U of L production ‘not a play’

“It’s not a play.” Instead, says University of Lethbridge drama graduate Makambe Simamba, “It’s a happening, an experience and an exploration of vulnerability.”

Along with fellow alumna Kathryn Smith, Simamba has inspired a group of drama students to share their own stories in “inVISIBLE (Too).” The adult-appropriate event will run Oct. 9 to 13 on campus in the intimate David Spinks Theatre.

It’s being presented in collaboration with Calgary-based Handsome Alice Theatre, an independent group that focuses on feminist themes. Simamba, who returned home to Calgary, explains the first “inVISIBLE” was presented recently at the University of Calgary.

The project started with a group of women sharing some of their significant experiences. They started with the basic: What is it to be human?

“What of us is visible,” they asked, “What is invisible.”

Those very personal revelations and reflections became the basis for the very unorthodox presentation. Now it’s been recreated based on the lived experiences of U of L students.

“The story is the same, but the (Lethbridge) ensemble wrote it,” Simamba says.

Sheadene Morrison, an upper-year drama and education student, was one of women who stepped forward.

“We sat in a circle and we talked,” she says. “It was very organic and very natural.”

Participants opened up and shared their secrets.

“It’s allowed me to be more vulnerable,” she says.

Morrison has had a hand in many U of L dramas in recent years, mainly backstage with the technology.

“This is so different from anything I’ve worked on.”

Audience members will experience a distinct difference as well. They’ll be seated, side by side, along the edge of the spacious performance area — a women’s dormitory complete with quilts, rugs and ornamental features.

Off to one side, a musician will perform as the stories unfold.

In an age of social media, Simamba says, people are often deprived of real, one-on-one conversations. But intimacy and honesty are at the heart of this presentation.

“It feels like you are being welcomed into our home.”

Seating is limited, but tickets are available online at ulethbridge.ca/tickets or by phone weekday afternoons at 403-329-2616. Follow @DMabellHerald on Twitter

Herald photo by Ian Martens @IMartensHerald Kathryn Smith and Makambe K. Simamba, along with Sheadene Morrison, Alex Watz, Jaymie Brennan and Hannah Stobbe, lead a number as part of the upcoming production of “inVisible (Too)” set for performances Oct. 9-13 at the David Spinks Theatre at the University of Lethbridge.