{"id":28081,"date":"2018-03-09T03:58:25","date_gmt":"2018-03-09T11:58:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=28081"},"modified":"2018-03-07T17:17:30","modified_gmt":"2018-03-08T01:17:30","slug":"exploring-the-science-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2018\/03\/09\/exploring-the-science-of-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring the science of life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amy Amantea and Jake Anthony in Sequence<\/em>, which runs March 14-24 at Presentation House Theatre. (photo by Tim Matheson)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo direct this play requires a willingness to grapple with the concepts, to accept that sometimes questions are more important than answers, not everything is answerable, and to be committed to entertaining possibilities. It\u2019s heady stuff,\u201d director Rena Cohen told the Independent<\/em> about Sequence<\/em>, which opens next week at Presentation House in North Vancouver.<\/p>\n

Describing the play as \u201ca science thriller that will challenge as much as it entertains,\u201d Cohen, who is also managing artistic director of Realwheels Theatre, explained, \u201cIn Sequence<\/em>, we follow two absorbing stories. In one, a professor confronts a student who\u2019s defied probability by taking a multiple-choice exam only to get every answer \u2013 150 of them \u2013 wrong (the chance of achieving this is one in a pentillion). In the second story, the \u2018Luckiest Man Alive\u2019 \u2013 his status cemented by his uncanny ability to predict the winner of the Super Bowl coin toss for 20 years running \u2013 is confronted by a young woman who claims to know his secret.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach of these narratives is presented coherently, cleverly and simultaneously, and it\u2019s how they intertwine through \u2018wormholes\u2019 in the dialogue that makes the play fascinating, and mystifying. Playwright Arun Lakra compares the structure of the play to two strands of intertwining DNA. You could argue it\u2019s comparable to a M\u00f6bius strip-like dramatic encounter. You\u2019re following two narratives, only to have the carpet swept out from under you.\u201d<\/p>\n

For readers who don\u2019t have Wikipedia or a dictionary handy, a M\u00f6bius strip, or band, is \u201ca surface with only one side and only one edge. It can be made using a strip of paper by gluing the two ends together with a half-twist.\u201d It\u2019s a non-orientable surface, which means it \u201ccannot be moved around the surface and back to where it started so that it looks like its own mirror image.\u201d The example given for further explanation, is that \u201cno matter what, a human right hand, cannot be rotated in such a way that it becomes a human left hand. The right hand is, therefore, orientable.\u201d<\/p>\n

How does one direct a play like Sequence<\/em> so that it\u2019s enjoyable and comprehensible?<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are ways we harness the \u2018language of theatre\u2019 to capture audiences\u2019 attention, to heighten a moment,\u201d said Cohen. \u201cSometimes, it\u2019s in the way an actor delivers a line, the way they land on a phrase containing important information. We also signal key moments using lighting and\/or sound, so even if, when information doesn\u2019t necessarily register on a conscious level, you absorb it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The material of the play \u2013 \u201cWading into new intellectual territory, learning the mathematical concepts used to understand randomness and probability\u201d \u2013 was initially a challenge for Cohen.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy last physics course was in high school, the last time I studied math was in CEGEP [a post-secondary school program in Quebec] and I\u2019ve never taken a biology course,\u201d she said, \u201cso some of the references in the play \u2013 regarding genetics, for example \u2013 may not be complicated to a Grade 10 biology student, but they\u2019ve been a challenge to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cSequence<\/em> is also very fast-paced, and there\u2019s a ton of stage business, most of which is \u2013 incidentally \u2013 performed by Amy Amantea, our actor who lives with blindness. She\u2019s fearless.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, added Cohen, \u201cWorking with an integrated cast of performing artists with disabilities and able-bodied artists means there\u2019s a wider range of experience, and we\u2019re challenged to become an ensemble in a few short weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Krista Skwarok and Byron Noble. (photo by Tim Matheson)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Amantea (as the professor) will be joined in the performance by actors Jake Anthony (the student), Byron Noble (the \u201cluckiest man\u201d) and Krista Skwarok (the woman who purports to know his secret).<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo members of the cast live with disability: Amy is legally blind and Jake lives with autism,\u201d said Cohen. \u201cThe casting speaks to our (Realwheels\u2019) commitment to fostering interchange between mainstream and disability arts sectors. That means interchange between artists, and we\u2019re all learning from each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmy Amantea has such a generous spirit, so much heart and decency and, in Sequence<\/em>, she\u2019s playing a dark, angry character. Her character is also very funny and over-the-top, and this is new territory for Amy, who left the performing arts after she lost her sight 11 years ago. Furthermore, Amy\u2019s character lives with severe sight loss, but of a type that\u2019s different from her own, so there\u2019s a whole other layer of challenge. She also has the most \u2018stage business.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cJake Anthony is a sensitive actor, and an incredible advocate for persons with autism; getting to know him means gaining appreciation for the gifts that accompany autism,\u201d continued Cohen. \u201cJake is a decisive and determined individual, very focused, so lovely and respectful to everyone, and he\u2019s bringing tremendous insight into his character, a young man of faith, and an inveterate optimist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Skwarok is a recent graduate of Langara College\u2019s Studio 58 theatre program, said Cohen, \u201cand this is her first professional gig. Such bright energy, she\u2019s super-smart and quick and creative and game. Expect to see a lot more of her \u2013 Krista\u2019s talent is explosive.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for Noble, Cohen said he \u201cis loaded with charm.\u201d In Sequence<\/em>, she said, his character \u201cis slick, playful and, yes, he\u2019s a charmer \u2013 and we get to see his character grow and other unexpected qualities emerge. It\u2019s beautiful to watch. Byron is the most seasoned actor in the Sequence<\/em> company, and we\u2019re all benefiting from his experience and generosity.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said this play feels made for Realwheels \u201cbecause it isn\u2019t about disability, yet disability forms the landscape against which universal issues are debated onstage.\u201d<\/p>\n

She explained, \u201cThe four characters in Sequence<\/em> are attached to their individual frameworks of the world: faith versus science, fate versus DNA. Did God use evolution as a means of creation? If something isn\u2019t testable, how do you justify believing it? Is there an innate rightness to biological outcomes rooted in our fundamental DNA?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sequence<\/em> has won several awards. The playwright, Lakra, is an ophthalmologist in Calgary, where he splits his time between practising medicine and writing, said Cohen. \u201cThis is the first time,\u201d she said, \u201cthe play is being produced with an integrated cast \u2013 professional actors with disabilities playing alongside able-bodied actors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sequence<\/em> runs 80 minutes with no intermission, and is not suitable for children. It is at Presentation House Theatre March 14-24 (except March 19), with proceeds from the March 14 preview going to Realwheels Society to cover production costs. For tickets ($28-$10), call 604-990-3474 or visit phtheatre.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Amy Amantea and Jake Anthony in Sequence, which runs March 14-24 at Presentation House Theatre. (photo by Tim Matheson) \u201cTo direct this play requires a willingness to grapple with the concepts, to accept that sometimes questions are more important than answers, not everything is answerable, and to be committed to entertaining possibilities. It\u2019s heady stuff,\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28083,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[785],"tags":[7927,2777,7926,4659,6521,2225,7925],"class_list":["post-28081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-performing-arts","tag-arun-lakra","tag-inclusion","tag-physics","tag-presentation-house","tag-realwheels","tag-science","tag-sequence"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28081"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28081\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}