We are giving away two pairs of tickets to see The Handmaid’s Tale at the National Arts Centre on Thursday, January 22. To enter the contest email apartment613@gmail.com with the subject line: “The Handmaid’s Tale – Contest” by noon Tuesday, January 20. The winner will be notified on Tuesday afternoon.
Margaret Atwood’s famous novel The Handmaid’s Tale is one of most successful literary works by a Canadian author. In addition to winning a Governor General’s Award, it has been turned into a movie, an opera, play and radio drama.
You can now add ballet to this long list of artistic interpretations, thanks to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet who will be performing their adaptation of Atwood’s classic story at the National Arts Centre from January 22-24.
For traditional ballets like Swan Lake or the Nutcracker, the dancers can prepare by reviewing numerous past performances. But with a new work like this one – The Handmaid’s Tale ballet only debuted in 2013 – it can sometimes be more difficult to rehearse.
“A lot of this is trial and error,” says Elizabeth Lamont, who plays the role of Offred, the narrator in Atwood’s book.
In a phone interview with Apartment613, Lamont says it was a challenge to prepare for this show, especially given that it is based on a novel.
“[In the book Offred] is talking inside her head. I can’t show that in a ballet,” says Lamont. “What I can show is how she feels.”
Set in a dystopian future, The Handmaid’s Tale describes how a fundamentalist Christian dictatorship has taken power in the United States, and in the process removing all rights from women.
Photo by Vince Pahkala courtesy of the NAC
Due to widespread environmental damage and sexually transmitted diseases, this new religious society faces declining birthrates. To ensure the continuation of the population, a group of women who are fertile are kept as concubines in order to breed children for the ruling class.
The narrator of the story is Offred, i.e. literally “Of-Fred.” (The name of the Commander she belongs to is presumed to be Fred).
For Lamont, who was promoted to second soloist last year, playing this mysterious role is intriguing. This is an interesting comment from a very talented dancer who previously played Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, which is arguably one of the most coveted roles for a ballerina.
“When I was picked as Juliet it was huge. It put me on the map in terms of my career,” says Lamont. “But this role [of Offred] is more challenging …. The character of Offred is really difficult, perhaps the most difficult one that I have ever done.”
What is particularly challenging about Offred is that we do not have a lot of information about her in the book. What does she really look like? How tall is she? What is even her real name? These are questions that do not have clear answers.
What we do know, however, is that the ballet adaptation of Atwood’s famous book is a tantalizing show for lovers of ballet.
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet perform The Handmaid’s Tale at the NAC from January 22-24. Tickets start at $25.
