Kate Powe
Contributor
Theatre@York’s latest production, Ti Jean and His Brothers, claims to be an unconventional and innovative show unlike any other performed at York University.
After watching the group rehearse for only a few minutes, I believed it.
The production makes for a pulsating, passionate and creative night that will challenge anyone’s imagination.
The story of Derek Walcott’s 1958 play addresses the issues of colonialism through the fable of three brothers who face the devil in the Caribbean. Underneath the simple tale, there are a collection of serious issues discussed through intense imagery, music and movement.
Ever since the start of rehearsals, director Marvin Ishmael forced the play’s actors to re-evaluate the very definition of movement. They have rediscovered their bodies and learned to disappear into the physicality of their abnormal characters. Many of the actors play animals and, as a result, their movements no longer reflect their daily mannerisms, instead taking on the dance-like personae of their parts.
Ishmael wants every aspect of the show to embody the underlying theme of colonialism: the music and dance are a compilation of the various cultures that influence a colonized nation. The choreography combines Caribbean dance with aspects of French ballet, while the music incorporates Irish, German and Spanish styles.
Nothing in the play is narrowed to just one aspect of culture, creating an alternative view of the world. This collection of creativity is what makes the play so innovative and exciting.
The play has “wonderful physicality, it has text, imagery, it’s very vibrant […] dance, song – every- thing is incorporated into this piece,” explained Ishmael. “I think it truly reflects what theatre is all about. It’s not one thing; it’s a blend of everything.”
All of the aspects of production were done by various departments in York’s fine arts program. From the set design to the music, everything has been done by students.
Samuel Sholdice, a student in the music program, composed the play’s score. Through collaboration with the director and the cast, he accomplished the monumental task of turning the original script, which called only for Caribbean folk music, into a musical. Sholdice and the cast decided where music should be included and have slowly developed it throughout the rehearsal process. The need for musical numbers increased along with the discovery of the cast’s fantastic singing voices.
Overall, these songs are not amateur contributions; they are beautiful pieces that match the spirit of the play. The singers are accompanied by five musicians playing instruments that include percussion, banjo, accordion and mandolin.
Ti Jean and His Brothers has been lovingly put together, and Ishmael hopes its audience will leave with a new perspective on culture, identity and artistic expression. The story is about finding your own voice, and those involved have definitely embodied this spirit in their creation of a truly unique production. It’s definitely an event you’ll kick yourself for missing.
“This is a very different method of telling a story,” explained actor Tom Mifflin. “People should come and expand their horizons of theatre.”
Ti Jean and His brothers will be performed until November 13 at the Joseph G. Green Studio Theatre.
