In an exciting double-bill production featuring the work of Daniel MacIvor—a heavyweight in Canadian theatre—the Gladstone theatre is hosting Cautionary Tales: A Daniel MacIvory Double Bill from Oct. 17–26.
Cautionary Tales features two one-act pieces. The first, Never Swim Alone, is produced by Plosive Theatre Productions, and the second, See Bob Run, is being produced by newbie theatre company Sunny Ryan Productions.
“See Bob Run, a one-woman show, has a huge mix of comedic storytelling with a really compelling character,” says Artistic Director of Plosive Productions David Whiteley. “And Never Swim Alone is also very virtuosic, but in a different way.”
(L-R): David Whiteley, Sunny Ryan, Micah DeShazer in Never Swim Alone. Photo provided.
See Bob Run follows the story of a troubled young woman named Bob who is on the run from her dark past, hitchhiking from one destination to the next.
Whiteley says that the performance explores the full scope of Bob’s backstory; why she’s attempting a journey to the coast, what drove her to that point and the life struggles she’s had along the way.
Never Swim Alone is a commentary on toxic masculinity, and how it can negatively affect both men and women. Whiteley says that the piece centres around male competitiveness, where two men who grew up together try to one-up each other in a series of games.
“Many of us in this culture of competition, especially among men, try to one-up each other by putting the other person down, and how poisonous that can be to friendships,” says Whiteley. “So, it’s not just between men, but how it impacts the self, how it impacts other men, how it impacts women.”
Whiteley says that there is also a kind of boyishness to the piece, especially in the way the two men interact with one another on stage.
“There’s a lot of childishness to their behaviour, which is amusing to see in adult men who are supposed to be powerful businessmen dressed in suits, and then playing who can fall dead the best shooting each other!”
This childishness also manifests in See Bob Run—one of the many similarities between the two performances.
“How she [Bob] describes her life comes in the form of fairy tales or silly stories for children,” says Whiteley. “But you can readily recognize that although there’s a kind of lighthearted, almost silly touch to that, it’s clearly about her.”
(L-R): David Whiteley, Sunny Ryan, Micah DeShazer in Never Swim Alone. Photo provided.
While both of these pieces complement each other, and are in conversation with one another, they are also fascinating in their own right, as one whole production.
“The two plays are different enough not to be at all redundant,” says Whiteley. “We’re not giving more of the same, we’re giving the kind of mirror image flip side of it.”
Two distinctive pieces that handle similar themes in different ways. Both of these performances deal with time, and feature flashbacks as a part of their narratives.
“There are all these things about the structure of how the past impacts the present, how the histories of the characters are told and the reference points,” says Whiteley. “And all of it has this wit and cleverness, the way MacIvor is able to turn a phrase and be at once evocative and mix humour and pathos so easily together.”
Plosive Productions have been in the Ottawa theatre scene since 2010, but Sunny Ryan Productions is newly-launched. Whiteley says that working together on this production was a way to uplift another local independent artist within the community.
“It makes far more sense for Plosive to take on aspects of what needs to be coordinated between the two companies rather than leave a newcomer to have to figure it out on their own,” he says.
(L-R): David Whiteley, Sunny Ryan, Micah DeShazer in Never Swim Alone. Photo provided.
Whiteley also says that while there’s lots to enjoy with this double bill, he hopes that audiences are able to see the pure joy the performers embody on stage.
“Oftentimes, there’s a balance of the fiction that you get immersed in, and seeing real-life humans execute this. And these two shows give a wealth of both,” he says. “There’s lots to enjoy and to be reminded of, but then there’s also the sheer joy and exuberance of watching performers have a great time on stage doing some really demanding and sometimes really difficult things.”
Cautionary Tales: A Daniel MacIvor Double Bill performs at the Gladstone Theatre from Oct. 17–26. Performances are at 7:30pm Tuesday-Saturday, with matinees at 2:30pm on Saturdays and Sundays. To get your tickets, visit the Gladstone online or call their box office at 613-233-4523. For more information on the performance, you can head over to the Gladstone’s website, or check out Plosive Productions or Sunny Ryan Productions online as well.
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