Wonderful production in Halifax

[Alastair M. Wallis Jarvis]

I saw a show tonight that I want to let you folks know about. I found it
very moving and recommend it highly.

Number Eleven Theatre is a company who have been working in Granville
Ferry and Halifax, Nova Scotia, developing a show that has been titled
_Icaria_. The members have come from across Canada and are led by Ker
Wells, a founding member of Primus Theatre of Winnipeg, and whose
work some of you may know (You can check out the entry for Primus in the
online Encyclopedia). The group have been training together and developing
their material over a period that spans back a year now and this evening
was their first public preview.

For those of you who are within travelling distance I recommend the trip.
Their work is reminiscent of Primus's work in many ways, but it is also
evident that a new director with different sensitivities is at work. The
only Primus show I saw was _The Night Room_ and in many ways, I enjoyed
this show more.

I would describe it as a rich tapestry of simultaneity and textures, that
somehow contains within it a seemingly paradoxical meeting of ambiguity
and clarity (I must admit that I was and remain largely unable to
articulate my feelings and observations after the show... I do however
want to let people know about it).

This work is placed at the end of the genealogy: Grotowski, Barba, Fowler
(Primus), Wells (Number Eleven). It is also reminiscent of Tadeuz Kantor,
though more accessible, in my opinion. Neptune, this is not. Nevertheless
I think it will prove satisfying to all who share in the experience,
invaluable to those who are keenly interested in the current state of the
Canadian avant-guard.

The remaining performances are:

Tuesday Nov. 24th 8:00pm PWYC

Wed. Nov 25th 8pm
Thurs Nov 26th 8pm
Fri Nov 27th 8pm
Sat Nov 28th 2pm and 8pm
Sun Nov 29th 2pm and 8pm
$10.00

The seating is limited (~40) and it is my suspicion that tickets will be
difficult to come by.

Their listing in the local weekly reads: "Number Eleven Theatre boasts its
premier performance Icaria, the eulogic and highly physical story of
Thomas" Call (902) 423-3893 for ticket information.

Anybody interested in further impressions about the show, feel free to
e-mail me and I may be able to put something more coherent together once
the experience settles down a bit (!).

Best,
Alastair Jarvis