Production explores dark side of family life
Playwright Hannah Moscovitch wants everyone to know that the deeply messed up brother and sister in her play Little One aren’t based on her life.
Nor are the dark doings in Ottawa that the work details constructed of the experiences of anyone the Trillium Book Award winner knows.
“Everyone asks that, but I really don’t write autobiographically,” she said.
“Where it really came from was various discussions of dealing with troubling aspects of family over the years with friends and family. Then I went to work.”
From the depths of the celebrated author’s imagination came the story of adopted siblings Aaron, played by Daniel Arnold, and his little sister Claire, played by Marisa Smith.
Growing up in the suburbs of Ottawa, the pair are as opposite as can be. Aaron is almost boringly normal.
Claire is anything but — and not in a charmingly eccentric fashion.
“The two actors move from childhood to adulthood and it twists the stories together tighter and tighter,” said Moscovitch.
“Having Marisa and Daniel, who are husband and wife, playing brother and sister opposite each other has been interesting to the performances, as well, due to the unique dynamic it brings to their parts.”
Vancouver’s Alley Theatre’s version of Little One is a disturbing look at how the two characters’ lives are intertwined, as well as a story of what goes on behind closed doors in seemingly nice neighbourhoods.
The show was a big hit at the 2015 New York International Fringe Festival, where reviewers praised it as both a psychological thriller and a beyond-black comedy.
For her part, Moscovitch says both descriptions fit.
“I tend to dwell in that darker space, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be funny, too,” she said. “As we all know, sometimes laughter is the best option when situations are beyond extreme.”
However, the material in the play is intense enough that the Feb. 11 presentation of the show will be followed by a post-performance panel discussion on what happens to a family when a member’s mental and emotional states lead to violent behaviour and trauma.
Panellists in the moderated discussion will be drawn from child welfare, counselling and therapy professions.