Physically apart, creatively together
Luke Brown and Stephanie Lawlor were ready to do it all again, until ...
Luke Brown and Stephanie Hope Lawlor may be six feet apart but emotionally and creatively they are side by side.
Two of the most important indie creators on the local scene, these two had a mammoth hit with their stunning production of “Mary’s Wedding.”
Small in size, this production was huge in the way it impacted on local indie theatre.
Easily the most exciting project produced in the city during 2019, “Mary’s Wedding” showed that theatre that was neither professional, nor of a little theatre standard, could easily outstrip both of these measuring marks.
All the more thrilling then, that Lawlor and her director Brown were about to open a new production of an equally absorbing play for 2020.
Sadly, that never happened due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the closing of all city playhouses.
Brown and Lawlor, friends who met through theatre, frequently hear the text of a play the same way. The way they work is collaboratively and the results are both intelligent, thoughtful and moving.
“We so wanted to present Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahue’s ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ because it’s a play that touches the spirit. It’s improvisational, funny, dark and moving. We are both attracted to it, but perhaps in slightly different ways,” Lawlor says.
“It was ready to open at Hamilton’s Infinity Forge, a small theatre with 50 seats on March 14. When we got to the space the evening before, we knew it was all over. There was no way a play could be performed with the shutdown in effect. Even with only 50 seats, it would have been wrong to try and present it.
“Letting it go was extremely difficult and we have it in mind to produce it later when this is all over.”
Lawlor is simply one of the best theatre artists working in Hamilton today. She’s an actress of rare gifts and understanding. And, in Brown, she has found the right director to shape her passions.
“This play speaks to us viscerally,” Lawlor says. “We each find a message in the play. I ask how you cope with mental health, which is something that is important in this time of social distancing. I’ve had my own struggles over the years. Life pushes you hard and I’ve had days when I struggled with getting out of bed.”
Brown had his issues as well. “I have a deep personal connection to the play. I’ve struggled with mental health as well. I became physically ill and quit my job at Neptune Theatre in Halifax. I was in rough shape. It took months to get back on track. When my cousin committed suicide, I almost gave up. People said to suck it up. But that isn’t always possible. Seeking help isn’t all that easy. This play talks about that,” he says.
“The play is not preachy. It’s moving and there is lots of humour.”
Though the play will not be produced until it is safe to do so, Brown is staying open.
“For me it’s important to keep creative and to live with deadlines. I get together virtually with a few people and we do a play. It’s about having a project.” Lawlor is similarly engaged. “I was feeling lonely so I got together with about 15 people in a Facebook Group and we do a play. We dole out roles and we do the show without ever really getting together. It’s challenging and it’s full of unknowns.
“I am also coaching individuals on presentation of monologues and vocals. I am living with my mom in her house and I am learning not to spend any money. I’m also lucky I live in a country where the prime minister is taking us into account. CERB is there if I need help. And the Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts has helped to keep me employed in a small way.”
Brown has the added responsibility of a baby coming along in the next few months, but that is a joyous thing, a part of going forward, not looking back. Like this play it is an affirmation of life.
Brown remains active with Theatre Aquarius as the leader of new play development. A presentation of several new plays was also cancelled by the COVID-19 virus, but there is a future for this as well as a mounting of “Every Brilliant Thing.”
“Of course life is going to be about tightening the belt. There’s so much uncertainty. But one thing is pretty sure. We will do this play that touches us emotionally and creatively because we know we need to.”