Brooks Secondary School drama students are returning to centre stage starting Wednesday, May 18 with a funny, touching look at life in a backward, bizarre town in John Lazarus’s Village of Idiots.
The play follows Yosef, a deserter of the Russian army in the 19th Century, who comes to the town of Chelm in Poland. Chelm, it turns out, is not your typical town and its residents are not your typical people. The play isn’t called the Village of Idiots for nothing and Yosef soon finds out that the people of Chelm have their own, somewhat unique way of going about life.
At first Yosef is taken aback by the villagers and their strange ways. They have bizarre ideas about how the world works and do strange things, such as dumping pickled herring in the river in an attempt to grow more. As Yosef finds refuge in their little town and becomes smitten with one of the women of the village, he begins to learn the charm and simple beauty of their approach to life.
“I think that some of the best messages in the world come from those...kind of plays,” said drama teacher Brenda Laycock, “where you laugh all the way through but at the end you realize that we fight so hard to be rich and famous and beautiful and all these things that we think are right when really all that matters is are we happy?”
Laycock sees some parallels with the village in the play and Powell River, in the most complimentary way possible. Compared with the hustle and bustle of larger cities and given its relative isolation many may consider Powell River to be somewhat of a community lost in time and behind the rest of the world. Laycock said she isn’t trying to make a statement with the play but does believe that the simple beauty found in Chelm will perhaps ring a few bells in people’s minds.
Shop teacher Gary Huculak has designed a cubist style set for the play, reflecting a movement of art which believed all sides of an object could be seen from one viewpoint. The Russian approach to cubism, called constructivism, is also represented through set pieces that give the village a slightly bizarre but completely appropriate look.
The humour and off-the-wall antics of the villagers are contextualized by the historical and cultural backdrop of the play. To prepare for the play the drama students learned about Jewish history and sampled some Jewish food with Powell River resident John Silver. Students also had a workshop for accents with two women from Poland who live in the area. While some of the historical aspects may be heavy, such as the Russian pogroms (government sanctioned attacks against Jewish people), Laycock said the overall spirit of the play is jovial, heartwarming and appropriate for younger audiences.
“I really think that it’s going to be an amazing show for everyone because the message is so amazing,” said Ruby Barclay, grade 10, who plays Gittel in the production.
“[Audiences] are going to appreciate what your thespians can do in Powell River and how we can develop into our characters and put out a good comedy,” said Kyle Auclair, grade 10.
Village of Idiots runs from Wednesday, May 18 to Friday, May 20 at Max Cameron Theatre. The play starts at 7 pm, with doors opening at 6:40 pm. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for those 18 years old and under, and are available at Brooks’ school office (604.483.3171) or at the door.
