BLIND
“The crowning achievement: seven actors, each of whom deliver top-notch performances infused with sympathy, beauty and realism.” – The Charlebois Post
april 3-13, 2014
*NOMINATED for 4 META Awards*
Montréal, Arts Interculturels (MAI) presented Scapegoat Carnivale's premiere production of this commissioned work.
By Lindsay Wilson, Directed by Alison Darcy, Dramaturgy by Deena Aziz, Alison Darcy and Joseph Shragge. Assistant Direction and Movement Coaching by Gitanjali Jain
Stage Managed by Rachel Dawn Woods, Set and Costume Design by Logan Williams, Lighting Design by Jacynthe Lalonde, Sound Design by Emily Thorne.
Cast: Vladimir Alexis, Delphine Bienvenu, Saraah Hicks, Matthew Kabwe, Warona Setshwaelo, Jaa Smith-Johnson, and Lydia Zadel.
Photo credits: Jaa Smith-Johnson as Isaiah. Photographer: Tristan Brand
Blind is a play about the persecution of people with albinism in Tanzania – murdered for their body parts, which are believed to hold magical power. In this fascinating encounter between documentary theatre and mythical storytelling, Blind follows Hannah during her stay in Tanzania where she works as an international observer of human rights violations. Featuring snapshot-testimonies from children with albinism, the victims of violent crimes, the play is also an unflinching account of the crisis of humanitarian aid in Africa. In examining the issue of gathering testimony and of observation, Blind questions assumptions about foreign intervention.
MAI website page about the show here.
Video credit: The Montreal Gazette. Full cast.
"Il faut souligner le travail exceptionnel de Jaa Smith-Johnson, tout simplement lumineux dans le rôle charnière de l’enfant aveugle, qui insuffle une rare poésie aux histoires traditionnelles intégrées au texte." - Lucie Renaud, Jeu
