The Watershed explores oilsands issues on stage
Chevy Chase’s National Lampoon Family Vacation pales beside the road trip Annabel Soutar took her family on in 2014.
Soutar is the award-winning Quebec theatre artist and creator of such documentary stage plays as Seeds that wowed Calgary audiences in 2014.
Soutar was commissioned to create a play about water for Toronto’s 2015 Pan Am Games.
While she was working on the project, the Harper government shut down the Experimental Lakes Area project in Kenora, Ont., that was studying, among other things, the effects of the Alberta oilsands on Alberta’s water systems.
In an unprecedented move, Canadian scientists picketed Parliament and Soutar knew she had a real hook for her stage documentary.
“It was 2013 and it was difficult to communicate openly on these subjects. We couldn’t get anybody from the Harper government to comment,” says Soutar, explaining “there was just road block after road block so I eventually had to go to my father who is a staunch conservative.
“I told him I needed his input because I couldn’t write my play when the dialogue was just not happening.”
Soutar’s trademark approach to creating plays is to interview as many people on both sides of a debate as she can and then filter those reactions verbatim into characters in the play.
This prevents her plays from simply being talking heads.
Soutar’s water play, which she calls The Watershed, directed by Chris Abraham, runs at Theatre Junction Grand from March 29 through April 1 and stars Bruce Dinsmore, Virgilia Griffith, Kimwun Perehinec, Lisa Repo-Martell, Brenda Robbins, Eric Peterson, his daughter Molly Kidder and Soutar’s husband Alex Ivanovici.
Central to the play is the actual road trip Soutar took with her family to Alberta.
“I felt I had to get out of my Quebec bubble. I had to go to the oilsands so I took my family with me in a Winnebago.
“Joining me were my husband, our daughters ages eight and 10, their friend, Chris Abraham’s daughter who was seven, and the family dog.
“It turned out to be quite an expedition. It made my life a nightmare trying to explain these complex concepts to the three girls but, in the long run, it helped so much for the actual play.
“It’s certainly what adds so much humour to the show. I think that is what makes the play so accessible.”
Because her father is also represented in the final version, the play includes three generations of Soutar’s family.
Also included in the play is Stephen Harper played by Dinsmore.
Soutar knows she is entering the lion’s den by bringing Watershed to Harper’s stomping grounds.
“It’s what I live for. It’s what documentary theatre thrives on. I know it will never happen but I wish Stephen Harper could be in the audience one night. He’s on stage so why not in the audience as well?”
The actors are accompanied by numerous projections, videos and visuals because Soutar says she does “whatever we can with the visuals to lighten the debate.”
Calgary is one stop on The Watershed’s current Canadian tour which has already visited Toronto, Montreal and Winnipeg. After Calgary it will travel to Richmond.
“My play Seeds is taking its first steps into the U.S. and I hope that opens the way for Watershed to have a U.S. tour.
“It’s the ideal time for this dialogue to happen in the U.S. It couldn’t be more relevant.”
I know it will never happen but I wish Stephen Harper could be in the audience one night. He’s on stage ... why not in the audience as well?