FINDING THEIR SPACE
Aliens has down-to-earth theme
A story of friendship and finding your way written by a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright has made its way to the Saskatoon stage.
The Aliens, running at Persephone Theatre’s Backstage Stage, is about best friends Jasper and KJ trying to find their place in a world that’s not always friendly. Greg Ochitwa, who plays KJ, described the story as a “slice of life” for a couple of friends struggling to fit in.
“It’s just kind of exploring some people who, for whatever reason, have felt like they’re a little bit different and they don’t quite fit into society,” Ochitwa said. “They feel like they’re a little bit on the outside, but still finding their way, finding their fellow aliens.”
It’s not a grand show in the scale of the cast — Ochitwa, James Avramenko (Jasper) and Kyle Kuchirka (Evan) round out the entire performing team — but that doesn’t mean dramatic power is lacking in the script.
Ochitwa described the script as being full of energy. The lofty origins of the script — written by Annie Baker — didn’t really affect the way he approached the show, he added, but he couldn’t help thinking about it while working on making onstage connections.
“This play (is) never easy to act, but it really does create a world that really makes sense on the inside,” he said. “It’s been apparent to me from the start that I’m working on a really good play, and that it’s really fun to work on.”
Avramenko, who plays Jasper, said he was so taken with the script when he read it that the history and origins of the show didn’t faze him much.
Avramenko said he loved being onstage and working closely with Ochitwa and Kuchirka, and he lauded the casting of director Joshua Beaudry and the rest of the creative team for finding people who all work so well together.
Avramenko said the show is perfect for today’s audience because there is something inherently relatable in the struggles of the characters. “At the core, the show is about the idea between wanting
to do something that you love but having no idea how to do that,” he said.
Avramenko said the show features some unique and poignant moments, and there are moments of long silence used in the script to add to the realism of watching these friends go through their lives.
According to Avramenko, one of the best parts of a show like this is that the audience members can all connect to it in their own way.
“Art’s so fun that way. I could have all the intention in the world, but if I give it to a stranger they’re going to come at it with this whole other perspective,” he said. “I’m really excited to see what people take from the show.”
At the core, the show is about ... wanting to do something that you love, but having no idea how to do that.