Theatre By The Bay has found a way to bring the city’s playwrights and actors together to help take the creative brainstorming process to new levels.
The Barrie Theatre Lab is in only in its second meeting and already the no-cost monthly event is reaching near capacity. Last night saw 30 of Barrie’s passionate writers and actors congregate at the Creative Space at 12 Dunlop Street to read and listen to the early stages of what could be hitting a stage near you soon. Iain Moggach is the Executive Director of Theatre By The Bay and knows that, while this idea isn’t their creation, it certainly is new to Barrie.
“There are workshops like this in Toronto but we knew that Barrie’s arts community needed this immediately,” said Moggach. “The Lab is a great place for those writing a play to have it read aloud and hear anything they may want to change, add or keep while also getting feedback and questions from those at the table. It is a very important yet sometimes neglected part of the theatre process. We even have a supporter in Anna Small and that helps us with so many things that this event needs to thrive.”
The lab sessions are held on the first Monday of the month in a quiet, intimate setting as scripts are handed out and readers are chosen. With 30 people there, folks from all walks of life and ages were on hand to experience the process and help out. Moggach was greatly encouraged by the night, but also wants everyone to know that they too can check it out without fear of not knowing what they’re doing.
“Ideally everyone can come out no matter their experience,” said Moggach. “Theatre is for all whether they are new and just want to read, want to share their stories or have tons of experience and want to lend a hand to the night; it’s not for just actors and just playwrights with years of experience.”
17-year-old Keara Voo was happy about the night and feeling part of the process. The Eastview student had worked a co-op with Theatre By The Bay last year and heard about the event, but also wanted to lend support to one of the playwrights whom she knew. Attending a high school that is known to have a great drama program keeps Voo interested in the arts, and workshops like The Lab are also helpful, while the large group was not intimidating for her.
“I wasn’t really intimidated coming in,” said Voo. “Everyone is so nice and helpful which is what you’ll get when you join the local theatre. It’s a fun group with one purpose which is to help better everyone in the community of arts.”
The friend who Voo was supporting was 18-year-old Ziigwen Mixemong, whose play Empty Regalia was the first of many read. The story is about the trials and tribulations that indigenous women face everyday throughout Canada. As an indigenous woman herself, Mixemong wrote of incidences she’s seen, heard of and even experienced. The language is harsh and the content at times very disturbing, but still a story that needs to be told.
“It’s a series of vignettes and stories that can at times be very unsettling,” said Mixemong. “I want people to see and hear what is happening in an environment where if they feel uncomfortable having to speak about it, then they can just take it in. I feel this is the perfect medium in which to share these stories and my hope is that when completed I can take this into schools and have the conversations started early and not left until it’s become too uncomfortable to discuss.”
Those who are interested in coming out to the next Barrie Theatre Lab on March 6 from 6 to 10 p.m., can check out the Theatre By The Bay website at www.theatrebythebay.com
