By Jessica Dionne for Curtains Up (@maccajess)
Beautiful City Theatre has a lot to be proud of; a company more than ten years in the making, they are now in their third year and quickly becoming one of Montreal’s most prominent independent theatre companies. Their latest production, Circle Mirror Transformation opened last night to a full house at Studio 303 and it’s not hard to see why: it’s an excellent, must-see show.
Recipients of the first-ever Curtains Up award for Arts, Entertainment and Culture last year, and fresh off a sold-out New York, BCT has definitely hit the ground running this season. With half of the company based out of Montreal and the other out of New York, this is the first time that BCT has joined both forces, chosen actors from both cities and decided to stage it in both cities as well.
Staged in an actual performance studio equipped with black curtains and sprung wooden floors, the audience, who sat on folding chairs along the walls, were flies on the wall in a drama class that followed five individuals over the course of six weeks. Vulnerabilities are exposed, relationships are put to the test and secrets are ultimately revealed in the most unconventional of ways in this wonderful piece by American playwright Annie Baker. The actors, a fine selection of accomplished actors from different walks of life, are remarkable and do the play absolute justice.
Literally minutes after their closing show in New York I had a chance to speak with Director and Artistic Producer Natalie Gershtein as well as Mary Liz Lewis who plays the part of Marty in the show, and asked them what it was about this particular play that they fell in love with.
‘It embodies BCT values’ said Natalie Gershtein, which include believing that ‘everyone has value, a story to tell, and is worth celebrating’. For Mary Liz, it’s about the sense of connection with the audience.
As someone who studied theatre I couldn’t help but shake my head and laugh at some of the exercises the actors were asked to take part in; remembering my own experiences and remembering just how awkward and weird I felt at the beginning of the course, but also how much I’d grown by the time I’d completed it.
It’s intimate, complex, beautifully awkward, and extremely powerful; it’s a wonderful, human experience.
Circle Mirror Transformation runs Feburuary 6th through 8th (with a matinee on the 7th) at Studio 303. For tickets or more information visit beautifulcitytheatre.com.
