Culture
State Of Women – Al Green Theatre, Toronto – November 11, 2015
By: Kat Harlton
Stage Play By: Andy Lyberpoulous
Directed By: Tatum Lee
www.tandum.ca
This past Remembrance Day I was fortunate to be invited to attend the opening night of State Of Women at the Al Green Theatre. Directed by Tatum Lee, the production tells the “dramatic story of Eve Landing–an ex-housewife thrust into the chaos of WWII building warplanes for the Air Force in San Francisco, with a group of headstrong women“. The story eventually leads to an ambitious young photographer capturing photos of these women and the images become published and ignite a controversial conversation around the role of women and the challenges they face.
The four main characters Eve (Alyssa Owsiany), Jean (Emily Dickinson), Julie (Olivia Clarke) and Pepper (Karen Scobie) were all inspired by a mixture of real women and Rosie the Riveter. Although the fight for feminism and equality is still strong today, it was inspiring to be reminded of how much passion real women, like these characters, would have had to have, and that without women like these, our current state of gender equality may not exist.
I think what I didn’t expect but liked about the production was it’s unintentional telling of how these women and their fight affected the men in lives. Men who had been to war and affected by it came home to a completely new world of changed wives, mothers, sisters and friends. I particularly enjoyed Robert Notman‘s performance. He played Eve Landing’s husband Nick. Not only did I feel his performance to be the most authentic, I couldn’t help but feel bad for Nick at times – a man who just wanted his wife and life to return to the way it was, as he discovered that, even though he was home he was still dealing with the effects of war.
The ‘State Of Women’ deals with many issues, including some I haven’t mentioned in order to keep a surprise element for anyone still intending on seeing the show. The show finishes it’s current run tomorrow, with Tandum Entertainment working on bringing it to a wider audience in 2016 & 2017. I suggest checking it out if you haven’t already had the chance to do so.
-
Music2 days ago
Paloma Faith Puts on Empowering Performance at York’s Barbican Theatre [Photos]
-
Alternative/Rock6 days ago
Fletcher Encourages Self-Expression at Sold-Out Manchester Victoria Warehouse [Photos]
-
Hip-Hop/Rap2 weeks ago
Formz: “I was always the confident kid in school, with a passion for entertaining and being the centre of attention..”
-
Alternative/Rock5 hours ago
The V13 Fix #013 w/ Lip Critic, Kerry King, Gatecreeper and more
-
Alternative/Rock1 week ago
The V13 Fix #013 w/ Six Feet Under, The Day, BlackGold and more
-
Hip-Hop/Rap1 week ago
Ice Cube Discusses His Canadian Tour, Growing Up in South Central, and the Need for Feel-Good Music
-
Music2 days ago
Kaya Hoax Premieres Music Video for Fierce New Single “Kicker”
-
Music4 hours ago
The Voice Finalist LLOREN Premieres Cinematic New Single “California Daydream”