A modern, female-oriented reimagining of the Jekyll-and-Hyde story is coming to the stage at Douglas College.
The college’s department of theatre is joining forces with the department of stagecraft and event technology to present Jekyll, Hal Coase’s reimagining of the gothic novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
In this adaptation, Hyde is a famous motivational speaker, encouraging people to take control of their lives and advocating for independence, confidence, personal well-being and owning your identity. But when she fails to clearly define these ideals and how to achieve them without disregarding the needs of others, she leaves interpretation open to extremism.
Jekyll – young, lonely, purpose-less and obsessed with her idol, Hyde – joins other desperate followers in their fanaticism, with tragic results.
The struggle between the good doctor Jekyll and the “monster” Hyde are reimagined as a struggle to achieve balance between meeting the needs and expectations of one’s community without sacrificing one’s own personal needs and identity.
“Individualism can be a positive, beautiful thing, but it can also be isolating if taken too far,” said director Madelyn Osborne in a press release. “You cut yourself off from your community when you focus solely on yourself; you risk ignoring others to the point of selfishness.”
Osborne connects the messaging in the play to many current divisive issues, such as the pipeline debate locally, and LGBTQ rights and abortion laws in the U.S.
“Hyde’s messaging is ‘be who you are; take control of your own life.’ But she doesn’t explain this. If you take control of your life, does this mean you’re also controlling others within your life? It has the potential for extremist and harmful interpretation,” Osborne said.
The student cast includes New Westminster’s Saxony Eccleston, along with Racheal Dimaggio, Holly Newberry, Hope Scouten, Lauren Supinski, Dominique Timofte, Lois Warwick and professional actor Douglas Ennenberg.
Jekyll is onstage March 13 to 20 in the Studio Theatre, fourth floor north at Douglas College, 700 Royal Ave. Tickets are $20 general admission, or $10 for students, seniors and Talkback Tuesdays. See jekyll.bpt.me for show times and tickets.
