Centennial takes audience on a stormy water-bound trip
Through a fog of stormy emotions and interweaving scarves, Welland Centennial Secondary School’s “We are the Water” asks the audience to become one with the current of change and chart a new path toward the life of water.
Created by Welland Centennial students and staff, with advisement from two Indigenous Water Protectors (songwriter Logan Staats and documentary filmmaker Layla Staats), this play showcases that water is life. From the metaphorical circle of life featured as part of the opening to the rain needed for the livelihood of any mother and her child, everything comes from water: we are water.
A heart-wrenching depiction of the Water Mother by Sasha Protensko highlighted the joy and pain associated with water. Although her character had no dialogue, her expressiveness shone through her fluid dance movements, facial expressions and body language.
From creating rain for the mother and her child (Mila Bolgar and Nina Busalpa, respectively) to holding a dying, corrupted water portrayed by Riley Goyette-Smith, Protensko’s performance transcended mere movement through skilful personification.
Endearing and captivating, Mila Bolgar and Nina Busalpa as the mother and child, respectively, filled the stage with their enthralling dynamic: Bolgar’s strong vocal control and consistent character depiction through her body language was complemented by Busalpa’s playful and curious demeanour.
Their interactions with the Water Mother highlighted the life-giving aspect of water and crafted a heartfelt narrative of the tender bond between (Water) mother and child.
Another notable performance was Creed Sloan as the man representing the corporation. Through his vivid facial expressions and commanding stage presence, no words were needed to convey the looming threat of Water Inc. Sloan’s powerful presence, clad in a black blazer that matched the other corporate workers, added to the palpable sense of dread permeating the theatre during the climax of the play.
While the set was simplistic, each prop was well designed and used effectively and strategically — with each item often serving more than one purpose.
The twists and turns of scarves representing water connected each actor just as water connects us all. The props, especially when used with the lighting, created atmospheres and dynamics that set each scene perfectly.
An impressive feat was the manoeuvring of such props: each was manipulated on stage, and while some were slightly off-centre at times, actors made such minor placement issues forgettable through well-rehearsed and eyecatching choreography enhanced by the actors’ flowing costumes.
A definite crowd-pleaser was the
live, two-man band that created an immersive sound with just a few instruments.
Played and composed by Zachary Johnston and Kalan Bridgeman, each piece added to water’s tumultuous or tranquil dynamic and mirrored humanity’s interactions with it.
In a singular dialogue-less act, “We are the Water” features water’s cruciality, connection and corruption as the Welland Centennial cast actively encouraged the audience to become a changemaker in a twist around the status quo’s river bend.