The first show of the year for ±«Óătvâs Fountain School of Performing Arts runs this week (Oct. 17-21), bringing an ensemble of final-year acting students together for a performance that scratches at the surface of everyday life in a small rural town.Â
DalTheatreâs production of Will Enoâs Middletown, directed by Dora Award-winner Cherissa Richards, zeroes in on the mundane to shine light on just how spectacular day-to-day life truly is â and how that unites us as people.
âItâs a play that deals with the everyday,â says Richards, who, by the end of this year, will have directed shows in every major city across Canada. âThe middle parts of life . . . hence the name, Middletown.â
The play draws on the idea that everybody on Earth is born and will one day die, and that all anyone has control over is the middle parts of their lives â the stuff that happen between those two massive events. By the playâs conclusion, we find thereâs truly nothing ordinary about ordinary olâ Middletown â and, really, nothing ordinary about any of our lives.Â
 âI think that the play has a lot to say about living. I would say that the message of the play is, âYouâre a bit more normal than you think you are,ââ says Thunder Defayette, assistant stage manager on the production.
âWhatâs special about Middletown is that itâs all about the ordinary lives of people,â adds Emma Lamont, stage manager. âAnd I love stories like that because thatâs the life that 99 per cent of people experience. Being able to see the profoundness in ordinary stories is really nice.â
Eric Eyers, Emily Lux, Daisy Rayne.
By students, for students
Middletown came together as a complete team effort, says Richards.Â
âThe source material is always the beginning, and then what ends up on the stage is a collaboration between director, designers, actors, stage managers, and the team,â she says. âIn the end, it becomes a thing that you all created together.âÂ
âDalTheatre is kind of unique, since most of the work in rehearsal is done by students,â says Lamont. âThereâs a director whoâs either a faculty member or hired outside, and each section, like props and sets, are overseen by a faculty member, but the rest of the work is done solely by students. The shows, once they get on their feet, are run only by students.âÂ
August Van Meekeren and Ben Burchell
±«Óătvâs entire production of Middletown, down to the smallest of details, is made by students, for students.Â
âItâs a big job. Itâs a lot that falls on our shoulders,â Lamont continues, âAnd you grow as an artist so fast because of that responsibility. I have a lot of respect for everybody in the team, and really getting to be artists together is special.â
Actor Emily Lux, who plays Mary Swanson, says this effort has been a true coming-of-age.Â
âWe have [source material] thatâs written for us, but we have free-range of figuring out our charactersâ backstories, why theyâre here, finding what kind of similarities we have to our characters. Itâs like, the big leagues, you know?â
Daniel Nwobi feels that his role has been particularly special for his growth as an actor. The complicated character of John Dodge has really pushed him to find his emotional core.Â
âIâd say John is a very awkward man,â says Nwobi.âHeâs living in Middletown right now, heâs been here a while, and heâs, as easily as I can say, depressed. He realizes he doesnât really have any emotional connections with anyone around him and thatâs what he strives for most of his life. And then he finds that, with Mary.â
Emily Lux and Hal Rotman
An immersive experience
From the detailed characters to the special effects and staging, no stone has been left unturned in Middletownâs production.
For example, the show is performed on a round set, with audience members seated in a circular fashion. This grants actors a unique space to work from as activity is happening on all sides, from all angles.
This unconventional form of staging also lends itself to the showâs plot. As Lamont explains, âThereâs a circular narrative to Middletown. Itâs about the cycle of life, and everything between birth and death â specifically, everything that happens in-between is the important part. Itâs supposed to represent the life cycle in that way.â
Audiences can also look forward to being directly spoken to by a variety of characters, making for an immersive, and often hilarious, experience.
âItâs an interesting show to see because itâs kind of trying to encapsulate a lot of different milestones in life,â says Defayette, âItâs a fun way to spend your evening if you want to experience a lot of different emotions.â
Ben Burchell
Richards urges audiences to âCome see these students shine. Theyâre doing really beautiful work â where they started from, and now where theyâre coming to, is such a huge journey. Itâs such a transformation. Everybody in this class has really stepped up and jumped in with both feet.â
Middletown runs from October 17 through October 21Â at 7:30pm, with an additional 2:00pm matinee on October 21.Â
While all shows are sold out, some select seating may become available after 4 p.m. on the day of performances. Call the Dal Arts Centre box office at (902) 494-3820 or to check availability.
Cast and crew of Middletown.
Ian Bueltel
Sarah Jackson and Daniel Nwobi