Theatre for the people

The following is a transcript of comments I made opening last night's show:

Good evening. I’m Mark Leger and you’re listening to Serf City on CFMH 107.3 FM.

For eight months last year, I lived in Ghana, a country in West Africa.

My wife and I lived in Accra, the capital and home to about five million people.

Because it was so big it had a lively arts and culture scene.

To get to know the place better, we went to a lot festivals, concerts, and theatre productions.

One night soon after we arrived, we went to a play at the National Theatre, the Accra equivalent of the Imperial. The play was called “Streetism” and was about the life of homeless children in Accra.

We thought we’d learn more about Ghana through the play itself – the plot, the themes, and the acting styles. We didn’t consider what role the audience would play.

In most Western theatres audiences are reminded before the show to turn off their cell phones and it’s considered rude to talk during the performance.

In Ghana, as it turned out, audience participation is part of the show.

From the opening scene where Ghanaian street kids were setting up mats on the streets of Accra, to the final one where the kids were convicted of theft but ultimately released into the care of local churches, audience members hooted and hollered, laughed and shouted questions and made comments to the actors on stage. It must have taken incredible concentration to deliver lines amidst the racket in the audience.

At times it felt like the set of a lowbrow U.S. talk show. One particular scene involved a father and a stepmother trying to deal with their son, who is skipping school and getting poor grades. At one point the son puts up his fist and challenges his father to a fight, and the audience goes nuts, some egging him on, others aghast that he would show such disrespect for his father.

Later in the play, a little boy was centre stage, taking about why he ran away from home. He said his father and mother were too busy at work to take proper care of him. From the back of theatre, someone shouted, “That’s no reason to leave home.”

At first I felt badly for the actors – especially the little kids – but then I realized it was part of the culture, a sign of their engagement in the play. They aren’t passive observers like we are here in Canada.

Now, I’m not suggesting you heckle the actors next time you see a play in Saint John.

But do pack the theatre and be as enthusiastic as they were that night in Ghana. Maybe an extra loud and long standing-ovation at the end of the play.

You’ll have plenty of opportunities in the coming weeks, which is why the theme of the show tonight is “All of Saint John’s a Stage”

There are 3 plays being staged this week and next.

Teatrogatos is presenting ‘9 Parts of Desire’ on Prince William Street. The Lorenzo Society is staging David Mamet’s ‘Oleanna’ at UNBSJ. The Saint John Theatre Company follows with ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ at the Imperial Theatre.

That’s not all. At the end of the month, a local improv group is presenting “Teabag: The Musical” at Akord on Water Street.

We’ll set the scene tonight with interviews about the productions themselves and the state of the theatre scene in Saint John.

We also want to hear from you. What do you think of the city’s theatre scene right now? What’s the best play you’ve ever seen staged here?

If you didn't get a chance to contribute your thoughts to tonight's show, post a note here, or send us an e-mail to: serfcitysj@gmail.com