read MoreThis is a Play showed the lengths actors will go to in order to live up to the phrase, “The show must go on!”
Read MoreA review of the staged reading of Catherine Banks’ award-winning play It Is Solved By Walking.
Read MoreThe Bauer Theatres latest production is a new look at a classic fairytale.
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