ENTERTAINMENT LOCAL

Controversial coming of age play staged by Ridley

Friday, October 31, 2014 4:19:39 EDT PM

Students from Ridley College perform a scene from Ascension Day.

appies Niagara is a critics and awards program for high school theatre and journalism thats all about student reviews of student
C
productions.
For 2014-15, many schools in the region are participating in Cappies Niagara, a program where high school theatre and journalism
students are trained as critics, attend shows at other schools and write reviews.
Their reviews are submitted, anonymously, for review by a Cappies teacher. The top three reviews are published (the best one in its
entirety) in The Today section after each of the plays is performed.
At the end of the season, the student critics and performers gather for a formal Cappies gala and awards ceremony.
While there are Cappies programs throughout the U.S., Ottawa is the only other Canadian location with a program.
#1
Brittany Bell

Welland Centennial
Sexuality, booze, babies and alien sightings are just a few of the things explored at Bible Camp in Ridley Colleges production of
Ascension Day by Timothy Mason. Combining the contrasting theories of both Brecht and Stanislavski, Ridleys unique performance
had their actors immersed in their characters, while the simple set and constant lighting engaged the audience in a critical perspective
of the plays portrayal of 1947s youth.
Ridleys Ascension Day highlights many societal issues and concerns that occurred during the post-Second World Way 1940s. Some
of the most prominent themes explored are struggles with sexuality, from raging hormones to repression. Dysfunctional families and
friendships are explored through Anat Tewaris troubled character Jerry, who finds himself caught between sisters and the many
conflicting stories he tells of his father. The play also explores the phenomenon of aliens, the pressures of women in society and the
questioning of religion all made relatable to the youth of today.
Ridley Colleges production emphasized one of Stanislavskis main methods, naturalistic acting. It was evident that the actors were
invested in their roles and never broke character, even during curtain call. Jesse Wydman gave the audience continuous comic relief
through his character Danny. The audience roared with laughter during his scenes, whether he was yelling out capitalized words of
instruction manuals or taking a selfie during curtain call. The protagonist, Faith, played by Kate Wilson, also maintained an emotional
hold on the audience as she struggled with following her heart while following her religion.
In keeping with Brechts theories, the set was simplistic and small, featuring a table and a small bench. Very few props were used as
the actors successfully represented scenes through tableaux, never leaving stage. The catwalk doubled as a dock, the sides
decorated with pussy willow branches. The set, although minimalistic, was reminiscent of camp and brought characters into the main
focus, proving that sets dont need to be extravagant in order to capture scenery and enhance memorable moments.
One of the most significant decisions student directors Aidan Robertson and Kailene Jackson made regarding the play was the
gender change of Winnies character, originally written as Wesley. The gender change made the relationship relevant to the audience
as Winnie, portrayed by Cassandra Mitchell, battled her feelings and relationship with character Faith. As shown, same-sex
relationships were especially taboo in 1947, yet youth today can still identify and sympathize with the stigmas nearly 67 years later.
This daring modification was subtle yet extremely powerful, thanks to the talents of Cassandra Mitchell and her dynamic with Kate
Wilson.
The calls of loons were heard throughout the play along with characters discussing the many different calls of lust, longing, fear and
distress that they make. These calls imitated the characters predicaments, each desperately seeking a different release. The
symbolism behind these sounds was extraordinary and overshadowed any technical flaws that occurred.
Uniting naturalistic and epic theatre elements, Ridley Colleges Ascension Day was an unforgettable performance that left the
audience pensive on the similarities between 1947s society and the struggles of today.

#2
Dean Haydon
Welland Centennial
Nine teenagers sit in solemn tableau, and as they do the words of the narrator ring clear throughout the room; For I know the plans I
have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).
This was one of the most powerful moments in Ridley Colleges production of Ascension Day, Timothy Masons story of nine
adolescents getting by at a Bible Camp in 1947 Wisconsin. The struggles sisters Faith and Charity face with love, belief, belonging,
and each other, lie at the heart of the play, with the changes made by the student directors adding an interesting frame of reference
and a modern twist.
The whole cast and crew did a delicate job of tackling the religious tones of the piece that hit home without alienating the audience.
Student directors Aidan Robertson and Kailene Jackson, by adding Bible quotes and gender-swapping a character, made bold
choices that meshed almost seamlessly to the post-war gloom of the setting. Bertolt Brechts theory of epic theatre was juxtaposed
with Constantin Stanislavskis naturalistic approach to reach the ambitious goal of getting the audience to connect with the characters
while plainly reminding them that they are watching a play. This was achieved through the use of jarring lighting and sound cues, and
by having the characters going about their scenes with the remaining cast resting in the background. Doing justice to both theories is
no easy task, but Robertson, Jackson, and the rest of the team captured the conflicting ideas gracefully.
Older sister Faith was impressively portrayed by Kate Wilson as she unravels from a wise young woman into a lost teenager and
connects well with both the audience and her fellow cast members in intimate scenes. Jenna Nye did a fine job playing up Charitys
girlish naivety. She is complimented well by Anat Tewaris dishonest bad boy Jerry, who executed body language both swaggering
and sorrowful with equal skill. Cassandra Mitchell did a fantastic job tackling the character of Winnie with an angst and complexity that
is telling for the time period as well as the present day. Noel Cousins and Vaishna Rajakumar balanced out the production through
the fumbling romance of Randy and Mary-Lois, bringing humour and hope to the performance.
Ridley Colleges production of Ascension Day embodied the essence of adolescence with creativity, heart, and thought that lingered
in the mind long after the audience walked out of the theatre.
#3