There is something strange going on down in the far corner of the Raven Recycling yard. A stage has been set up, and huge amounts of recycled material arranged to provide scenery. The rumours are true, folks. The Raven Recycling Society is the stage for the play Carnaval.

The playwright is by Mitch Miyagawa, and the performance is a co-production between Nakai and Gwaandak theatre groups. It is about Lucky Feet, a young silver miner, who dreams of dancing in the Carnaval. All he has to do is make a deal with the King of the Underworld and stop his father's revolution, and his dream will come true.

Locating the Whitehorse performance of the play in the Raven yard is somewhat inspiring. Raven does look a bit like a mine site, what with bales of recycled resources everywhere.

Of course, when it gets messy, it can look a bit like the Underworld as well. But the Raven staff does try to keep it under control. Now the staging of the play does call for some interesting sets. It has been fascinating watching the set designers gather recycled material and supplies from the Raven warehouse and reuse shelf. They have then transformed a corner of the Raven yard into a labyrinth of a set.

Now it must be said that Raven was not that keen on the idea of hosting a play. After all, the idea of those artistic types running around the yard, getting in the way of the loader, waxing eloquent over bales of cardboard, barraging Recycling Club participants with lines from Shakespeare, it just seemed more hassle than it was worth. So the Raven staff tried to scare them off.

At the initial planning sessions we told the play organizers that the yard would be too muddy. Raven is one of the lowest points in the Marwell area, so water tends to flow into the yard. Now we did get the drainage system fixed about a year ago, but we didn’t tell the theatre types that. We just wanted them to realize that having a play in the Raven yard could be a challenge. Unfortunately, that approached backfired. The theatre types all started swooning, saying a muddy ground would be perfect. It would add to the audiences’ experience.

So Raven changed tack.We said that if it wasn’t muddy, it would be dry and dusty. Very dusty. Once again, this is apparently something audiences would find useful in enhancing their theatre experience. So Raven caved in and let the play proceed.

For the record, the yard isn’t muddy and it’s not that dusty. However, audiences should be prepared for outdoor conditions. Wear good shoes, and dress warmly.

After the premiere, Carnaval will tour throughout Canada. But I bet they won’t find a stage quite like the Raven Recycling yard.

Carnaval runs at Raven until Saturday, May 26th. Tickets are available at Arts Underground.

Raven Recycling will be closed on Monday, May 21st for Victoria Day.

Lewis Rifkind is an employee of the Raven Recycling Society.

Image: Raven is located at 100 Galena Road. That’s in the Marwell (Downtown) Industrial area of Whitehorse, on the corner of Industrial and Galena Roads, just down from the 4-way stop. The Landfill is located on the west side of the Alaska Highway, about 50 metres north of the Fish Lake road turnoff.

© http://www.ravenrecycling.org/index.htm
Friday, May 18, 2007