THE WAVES by Laura Quigley (The Waves Collective). At the Theatre Centre BMO Incubator. Aug 15 at 7:30 pm, Aug 17 at 5 pm. See listing. Review: NNN
Birth stories are not the most commonly shared kind of narrative. The isolation of women who are raising young children can be profound (even destructive) but, until very recently, not widely discussed.
Laura Quigleys new work explores the surreal daily logistics and emotional landscape of motherhood through text and sound. Underwater imagery comes up frequently (alongside recurring sonic and textual references to whales) in this tense, sad and often lovely production-in-development.
As an actor, Quigley provides a strong focus, even as she seems on the verge of drowning, and Arianna Markle, playing multiple roles, including toddler Lila, reminds us all of the demanding nature and implacable physicality at the heart of the mother/child bond.