A night of theatre that chronicles the evolution of sexuality in Western civilization is onstage at Douglas College this month.
The college’s departments of theatre and stagecraft are presenting Out of the Garden, which features selections from plays by Caryl Churchill and Don Nigro.
Claire Fogal directs the production, drawing inspiration from the Jan. 21 Women’s March.
“Western culture has a long and awful tradition of linking women with the body and of relegating both to the dungeon or the dung heap,” she said in a press release. “In an effort to honour both where we’ve been and where we’re going, we show Eve’s perspective on the Garden of Eden and on her ‘original sin’ of eating what was forbidden. Her voice is joined by many others, both male and female, all dismantling the poisonous myth of male supremacy and inching toward a state of true balance and greater humanity.”
Fogal is weaving together fragments of Nigro’s plays Genesis and Frankenstein, with Churchill’s Vinegar Tom and Cloud 9, as well as one of the storylines from Nigro’s play Anima Mundi.
“I loved the overlapping themes of creation and sexuality,” Fogal said. “I’ve always believed this project would be fantastic to produce on a larger scale.”
The cast of theatre students includes New Westminster’s Dahlia-Raphael Kerr and Michael Jenkins, along with Piper MacLeod, Hilani Baybay, Kate Rytter, Allegra Wright, Madison Green, Peter Tran, Nicholas James and Douglas College alumna Nina Dosdall.
Out of the Garden runs March 10 to 17 at Douglas College’s Studio Theatre at its New West campus, 700 Royal Ave.
Tickets are $20 general, or $10 for students and seniors, and can be purchased through Brown Paper Tickets at outofthegarden.bpt.me.
