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It’s an evening of live art creation and musical collaboration that invites the whole community to explore the myths in our lives and how we are impacted by them.
Theatre Projects Manitoba shares The Myths that Shape Us on February 24 at The Forks as an initial engagement with the idea of mythology that builds into their upcoming production Prophecy, which will take the stage at the Rachel Browne Theatre next month.
Having an event that builds into a larger project is not new territory for Theatre Projects Manitoba. Managing director Sam McLean notes that it’s something they’ve been doing for a couple of years in an effort to create more interest and engagement.
“We have a live art creation night where we have a visual artist [Ojibway multi-disciplinarian Jackie Traverse] who will be painting live in the studio space that we have arranged at The Forks,” said McLean in an interview on Morning Light, adding that the arranged space is meant to allow an open flow of engagement and interaction with the art being created. “We also have a cellist [sound designer and performer Natanielle Felicitas] ... who will be playing improvised music based off of the vibe of the room, the action and work that the artist is doing.”
“It’s both of them in a kind of art conversation, which is really cool.”
This conversation has one more participant: the audience. A separate canvas will be set up that guests can contribute to as they contemplate the mythologies that are a part of their lives, with the end product being displayed during the run of Prophecy.
The inspiration for both projects comes from Greek mythology, and a desire to explore the female characters in Homer’s The Iliad through a broad lens of myth that includes both Eurocentric and Indigenous perspectives.
The musical choice for The Myths that Shape Us is just as ancient as the mythologies it purportedly accompanies. McLean outlines how Felicitas sourced one of the earliest recorded pieces of sheet music on which to base a larger performance. “As sound design goes, that tone... and that kind of discordant sound that you can create with the cello can really reflect and amplify a lot of the feelings that you get from the content in the play to make both more powerful.”
Having music, visual art and conversation at this event helps people to engage with the concept of myth, which can vary in definition from person to person, community to community. “I think when it comes to mythology, there’s so many different takes on it,” says McLean. A myth can be a rumour, a lie, an idea or an ideal.”
“If you were to value everyone’s perspective at the same level, you have so much content, you always end up having to kind of pick and choose what it is you focus on,” McLean continues. “It’s why you can take so many different classic works and reimagine them from one other person’s perspective in the room, and you get an entirely new story about it.”
Audiences can get a sense for those perspectives and myths at The Myths that Shape Us on February 24 at 7:30 p.m. in Room 201 at The Forks. More information can be found at Theatre Projects Manitoba’s website.