Trauma, including generational and intergenerational trauma, is handled with a bold vision in Nightwood Theatre’s ‘Enormity, Girl, and the Earthquake in Her Lungs’ by Chelsea Woolley.
Time seems to stand still as Vic (Vivien Endicott-Douglas) crash-lands in a women’s shelter. She grapples with a horrific incident from her past. As a confused Vic confronts how she ended up in the shelter, her personified voices come to life. These voices illustrate Vic’s struggle to understand how she found herself in the shelter and the events that led her there. Her personified voices are coming at her from all angles – next to her, behind her, beside her. The young woman has no opportunity to think. All of these fractured perspectives clamour to be heard and to predominate in Vic’s thinking.
This opening night performance does not remain stagnant due to Director Andrea Donaldson’s fluid staging. Individuals who experience trauma of any kind can never truly find rest; their minds continually swirl as the events replay over and over. Movement Director Lisa Karen Cox acknowledges this harsh reality by having Vic’s fragmented perspective embodied through dance/movement. The voices around her often move in chaotic yet purposeful ways, constantly vying for attention and guiding Vic into specific trains of thought. The result of this continuous movement can be exhausting for the audience (particularly from a male perspective). However, this exhaustion is precisely the point that both Cox and Donaldson emphasize.
However, that’s the salient point both Cox and Donaldson underscore.
If an audience is getting tired from watching a great deal of movement secondhand, think of Vic. She struggles to piece together firsthand what has happened in her own mind.
Innovatively directed with gritty realism by Donaldson, this opening-night production still shakes me to my very core. I have never had to deal with the shocking and revealing unfolding trauma of this nature in Woolley’s often hard-hitting yet poetic script. I can’t even begin to imagine what individuals like Vic must continue to endure again and again.
Witnessing a haunting production like Enormity serves as a continual and vulnerable reminder to remember that I should see the world from all perspectives, not just one.
The intimacy of the Nancy and Ed Jackman performance space lends itself nicely to focusing attention on the play’s action. Ting–Huan 挺歡 Christine Urquhart designs a stark and seemingly cavernous-looking room in a women’s shelter that initially appears unwelcoming. The center-stage placed bed is unmade at the top of the show. There are items on the bed. A pair of shoes is found on the floor next to the bed. Raha Javanar’s at times shadowy lighting design will sharply evoke audience attention where needed. Quite effective when that does occur.
Cosette ‘Ettie’ Pin’s sound design effectively heightens dramatic intensity. Except for the young Daisy’s ethereal-looking dress (worn by the adorable Noa Simone Furlong at this performance), nothing is glamorous-looking about Amanda Wong’s costumes. A wise choice made since Vic and the personified voices all require comfortable, earthy-looking wear for ease of movement.
The artists deliver solid, nuanced and compelling performances.
Vivien Endicott Douglas delivers an outstanding performance as Vic. Despite the play’s serious themes, she skillfully navigates the emotional highs and lows of Vic’s journey and her understanding of why she ended up at the shelter. There is never a trace of melodrama in Endicott Douglas’s portrayal; she authentically transitions between emotional intentions and reactions with resourcefulness, instinct, and purpose.
The cast of the personified voices (featuring Liz Der, Philippa Domville, Bria McLaughlin, Sofía Rodríguez, and Emerjade Simms) effectively and artfully enhances the play’s dark theme of trauma and its generational and intergenerational impact. They embody their roles with a bold conviction that conveys a sense of authenticity. Their performances are characterized by the ability to convey tension and emotion through subtle gestures, such as a glance, a look, a stare, or a full standoff.
A final comment: Recently, I had the chance to profile Vivien before Enormity opened. I asked her what she hopes audiences will take away with them when they leave the performance. She commented on how she hopes audiences feel brave enough to take this journey with Vic. She also hoped that audiences could find the strength and resilience within themselves, just as Vic does.
I felt myself letting out a sigh of relief when that hopeful moment occurred. It does, but I won’t tell you when it does.
You must experience that moment for yourselves.
Running time: approximately 90 minutes with no intermission/interval.
Enormity, Girl, and the Earthquake in Her Lungs runs to October 5 at the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre, 877 Yonge Street, Toronto. For tickets: nightwoodtheatre.net or call (416) 944-1740.
NIGHTWOOD THEATRE and TARRAGON THEATRE present
Enormity, Girl and the Earthquake in Her Lungs by Chelsea Woolley
Directed by Andrea Donaldson
Set Design: Ting–Huan 挺歡 Christine Urquhart
Costume Design: Amanmda Wong
Lighting Design: Raha Javanfar
Sound Design: Cosette ‘Ettie’ Pin
Movement Direction: Lisa Karen Cox
Intimacy and Fight Direction: Christina Fox
Stage Manager: M Fera
Performers: Marta Armstrong, Liz Der, Philippa Domville, Vivien Endicott-Douglas, Noa Furlong, Bria McLaughlin, Sofía Rodríguez and Emerjade Simms.
