Keep dancing!Happy Sunday, Waterloo Region! Your regular Horizon Broadening Hour host, Mophead, is busy with the day job, so I’ll be filling in the seat for the month of April. Today features some of the tracks which I’ve added to our LibreTime library over the last two months. Not everything is new, but it’s new to me.
The Horizon Broadening Hour is hosted by Mophead and Bob Jonkman, produced by Richard Giles (Music Committee Coordinator), and sponsored by Radio Waterloo. HBH airs on CKMS-FM every Sunday from 10:00pm to Midnight.
Bob Jonkman talks to script developer Sepehr Reybod and actor June Sung about the upcoming performance of Immolation, how the play was developed, the theme of the play, how it relates to current events, and how the play is structured to achieve the message it is trying to convey.
Bob introduces Sepehr Reybod and June Sung. June explains what the Department of Theatre and Performance is, and how students are involved. Sepehr describes what he does as “text developer” — Immolation is a devised piece, there was no script, only a spark of an idea. The actors wanted to look at resistance, revolution, and rebellion. The text was created by the actors, and Sepehr fleshed it out, created a narrative structure, and assembled it into the script. He’s also the assistant director, working with director Pam Patel of MT Space. Similar to a piece of music, the play follows four movements and interludes. The story emerged in rehearsal and improvs. Even the title took time to come out. Script writing isn’t generally part of the course, but it’s the nature of a divised piece. There is lots of dependence on the other actors and supporting staff, and even the audience is invited to fill in for themselves. Sepehr describes the stage setup.
June tells us of the background and research on freedom fighters that went into Immolation. June researched the South Korean trans-gender activist Jungle.
24m04s
Talking about immolation in the news, and Aaron Bushnell. Sepehr thinks it’s important to differentiate immolation itself from self-immolation: Immolation is the act to destroy by fire, whereas self-immolation is a performative act of protest. But Immolation was created before the self-immolation of Aaron Bushnell. The act is done with the hope of a response to bring something new. This is a big part of the show, taking a look at the different ways we can spark this hope, burn something down, create something new by the act of metaphorically burning down the system. Sepehr repeats the message of hope in Immolation. But mainstream media doesn’t often show the hope and restoration, only the protest and destruction. The language of protest is violence, because that is how these protests can be heard. June thinks that Immolation does end with the hope that something better will come along; each movement shows the destruction and regrowth in different ways. Telling a story that shows regrowth and joy is one of the best forms of protest.
31m02s
June recites an excerpt from Immolation.
32m29s
June provides some analysis of the meaning behind those words. Sepehr gives different examples of what resistance looks like; sometimes it is 100,000 people marching in the street, but also someone walking into a space where they don’t belong and changing it from within. Sepehr goes over the structure of the play. Each movement is a standalone piece, that together tells the whole story.
37m23s
What happens next? After a well-deserved rest, June might like to see one movement or the whole play fleshed out into a larger piece; revolution doesn’t stop when the lights go down. While Waterloo Region has seen its share of protest, reception for Immolation will depend a lot on the venue. At UofW a wide variety of perspectives is appreciated, but that’s not true everywhere; all the more reason to continue to present it. But Sepehr says people are hungry for change, they can use Immolation as the spark to make that change. Theatre is ephemeral, but June says the experience she’s had will stay with her forever. Working on Immolation has got her more energized to work for freedom for all people.
June reminds us of the dates and time for performances of Immolation, as well as the web site and ticket prices. Sepehr tells us about the theatre and the arrangement of the thrust stage. June tells us there will be a new production in the fall, but she is graduating so she won’t be a part of it. Students don’t have to be a theatre major to register for course “Theatre Performance 417”. June tells us about the audition process, slightly different because of the improv.
53m27s
Bob gives the end credits.
CKMS Community Connections Hour One airs on CKMS-FM 102.7 on Monday from 11:00am to Noon, and Hour Two airs alternate Fridays from 3:00pm to 4:00pm.
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