REVIEW: Theatre Gargantua’s Dissonant Species features live science experiments and impressive visual storytelling
iPhoto caption: Nicholas Eddie (R) with Michael Gordon Spence and Heather Marie Annis in 'Dissonant Species.' Photo by Michael Cooper.
Is there a way we can create harmony out of the noises that divide us? Theatre Gargantua’s Dissonant Species explores this question using a mix of dance, music, storytelling — and live science experiments.
In a dense 75 minutes, writer-creators Heather Marie Annis and Michael Gordon Spence propel the audience through a non-linear structure that shifts between narrative scenes, choreography, and lab demonstrations. We follow the lives of three students and two professors at the University of Toronto’s faculty of music dealing with the hard reality of living in our divisive, contemporary world. Starting with a jarring interaction on the street, tensions between the characters rise as they wrestle with the contradictions that exist within society and themselves.
Theatre Gargantua has a long history of creating multidisciplinary works, and Dissonant Species showcases their experience as a company. Director Jacquie P.A. Thomas juggles many moving parts, interweaving them to create an atmosphere that feels natural, rather than clunky and disjointed. For the first half of the show, you can’t help but focus on Thomas’ deliberate and thoughtful scenic choices.
Every design element works together to highlight the production’s shifting moods. Some moments, like the beginning of a classroom lecture, are calm and predictable while others, like a nightmare after a bad day, offer a flurry of movement, sound, and light. Intricate compositions from sound designers Christopher-Elizabeth and Richard Lam (with additional compositions by Heidi Chan and the ensemble) layer against Laird MacDonald’s dynamic lighting to contrast Spence’s simple set of instruments hanging on black curtains. A colourful, circular projection lights a centre-stage piece of metal that mimics the look of a soundwave; in the background of each scene, the structure dances along with the music and lights.
This piece demands a lot from its ensemble (comprised of Annis, Nicholas Eddie, Malia Rogers, Spence, and HannaH Sunley-Paisley) — synchronized movement, live instrumentation, harmonized singing, emotional scenework — and the cast does not disappoint. Each actor is able to captivate the audience with a lengthy passionate monologue that gives their characters much-needed depth. Sunley-Paisley delivers an especially powerful speech detailing the journey of her grandmother’s dementia, and her performance accentuates the soft side of her character’s otherwise cynical outlook.
It’s a blast to witness science experiments happening on stage. The ensemble, clad in lab coats, periodically bring in scientific equipment and walk the audience through sound-based demonstrations, ranging from water vibrating on top of a speaker to glass shattering from a high-pitched tone. Rather than slowing the pace, the engaging and innovative nature of these pauses from the story keep the momentum going while still underscoring the themes of the show.
In the latter half of the play, multiple political and personal arguments occur between the faculty members. Like the discordant harmonies the students learn about in class, these conflicts are tough to listen to, but create an interesting and complex melody of human thought.
Some aspects of the plot are thought-provoking, but others left me wanting more. For instance, Lee and Sarah (played by Eddie and Sunley-Paisley) are often at odds due to their political views, but we are never given the reasons for their perspectives. Why does Lee vote Conservative, despite seeing his close friend get assaulted for being queer? Is there a personal reason why Sarah thinks voting blue makes someone selfish?
During a group project, the two get into a heated debate and their classmate (played by Rogers) gives a heartfelt speech about how misunderstandings feel unavoidable because humans exist on different wavelengths. In the show, the acknowledgement of these inherent differences gives the characters enough resolve to stop arguing and continue their assignment.
Though this answer was enough for the students, I question if accepting the inevitable discord of human thought is a strong enough resolution for every conflict. For some people, whose very existence creates friction against the structures of society, is merely accepting the noise a viable solution? Is it enough to understand that we will be misunderstood? Since this appeared to be the core of the show’s premise, I wished Dissonant Species would explore these questions in more detail and, like a pleasant melody, come to a satisfying conclusion.
At the end, after much built-up tension, a loud, sustained scream releases from each character — mimicking the internal scream they feel when clashing with other people. Like that scream, the beautiful visual and auditory aspects of Dissonant Species continue to strike a chord with me, despite its narrative flaws.
Dissonant Species runs at Factory Theatre until November 23. Tickets are available here.
Melissa Avalos wrote this review as part of Page Turn, a professional development network for emerging arts writers, funded by the Canada Council for the Arts and administered by Neworld Theatre.
Intermission reviews are independent and unrelated to Intermission’s partnered content. Learn more about Intermission’s partnership model here.
Melissa Avalos
Melissa is a multidisciplinary artist, young reviewer, box office aficionado, and Toronto-born Filipina-Latina woman. She studied at The University of Toronto and earned a degree in biochemistry and linguistics, but her love of theatre outweighed her need for a job in a stable industry. She wants to change the culture of Toronto theatre to be more inclusive and accessible. Her biggest goal is to become a producer of the arts, or to win Jeopardy (whichever comes first).
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