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Revisiting Rhoma
Stori Ya , the tale of Maria, a Tanzanian-born Canadian woman, was remounted to launch this year’s Hatch series of works in development at Harbourfront Centre ‘s Studio Theatre . Joan M. Kivanda has reworked the script, but the text could still use some tightening. We missed the intimacy of last August’s SummerWorks version in the Passe Muraille Backspace – the piece has Maria welcoming us into her home, and the space immediately gave viewers a feeling of intimacy with her – but director ahdri zhina mandiela and solo actor Rhoma Spencer haven’t let the work’s energy lapse in this latest version. Spencer is always powerful onstage, and even with a small audience at a matinee last week she performed full-throttle. We also liked Camellia Koo ‘s new design, a series of wooden chairs as tightly chained together as Maria is to her memories of abuse.
Fife funders
If you see a theatre or dance performance over the next several months, you might be asked at the show’s end to dig into your pocket for a donation to Fife House , which offers supportive housing and services to people living with HIV/AIDS. Over two dozen local companies are involved.
