A water-soaked look into the future
Boca del Lupo delivers a new production tied to global challenge of climate change
Vancouver avant-garde theatre group Boca del Lupo specializes in site-specific macro and micro performances.
Led by artistic director Sherry J. Yoon and artistic producer Jay Dodge, the company’s last few shows have been micro-performances for audiences of fewer than 20, which exploits the kind of intimacy that can only be part of a unique proximity to the creative source.
The latest in the micro-performance series is Expedition. It’s delivered through two works — Underwater Archeologist and The Table — set in 2116 and tied to the global challenge of climate change.
Jay Dodge had these five things to say about Expedition, which was created in concert with Ireland’s The Performance Corporation:
Out of the trees, into the water
“I work with the board of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres and somebody made a joke about us doing our next thing underwater after having done shows in the trees of Stanley Park and the bridge and hanging above ground. Now, here we are, heading into the world of underwater archeology and the future. What’s happened 100 years from today?”
The evolution of ethics
“The Underwater Archeologist is the first part, envisioned by Sherry (Yoon), about a couple of trekkers who anticipate the horrors to come with rising water levels and submerse themselves only to surface again and face the tragicomic results of the passage of time. The Table, from The Performance Corporation’s Tom Swift, suggests one of the obvious threads of what could happen to the future of food. All told, there are six parts to Expedition and each looks at the evolution of ethics as the world faces the need to address these challenges.”
Taking the audience underwater
“Underwater Archeologist involves setting up a little station at the water’s edge where we use technology and I’m the one in dive gear with all the cameras and part of the show is on land and then the crowd accompanies me when I go below depths via connected camera. So, no, the audience doesn’t need to be PADI certified.”
The ever-expanding Expedition
“In some ways, this is touching in on the project as it keeps on expanding with different groups involved creating shows around climate change. Ultimately, we hope to bring them all together and do something larger, covering the entirety of the concept. For us and for others, this is an opportunity to dig into something a little deeper, a little differently.”
No, it’s not a real fishbowl
“The venue nickname for our new micro-performance series stage is affectionately The Fishbowl. It’s totally not a fishbowl for real.”