Age of Iren by Marie Humber
Clements, directed by. Dennis

-* Maracle. To Oct, 29 at the
Fireball Arts Centre. Information
and reservations: 689-0926.

> THEATRE REVIEW

ARIE HUMBER
Clements’ am-.-
UW &- bitious first play,
Age of fron, is complex,
- confusing:and, for me,
frustrating.’ © . Soon,
.¢ Itis by turns powerful, poetic -
~and- problematic. ;
2 But its-form is so challenging, its
‘Voice.so provocative, that | am
“-unable to dismiss it as unfinished -
_ “or inaccessible just because | have
. Not understoed all of it.
vis" Perhaps my relative unfamiliarity
_ .with Native myth and storytelling
“.. ! techniques explains my frustration
“with characters who inhabit two.
“worlds at the same time yet belong
“to neither. ° ;

Clements-synthesizes elements . ”

oe 72 of Greek legend and modern.
“> Native tragedy to recreatea ~
Cassandra who tives across time.
“te Inthe original story Cassandra
+ “rejects the love of Apollo, the sen
. Jrof Zeus, and-is cursed with the gift
of prophesy that no one will
believe. Soe
This spiteful son of a god,

“: besides being the deification of

_ light, healing, music’ and poetry,

~-. was also the god of prophesy. He

_» knew the torment he was inflic--
‘tinge .
We meet Clements’. Cassandra
“amid the ruined walls of Troy — a
. i fortress city destroyed, like its
. people, by.the Greeks,

The dispossessed suffer the .
diseases that still accompany
chronic poverty today: ignorance.
and self-doubt that can result in
substance abuse and mental ill-
ness. . :

' The rest of the play, despite the
modern paiable of the Christian
‘destruction of the Native belief
system, affirms that the walls of
: Troy still stand — that there isa

Tentfic tastes ond sensational pices =it
1. Six mouth-watering
ulous entrees. Values? A cod

CRABFEST every ig in Octo
appetizers, nine fo

0 Dungeness:

and sirloin dinner with fresh vegetables, steamed - €

‘ pots, onicn crisps and

butter for dipping is yours 3

os just 9.99! CRABFEST ot the Boothousa in October.
Join us forthe tastes, the suvings, the smiles!» -

Photo Paul Michaud

COMPLEX, CONFUSING but finally compelling, Age of fron incor-

porates powerful visual
in allofus. | .

new awakening to old songs.

The modern Cassandra’s unhap-
py story of jaii, mental hospital as
a treaiment for epilensy,
childhood rape ina residential
school and death in a guiter is nei-
ther.as linear nor as brutal as it
sounds. : ;

This is both a strength and
weakness. . .

_ There is surprisingly little anger
voiced in the play. Pain aplenty,
but the absence of anger and
_blame directed at an oppressive
white culture makes it far easier
-for the guilty to sit and watch.

On the other hand, a point of
entry fora white audience. ac-
customed to a traditionally linear
story construction is hard to find. .

lam not certairi whether it is the
writing or the production that
could better define where in time
we are but | spent far too much of
the evening reading my program
for clues. ao

But perhaps it is not necessary to
pin every scene down to a chro-
nology. ; :

. Cassandra, too, is not an em-
pathetic character.

Director Dennis Maracle offers
no exploration of vulnerability in
Cassandra, played strongly by
Clements herself, with the result .

that | found it easier to observe her ~

journey than to share it.

elements in its search for the Inner voice

Maracle has crafted a vibrantly EW WEST
handsome show. . He
Set, dance, masks and music. 237014 ; 525-3474
delight the senses thanks to the
work of Hillary Wood; Denise
Lonewalker, lan Wallace and
Russell Wallace. ;
But while the inflated elements
of myth were exciting to watch |
often questioned their contribution,
to the production. a
This derived, | think, from the:
uneasy ailiance of natural and rit-
ualistic conventions being
employed. | think a clearer focus
might have been found.
Age of fron worked best when it

‘surprised me. . .

One of the most horrifying mo-
ments of the play came when I re- ©
alized that the attendants in the
psychiatric ward, robed like holy
acolytes in their hospital gowns, |
were formally dressing Cassandra
in the uniform of the prostitute.

| applaud Clements for her am-
bitious undertaking whatever my
reservations. - me

Her bridge between two cultures
is built on the backs of a cultural
appropriation that succeeds in
placing the oral traditions of
Native culture in a context that is
recognizably holy.

A strong voice and a proud
song.”

Wik

WHITE 0G
985 Hatin Bi:

-. HORSESHOE BAY
6055 Neon Ave,
ac ee

Does it sometimes feel like you're sitting on the
sidelines when it comes to the federal election?
Here's your chance to help shape
the political agenda on the North Shore!
Leading up to the October 25th vote, we will be
featuring your comiments in every issue
of the North Shore News. Look on page three for
our “Your Call” feature, and take this
opportunity to tell local politicians what you think
about the way the country is being governed!

NORTH VANCOUVER CITY LIBRARY
Fall Book Sale

a book

Saturday, Oct. 23 9:30 am - 4:00 pm
Come and browse

Your Call!
983-2208

THE VOICE OF NORTH AMD WEET VANCOUVER

121 West 14th St., North Van

eR tee a Ve ne ee i

SUNDAY « WRONEEDAY « FRIGAY