Calling Back the Other Shore

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Written by Jennifer Adams

Sunday, 24 August 2008 09:10

Last weekend I had callbacks for The Other Shore... it was SUCH a fun experience for me... there were 3 groups of 5-8 actors, for roughly an hour and a half... we warmed up with some theatre games to get the actors to know each other a little bit, then we worked with two different scenes from the show.

I had really been looking forward to it. By this time in my pregnancy with Tony, Jr., I was directing The Visit already, and I feel like I had a lot more energy and passion. This pregnancy has been great too, but I haven't felt the “fire” that I did before. I think a lot of it was the adrenaline, and having something else just as exciting as the baby to focus on! I work really well when I have 2 simultaneously large projects... more than that and I get a bit crazy!

All that adrenaline came rushing back with callbacks. I REALLY love this script, but it is a very specific type of show, and could be disaster if not handled correctly... It was great to hear it out loud, to hear how the poetry of the lines flow, and to see the physicality of the play come to life. Especially after working on it for callbacks, I really feel like this could be a fascinating play that challenges the artists, and challenges the audience as well.

One of the interesting dilemmas is that Gao Xingjian has stated very clearly that The Other Shore was not written as a political play, and was not written as a religious play. In fact, it was after this play was banned in China that he left the country; he realized that if even his non-political or religious plays were banned, he would never be able to write what he wanted in China without it being censored. However, the play has such beautiful undercurrents of Xingjian's life in China, with hints to Communism and Buddhism (some hints not so subtle, like the character of the Zen Master!) that maybe even HE didn't realize how strong they were when he wrote it. I want to be able to do justice to those moments without turning the play into something different then what Xingjian intended.

Also, Halcyon's mission encourages the incorporation of more cultural elements from the world of the play then just what's written. So I am beginning to listen to Chinese music, learning more about Buddhist chants and meditation, and looking at Chinese artwork and dance to see how that can enhance the story. I'm really excited to bring those elements into rehearsal and production!

And if the callbacks are any indication, I will also spend a lot of time being very sore!