10 Things to Know About Night by Human Cargo
January 22, 2014
Night is a cross-cultural theatre work originally produced by the National Arts Centre (its first collaboration with a northern arts organization). Since its premiere in 2010 in Ottawa, the Human Cargo production has toured across Canada, earning critical acclaim along the way. The company makes its Vancouver and PuSh Festival premiere with Night, January 24 to 26 at The Roundhouse.
Here are 10 things to know about Night and why you shouldn’t miss it:
1. Christopher Morris is a fast emerging director who has been awarded and nominated for some of Canada’s most prestigious performing arts awards (K.M Hunter Award for Theatre, Dora Mavor Moore Award, John Hirsch Award). His work as an actor has brought him to Ireland, France, Bosnia, South Africa, the Republic of Georgia, and Iceland.
2. Toronto Sun calls it a “Night to remember” in its four-star review.
3. The work is partially performed in Inuktitut (with surtitles). Can you say you’ve ever heard that language spoken at length?
4. The play begins with: “My grandfather’s gone, but it’s like he never left, he’s present, but missing. And now, my dad is starting to disappear. I think you know my grandfather. That’s why I’m writing to you. His number is E5-1087, but his name is Lamech. Lamech Auqsaq. Can you bring him back?”
5. The Globe and Mail says in its review:
“Morris’s generous and humorous production shines a light on the appealing idiosyncrasies of the North…”
6. In her curatorial statement, Katrina Dunn, artistic director of Touchstone Theatre says: “Night takes us north – far north – into Canadian spaces that many of us have little experience of. The company’s process is extreme – they invest in their subjects by living in, with and for the people they are profiling, and it results in a product with a depth and integrity rarely found in this bio/geo/graphic style of work.”
7. PuSh Conversations will be hosted after three of the performances, where audiences will be able to speak with the director and actors. These post-show talks are moderated by leaders of the Vancouver artistic community.
8. The work was created over three years in Pond Inlet, Nunavut and Akureyri, Iceland. Check out their photos from their time up north.
9. Actor Jonathan Fisher has previously acted in Almighty Voice and His Wife, a work by Daniel David Moses that was presented at the 2012 PuSh Festival.
10. Gain insight into the Aboriginal performing arts in Canada at Into New Territory, a public talk at the PuSh Assembly. Participants in this panel discussion include leading Aboriginal artists and some of Canada’s key presenters and producers.
Presented with Touchstone Theatre. Supported by The Roundhouse.