A biting comedy within a performance that features multiple levels of interaction, Pine Tree Players’ new production God of Carnage explores both conflict and human nature.
God of Carnage, a 2009 Tony Award winning play by France’s Yasmina Reza, directed by Jon Bjorgum, will be staged at the Canmore Miners’ Union Hall, Nov. 18-19 and Nov. 24-26 at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee on Nov. 20 at 2 p.m.
God of Carnage was written after an incident at Reza’s son’s school, where one child hit another with a stick, resulting in a lost tooth.
As an ode to Canadiana, Pine Tree’s version of Carnage concerns a child hitting another with a hockey stick, prompting a living room meeting of both sets of parents – the Raleighs and the Novaks – in an effort to sort things out.
The meeting begins civilly enough, but, as you might expect, does deteriorate into a shouting match with all manner of barbs being traded among the four.
PTP’s God of Carnage features Pamela Milthorp and Iain Lock as Annette and Alan Raleigh, parents of the child hit by the stick, as well as Kristin Slagorsky and Connor Ballantine as Veronica and Michael Novak, parents of the child that hit with the stick.
“The play pits two couples together,” said Bjorgum, “and they come together to fight it out. It’s interesting the way parents stand up for their children and we want the community to feel identification with them.
“The stage is rather an island in the hall, while each character is an island of their own. The idea is that the audience can be a fly on the wall while absorbing the characters.”
God of Carnage is staged in the round, with the audience surrounding a central raised platform in the Miners’ Hall. In the round staging allows the audience to be close to the action while acting as observers of the parents’ debate.
The play is rated PG-14 and contains both swearing and mature topics.
“It’s been great learning to work in the round,” said Slagorsky, “You have to be able to move around the stage and make it look natural.”
“I’m an outraged parent of the kid who was hit and the meeting starts politely, but it gradually escalates. It’s a play about relationships and there are parent dynamics, couple dynamics and gender dynamics.”
Ballantine, Slagorsky’s on-stage husband, said the play is his first since grade school, although he’s no stranger to the stage as a member of Mountain Alliance Improv.
“But this has been challenging for sure,” he said. “I’m used to improv, which is pretty much just making things up, but this has to be bang on and I’m really having to concentrate. It’s a lot of words.
“All these characters are pretty awful, it’s all very tense, and I think I’m the calm down person who’s trying to relieve the tension. I’m kind of the regular guy, as opposed to the lawyer, who’s kind of a dick.”
Milthorp, who’s been with PTP for nine years in acting in five productions and directing three one-act plays, said as Annette, the mom of the child who was hit, “I’m stressed out and suffer from anxiety issues and my husband the lawyer neglects me and is always on the phone.
“Basically, I drag him to this meeting with the other parents to try and resolve the issue.”
“It’s been going well,” said Lock. “It’s been a real challenge for me to constantly be on the phone, with a client, or my staff, then go back to talking with the people in the room.
“My phone is constantly going off and it’s incredibly hard to break off one conversation and re-join another. But I’m really enjoying it. I did Scrooge here for Pine Tree and they were silly enough to take me on for this.
“It’s a good play and it’s got comedy, drama and physical violence – what’s not to like?”
Kathleen Fraser, a Calgarian who has been driving out to study the role of Veronica and assist with directing, said when she heard PTP was staging Carnage, she had to audition and lend a hand.
“My husband and I saw it in Vancouver or Calgary, I can’t remember which, but after I saw it, it’s been on my theatre bucket list of things to do. It’s been a good role for learning and I find that in assisting (directing), you don’t see it only from the inside.
“I think the audience could be laughing, or could be crying, and we hope nobody has a dinner party like this.”
Pine Tree Players’ creative committee had looked at a number of plays, said Bjorgum, “and I looked at this and though, It’s won a lot of awards …
“And by staging it in the round, it’s an interesting project.”
With the stage in the round, seating is available for 110, and tickets are available at the door, Café Books, The Cellar Door and www.eventbrite.ca.
