In the Spring of 2023, I participated as an actor in the Chorus of Erased for Open Heart Surgery Theatre’s workshop development of the play. Erased is written and directed by Coleen Shirin MacPherson, with movement direction by Alix Sideris. This internship was my first professional creative work outside of university. The workshopping of this play was very collaborative, which I enjoyed as a devised theatre artist. As a group, we discussed the overarching themes and images that struck us overall about the play. Images of fire, melting, waves, and birds stood out to me, as well as the themes of capitalism, productivity, environmental decay and destruction, revolution, emergence, and human connection and disconnection. It was a very unique and gratifying experience being able to take part in the creative process as the playwright was still developing the play. It meant that anything could change and we, as Chorus members and collaborators, had the ability to help shape what it would become.
We used a studio space at York University for rehearsals five days a week, which mainly involved trials and error with different qualities of movement. We played with embodying certain elements, including fire and wind, as well as developing the quality of birds, which have symbolism within the play. Alix took us through many different exercises that allowed us to establish who the Chorus was as individuals, as well as a collective. We would engage in solo exploration at the beginning of particular exercises and work our way together by the end. The last week of the workshop was spent within the Mainspace at Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto. Being in the theatre where the workshop showing would take place was exciting and allowed us to use the unique space to aid the storyline and our movement. As the Chorus members speak very little, how their bodies move tells their story, but the meaning they create is also up for interpretation by the audience. Just their title alone, referred to as “The Disappeared,” establishes a mysterious aura surrounding who they are, as well as how and why they disappeared. We utilized the balcony as an area in which the Chorus lived and breathed for much of the showing, where we played with slow, sustained movement and breath work. We later made our way down through the audience and onto the stage as the play ramped up towards its climax, which led to fiery and more sporadic movement, as well as melting along the walls.
Watching the world premiere of Erased at Theatre Passe Muraille on November 24th, 2024 was a thrilling and heart-wrenching experience. It was lovely seeing two of my peers who were a part of the workshop Chorus, Dylan Carter and Zoe Magirias, onstage as members of “The Disappeared.” The quality of movement by the Chorus actors was haunting and eye-catching, reeling the audience in as they watched and loomed over us. I appreciated the moments of surprise when “The Disappeared” were brought to the forefront in unpredictable ways. I was also blown away by the set design, which was industrial and grungy, but also simple and effective. As the plot progressed and the societal system established within the play slowly deteriorated, the set pieces also began to deteriorate. The environment created through the use of repetition with the subtle changes of dialogue and characters was very eerie and caused a sense of unease within the audience. This play delves into what happens when one tries to point out the flaws in a toxic system that has been in place for too long, and the lengths those in power will go to prevent anything from happening to this system. Erased has many layers of meaning and is extremely relevant to our current political and social scene, posing questions surrounding capitalism and environmental distress.
On the particular day I had the opportunity to watch it, there was a post-show Talk Circle surrounding Climate Grief and Embodied Theatre with Magdalena Kazubowski-Houston, Alix Sideris, Sasha Singer-Wilson, moderated by Marlis Schweitzer and Jayna Mees. Delving deeper into the layered meanings of the play and the impact of the climate crisis felt crucial. We were able to connect together as human beings, which certain characters in the play struggled to do. It was a very powerful discussion and left the audience with possibly a new perspective on the play they had just experienced.