Nightmare on St-Dominique

>> Raging Dreams is a meditation on violence

by AMY BARRATT

As described by writer-director Jacquie P.A. Thomas, Raging Dreams: into the visceral sounds like the theatrical equivalent of autism, where audiences can expect to be overstimulated by competing images. "Having many things going on at once," says the founder of Toronto's Theatre Gargantua, "is a trademark of our work."

As you read this, technicians at Théâtre La Chapelle are putting the finishing touches on a wall of rain that will fall throughout performances of Raging Dreams. The six actors in the piece will at times be suspended on ropes above the stage. It is all meant to evoke dreams or, more properly, nightmares.

Although there are scraps of stories dealing with many forms of violence, from the domestic variety to events in Canadian history, "there are no blood bags," Thomas assures me. "Many of the images are very beautiful--if I can say that without sounding offensive."

Raging Dreams was co-written by Thomas and performance artist Meryn Cadell. "I was a big admirer of her work and she had expressed an interest in doing something with us," says Thomas. "Near the beginning of work on Raging Dreams, Thomas sent Cadell a tape of the music they were working with and the two women ended up having a fruitful collaboration on the text of the piece.

Raging Dreams shows a different side of Cadell's writing than people may be used to: "There's no humour. Raging Dreams is essentially a meditation on violence," Thomas explains.

Thomas founded Gargantua on her return to Canada after a stint with Poland's Gardzienici company, which she claims was a strong influence. "It was so visceral," Thomas recalls, "and filled with song." She met them at a conference in England and a couple of years later was invited to audition for them. Forget about the recite-your-two-minute-monologue-and-out-you-go style of auditioning: this one lasted a month, at the end of which the company asked her to stay and collaborate on their next piece.

"I didn't speak Polish before I went there," Thomas relates cheerfully, "but I learned a lot there. We performed in four languages: English, Latin, Polish and Greek." Theatre Gargantua works on a "European" model, with the same small group of performers working together to create theatre pieces featuring original music, movement and strong visual elements.

Raging Dreams represents the second two-year, theme-oriented "cycle" completed by the company since its birth in 1992. (A third cycle, love not love, is currently nearing completion.)

Raging Dreams: into the visceral, Nov. 27, 28 and Dec. 2­5 at 8pm at Théâtre La Chapelle, 3700 St-Dominique, 843-7738