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Local playwright, Mitch Miyagawa’s Carnaval comes to town
Whitehorse Daily Star May 17, 2007


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Local playwright, Mitch Miyagawa’s Carnaval comes to town

While the setting will draw people in, it is the storytelling which will keep people in their seats for Whitehorse’s latest production, Carnaval.

Written by local playwright Mitch Miyagawa, Carnaval is being co-presented by Gwaandak Theatre and Nakai Theatre.

With an outdoor stage in the back yard of the Raven Recycling Centre on Industrial Road in Whitehorse, on the surface the play is very much about appearances.

Before entering the theatre, spectators are given work helmets affixed with lights. The entrance to the performance space is guarded by a tunnel made from tall stacks of bundled paper, foofed with old cardboard and discarded Canada Winter Games signs.For the late performances, the headlamps have the added effect of providing the theatre with random, spotlight lighting.

Inside the paper bundles form a semi- enclosed, ring-shaped theatre, open to the sky though protected from the wind. As this allows for the occasional downpour, excessive dust, open smoking and the smell of garbage, this play may not be for everyone. For those willing to stomach the scene, however, this new production by Miyagawa offers more than just a unique setting. Carnaval is storytelling at its finest. With the play set in a Bolivian mining town, Dave Haddock narrates this tale of the downtrodden working class. Poverty, hunger, angry gods and threats of communist revolution all come into play, amid traditions of religion and shifting times. For these people, their only release, it seems, is the Carnaval.

Lucky Feet, a young silver miner, dreams of dancing in that Carnaval, and will do whatever he must to make it happen. It is a story of pain and suffering, but also of love and hope. Vivid language paints a world of comic imagery on the surface, which ultimately leads to tragic outcomes.

First inspired by the stories of a friend, Miyagawa travelled to Bolivia, saw the Carnaval in the ancient mining town of Oruro and had a glimpse into layered society of his friend’s life. ‘At Carnaval, these different layers somehow got mixed together into something wonderful and completely mystifying,’ said Miyagawa. ‘The Carnaval of Oruro is a celebration in the face of a tragic history of slavery, conquest and the whims of higher powers.’

Miyagawa’s first play, The Plum Tree, premiered in Whitehorse with Nakai Theatre in 2001.

The cast is an all-star Yukon line-up, consisting of Brian Fiddler, Haddock, Tanya Marquardt, Michael McManus, Charlie Wilson and Jude Wong. With simple costumes which do not date the cast to any particular time, they appear dirty and rough; an image of the poverty they attempt to portray.

An equally impressive troupe forms the production team, which includes David Skelton, Dean Eyre, Ryan McCallion, Veronica Verkley, Alyson Stopps, Paul Lucas, Heather Jones, Craig Marcuk, Bruce Germain and Joseph Tisiga.

Skelton, Nakai Theatre’s artistic director, directed the production. ‘Carnaval is my first production at the helm,’ he said. ‘Many of the decisions made for this production suggest the direction I will take Nakai Theatre.’ Skelton recently joined the Nakai team, replacing Michael Clark last fall.

‘I am quite fond of image-oriented performances in unconventional venues,’ said Skelton. ‘Carnaval’s outdoor stage at Raven Recycling might skew some audience members’ ideas about theatre,’ he went on. ‘The temperature, smells, sounds and textures of an unconventional venue contribute in creating a visceral performance experience.’

Fantastic as it may appear, the play is an excellent work of storytelling. The acting seems genuine and professional and the unique venue characteristics lend it a charming appeal. True emotions are communicated to the audience, who are left feeling as though the play became a part of them. For anyone interested in great, story-driven theatre, this play is not to be missed.

Performances will take place at Raven Recycling this evening and Saturday evening and May 23-26. Wednesday and Thursday shows begin at 8 p.m. and today and Saturday shows begin at 10:30 p.m. At the beginning of the show, a comical, in-character Haddock offers the audience members hot punch.
Blankets are also provided.

Umbrellas and mosquito repellant are recommended



© http://whitehorsestar.com
Thursday, May 17, 2007


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