HOW A ‘TRICKY’ PLAY CAUGHT THE EAR OF ITS DIRECTOR
Untold Wants Theatre explores human connection
In The Human Ear, a man reappears after a 10-year absence. But is he who he says he is? His sister and her boyfriend, a police liaison officer, aren’t sure. Hailed as “fascinating, intricate and tricky” (the Guardian) when it opened at the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the play (written by U.K. playwright Alexandra Wood) comes to Vancouver courtesy of Untold Wants Theatre. We talked to director Jessica Aquila Cymerman, originally from Los Angeles and co-founder (along with Galway-raised actor Eanna O’Dowd) of the young company, about putting on The Human Ear in Vancouver.
Q What brought you and Eanna to Vancouver?
A We both do film and TV as well as theatre. Volume-wise, the film and TV industry in Dublin cannot compare to Vancouver. We kept hearing about opportunities here. We had friends, another couple who moved here a year before we did. They couldn’t have been happier. So it was just kind of like let’s try it and see if it helps our careers and inspires us artistically. So far it really has.
Q How did you decide to do The Human Ear?
A I met Paige Louter (the other actor in The Human Ear) after I saw her in a production by Cave Canem, The Lonesome West, at Pacific Theatre. I was blown away by her performance and I was like, “I need to know this girl.” So we knew we wanted to do a two-hander with her (Louter) and Eanna. And we knew we wanted it to be stripped down and minimalistic. There’s a play I did in L.A. called Cock by Mike Bartlett, which is in the same vein — it’s in the round, it’s stripped down. I knew that we wanted to do something kind of in the same vein. And she (Louter) let me know Cock had been done here a little less than a year ago. Then I remembered a play I saw at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Human Ear. I gave it to Eanna and Paige and they loved it and we got to work.
Q What struck you about The Human Ear when you saw it?
A What struck me about the piece is its unabashed exploration of human connection. There is nothing held back in terms of looking at what can happen between people. It explores different facets of how we affect one another as we move through life, whether that’s hurting one another, building up one another, loving one another, betraying one another. It touched on every single aspect of those possible interactions. That was interesting to me because we’re living in a time right now where we’re very disconnected. And it’s beautiful. I love the language.
Q You’ve been living in Vancouver for over a year and this is Untold Wants’ first play here. Will the next one take as long to get off the ground?
A I hope not. I did try to do a staged reading as soon as I landed, but it fell apart. It’s funny, Vancouver theatre is similar to L.A. theatre in that there are people who do theatre to be seen by film and TV people, actors who want to showcase themselves. And then there are people who just love theatre and want to explore it. And I think I am fortunate enough to have found the latter community. So I’ll be ready as soon as we can raise more money after this one. I will always want to do a play. Which exhausts Eanna.