OLEANNA

By David Mamet

Red. Collective Theatre Company

August 2012

CLUB SAW, Ottawa

Producer: Emma Hooper Brooks

Stage Manager: Virginia Woodall

Set and Costume Designer: Iain Moggach

Lighting Design: Fraser MacKinnon

John: Jonah Lerner

Carol: Lara Abramsen

Oleanna was a dream project for me. I think every young director, at some point, wants to take it on. It is such a raw, unfiltered play that is certain to stir up a bit of controversy around the 'he's right/she's right' problem. 

I mourn the fact that there are no production photos out there (and trust me, I have looked), because many people noted the staging as one of the best aspects of the production. CLUB SAW, where it was produced, is a tiny, unforgiving rectangle with very few staging options. Really, much more of a concert or video space than anything else. What I did was I split the audience in two halves facing each other, which eliminated the horrible sight-line issue, and gave the ability to see the other side of the audience react to what was happening. I was gleeful during those critical final moments as I watched all the different reactions of the audience. It also subconsciously made us 'pick a side' since we saw one actor's face far more than the others, due to so much of the story happening around a desk.

I had a great cast who worked very hard on this. Jonah Lerner's performance, in particular, blossomed over the course of the run. Lara was exceptional from the beginning and when these two threw down, it was like a boxing match. Aka: a director's dream.

"...the interaction between the two actors was quite powerful.  Director Iain Moggach obviously has talent and we hope to see more of his work in the near future."

- Alvina Ruprect (Capital Critics Circle)