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Send in the ninjas >> Vangarde Theatre kicks off with True Faith
by AMY BARRATT
Indeed, the "ninjas," or stage-fighters, in Paul de Tourreil's play are anything but window dressing. The playwright, who is also a martial arts instructor, put them in there partly to add theatricality to the one-person form, which can often be static and wordy. True Faith, an earlier version of which was performed at the 1996 Fringe Festival, dramatizes a young man's struggle with cancer. The ninja assassins represent the ravages of the disease, as they physically attack the young man, Daniel. In this inaugural production of Vangarde Theatre, Daniel is played by one of my favourite local actors, Shawn Baichoo (Plop@Fleck, Bone Cold, God). Although Baichoo played the role back in '96, it's much more of a challenge this time, not just because the fight sequences have been refined, but because he will be performing the play in both English and French. True Faith runs for the next two weeks at Théâtre de la Veillée's Espace Intime, followed each night by the French translation by Abel (he only has one name, like Sting) titled Vérité et Conséquences. "It just seems logical in Montreal to do something in the other language," says Ottawa native Van Regan, the company's artistic director. "I figured it might as well be a script that I was comfortable with and that was translated well. It's a script that works well in both languages. "Abel was originally going to play the role (of Daniel in French)," explains Van Regan, "but he ended up having some conflicts. Shawn had always wanted to do it, and I was the one who put the reins on, but he's really risen to the task." In addition to learning the part in both languages, Baichoo, who has his certification from Fight Directors Canada, has been coaching the ninjas in stage combat. These young men, now known as the En-garde Stage Combat Team, are all skilled martial artists, but none had ever acted or done stage fighting before. "They were all people who were interested in doing stunt work, who didn't really have an avenue to do fight choreography anywhere," Van Regan says. "I may be able to rent them out afterwards." The company is committed to keeping ticket prices low: it offers two-for-one Thursdays and anyone who's seen the show once and brings a friend back to see it again--in either language--gets in free. Vangarde even offers a money-back guarantee. They'll be doing a benefit night for the Canadian Cancer Society, and one performance in each language with simultaneous translation into American Sign Language. "It's not a company that was formed for one show and you never hear from us again," promises Van Regan. Vangarde already has two productions planned for next season: Lenny and Reno, by local playwright Josh Bloch, and Epiphany 1643, a historical play about how the cross came to be planted on Mount Royal. How much more Montreal can you get? True Faith runs Tuesdays to Sundays, May 18-30 at 7:15pm, followed by Vérité et Conséquences at 9pm at Théâtre de la Veillée: Espace Intime, 526-6582, $11/$8.50 students |
"When I talk to people who go see Hong Kong action movies about this play, they don't shut off right away," says director Heidi Van Regan about True Faith, which is subtitled A One-Man Show (With Ninjas). "It's a cheap trick, but it's in the script!"