Burlington actor takes on challenging Death and the Maiden
Theatre
Mischa Aravena’s first performance was as a Christmas tree. He was 11 and a student at Burlington Central School. A little girl in his class asked him if he wanted to be part of the Christmas Pageant. He said “Yes.”
“I played a little talking Christmas tree who comes to life. If you put an ornament on me I became the spirit of Christmas,” Aravena says.
That experience made Aravena enrol at Burlington Student Theatre where he appeared in such musicals as “Pippin,” “Jane Eyre” and “Man of La Mancha.”
“I just wanted to be an actor, and that first experience as a Christmas tree brought that out in me.”
Now 30, Aravena finished a BFA program at the University of Windsor and an MFA in Houston, Texas.
“I worked with a number of regional theatres in the United States including Hope Rep in Michigan and a Shakespeare Festival in Texas. I have my American Equity card but I came back to Canada because I hoped I would be able to act in my own country. The unfortunate thing is there are far less opportunities here. It’s been tough. There are fewer regional theatres, so that means fewer productions. In the meantime I’ve done shows such as “Red” at The Pearl Company as well as at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. It’s important to keep working.”
Aravena’s next project is the hard-hitting drama “Death and the Maiden,” by the Chilean writer Ariel Dorfman. It’s about an American woman, Paulina Silas, who is thrown together with a police state thug who rapes and tortures her for 15 years. In Dorfman’s play she fortunately gets some of her own back.
“This a political, suspense thriller,” Aravena says. “It’s tough and it’s gritty. It won’t appeal to everyone. The thing is, we want audiences to have a chance to see something that challenges them. Yes, the play is disturbing. Like “Schindler’s List” it is distressing. But we think audiences are up for the challenge. We think anyone can relate to the play, but it does require you to think.”
Aravena realizes the play may not be an easy sell.
“People used to Disney and ‘Mamma, Mia’ may stay away. But I think there is an audience that wants more than sunshine and rainbows. There are, however, some people who don’t want to confront issues that disturb them. But to solve serious issues you need to be informed. This play holds a mirror up to those watching. It asks you to look at your life, the good deeds you may do and the dark side of things, as well.”
Aravena also feels the play deals with the way governments sometimes hide the truth from people. He admits the language is rough and there is one scene that is quite violent.
“I guess you could say it’s rated R,” he says.
The play asks lots of questions about the leaders and victims of totalitarian states.
“It’s set in an undisclosed country, but we know it’s meant to be Chile,” Aravena says. “It’s a period piece set in the political climate of around 1990.
“With this play we’re trying to appeal to an audience that wants to be challenged. A lot of plays are just about pleasing the masses. We want people to think and to feel. It’s full of intense moments and I don’t think you will walk away from it unaffected.”
Aravena was born in Santiago, Chile, and came to Canada with his parents when he was 5 years old, escaping a violent dictatorship.
Ironically, after “Death and the Maiden” has closed, Aravena will be preparing to join Disney Cruise Lines for a year sailing in the Caribbean, performing as The Prince in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical “Cinderella,” as Merlin in “King Arthur” and in several other pop style productions.
Now isn’t that just about as far away from “Death and the Maiden” and wicked political regimes as any actor could get?