Falling: A Wake was originally produced in Kitchner, Ontario in 2007 by Lost and Found Theatre.

From their website: “Playwright Gary Kirkham was devastated when his best friend, Paul Freeman, was killed by a terrorist bomb on Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland on December 21, 1988. Eighteen years later, he found himself writing a play about a couple who find a body in their yard, and – to his own surprise - it was a comedy."

Gary Kirkham sat down with Rivendell Theatre Ensemble to share his thoughts about Falling: A Wake:

RTE: Thank you for talking with us, today, Gary.

GK: You’re welcome. I can't tell you how happy I am that Rivendell is doing Falling: A Wake. It's a great honour to have my play open their new space.

RTE: It’s our pleasure. We’re all very excited about opening the theatre, and passionate about your beautiful play. What do you hope audiences leave the theatre with after seeing the play?

GK: My hope is that the shared experience of grief will help anyone who watches it. We have all experienced grief in some form: audience members have told me that their brother committed suicide, or that they lost their job, which is a big one, and they want to share their experience with me. And in addition to the many different kinds of grief, there are multiple responses to grief. This play is a way of exposing people to this one couple’s way of grieving, and encouraging them to talk about their own.

Conversation is great for healing. I’ve talked about this very personal story of mine, losing my best friend in 1988, so much since I wrote this play. It’s such a private thing, but now thousands of people know about it. But new details, parts of the narrative, keep coming up. Even though you tell it over and over again there’s still something there that wants to be shared. In talking about my grief experience I’ve lost something, but I’ve gained so much more by connecting with other people and their stories.

I wrote the play a few years after 9/11 and part of it came from watching what was happening in the States then. Individual American’s worked hard to process their grief, but on a political level, America didn’t go through a grieving process. They went straight to anger. That made me sad.

RTE: Our artists have made comparisons between Falling: A Wake and Waiting for Godot. Although entirely different I style, both make deft use of humor in the face of despair and have characters who are unable to move forward. Was Beckett an influence on you?

GK: Not intentionally, no, but I see the connection. It is about waiting and the act of waiting. At one point in time, Godot was thought to be very nihilistic, which is not like my play, but nowadays Godot is seen as more life affirming, and that, I think, is very much like Falling: A Wake.

RTE: But the characters in Falling: A Wake do eventually move on.

GK: Yes, emotionally. In my play, nothing has changed in their lives, except how they view their lives. In the end, people don’t really change, but we can change how we view who we are.

RTE: What are you working on now?

GK: Well, I’m currently writing two plays: one is very political and serious and one is just funny and silly. I like going from a very dark place to a much lighter place, working back and forth between the two. And I’m collaborating with a theatre company called The MT Space. We’re creating a piece about the Occupy movement and the Arab Spring.

And recently I finished touring a play called The Last 15 Seconds, which is also about terrorism and the bombing of three hotels in Aman, Jordan in 2005. We got to perform it in Aman on the fifth anniversary of the bombing. That was really an emotionally charged performance!

RTE: How do you feel about the theme of politics and terrorism becoming hallmarks of your work?

GK: Terrorism is the smallest part of it. I’m not interested in the international politics of it. I’m using it to talk about the very small politics of human beings; about the lives of small people in huge events.

 By Susan Gaspar

When Tara told me about this year's Fresh Produce, I was immediately intrigued. I had participated in Fresh Produce events in past years and had always had an inspiring and invigorating experience, so I was pleased to again be a part of this annual Rivendell Theatre Ensemble tradition. And after our first group meeting in December, I thought about the themes surrounding women in combat and tried to find a way to do an interview with a female soldier, which we all agreed might be a good place to begin.

I thought of a woman I knew from high school---someone I had not seen or spoken to in almost 30 years. She had joined the Army Reserves after graduation, had and had later chosen to make the Army her career. We had recently reconnected via Facebook and when I found out she currently lives in Los Angeles, I messaged her about a short phone interview, describing in brief the Women at War project. She agreed. I prepared a series of interview questions---questions I thought might illicit detailed, emotional responses---so that I could keep myself on track during the phone call and hopefully get some rich, personal insights that could be later transformed into a series of theatrical "moments."

The phone call went well and she answered my questions as best she could, but I quickly realized that some of them didn't really apply to her, and that she had a different story to tell. I put them aside and just let her talk, and asked leading questions when necessary to fill in the blanks. In our time on the phone, I took several pages of notes, which were vital in creating the piece. The honesty and openness I received from a woman I had not seen or spoken to in so long was extremely moving. She was very passionate about the military and it was clear she enjoyed making it her life's work.

But how to create something theatrical from it all? There was so much information, all of it interesting, but much of it was stream of consciousness so I worried I would be overwhelmed. I figured I had to choose one small portion that might connect with an audience and then somehow flesh it out so it would work for the stage. I decided to take a section from one of the soldier’s stories about her family and write it down as though I was a reporter telling the tale to an outsider.

The story dealt with the pressure felt by the soldier’s family and her internal conflict every time she had to leave home to serve---having to say goodbye to her husband and children and taking on the non-traditional role of bread-winner. It was something about which I had never given much thought, because we almost always see men as the ones who leave, and they are made to feel OK about that---if not made to feel like outright heroes---because they are doing it for the good of the family. But when the roles are reversed and the woman is the one to pack a bag and leave behind a spouse and children, it seems they can be judged and even vilified. Why? What would cause this, and why would supportive, loving family members turn on someone that way during such a stressful time? It seemed worth exploring.

Even though I was glad to have narrowed the interview down to something manageable, I was still worried it wouldn't translate theatrically and have the impact I'd felt as the story was being told to me. This was where Megan Carney worked her magic.

Megan is a theater artist with more skills and talents than I can list---and she has a keen eye for what will work in any given circumstance. I knew the minute I passed her my excerpt that she would know what to do to make it lean, precise, and alive. After some discussion, we decided to build three roles and found actors to portray them (one of whom ended up being me). We also chose not to write a hard script---we decided that since mine was the only character who really verbalized in the scene, and since I was comfortable with improvisation, we would just come up with a few scripted beats and see what happened.

That approach is one of the reasons I love working in theater, and why I adore improvisation: "Let's just try it and see what happens." I feel my heart skip a beat whenever I get the chance to create that way, so the rehearsal we had was very exciting. I can only hope that the other actors, the fabulous Rebecca Spence and Michael Szeles, felt the same. It was such a joy to be in the brand new Rivendell theater space that day, rehearsing what would be a one-time-only, who-knows-what-will-happen scene. And without Megan's guidance we could have ended up with a murky idea that never left the ground.

Instead we found a rhythm for the piece, quickly embraced our characters and relationships, and let those be our guide and safety net. We were able to take one aspect of a specific past incident between people we don’t know and breathe life into it in the present. It seemed like such a small, fragile idea----but it was one that we all felt should be shared. And it was so satisfying to be able to show just one of the struggles faced by women in the military in such an intimate way.

I feel honored to have been a part of this year's Fresh Produce. The new theater is just what is needed to showcase all the dedication, skill and passion that is wrapped up in Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. The building and its occupants can indeed create magic, and hopefully artists and audiences will feel it for years to come.

By Trisha Hooper

“Look out, y’all… Rivendell is throwing a party!”

I don’t know how many of you have been to a Rivendell celebration, but in addition to producing important and thought-provoking work – we throw a hell of a party. Especially when we have the opening of our brand new, gorgeous theatre to celebrate!

For those of you who couldn’t join us on Wednesday for Fresh Produce, you missed a night of good food and drink, good friends, good theatre and an amazing amount of good will. I feel so overwhelmed by the support people have shown us throughout this process – we absolutely cannot do what we do without an entire community of support behind us.

We were host to over 80 people on Wednesday night (psst… that’s 30 over our seating capacity… we were PACKED!) and I truly feel it was one of Rivendell’s proudest moments. In addition to showing off our fancy new digs, we got to share new and exciting work with our patrons, continuing the Women at War theme that we’ve been exploring for the past few seasons.

The issue of Women at War is so very important to Rivendell – and it is becoming more evident everyday that women in the military have issues that need to be addressed on a wider scale. We are honored to help bring awareness to the community, and to be able to do it with help from some amazing female veterans. Emily Siefken is one vet in particular who has been working with Rivendell on the Theater of War and Women at War projects. She had this to say about the event on Wednesday:

“Thank you all for welcoming me with open arms, hearing stories of military women, and actually, wholeheartedly, caring about them…. You are doing profound work.”

In addition to having a great party, we have more great news from Wednesday – the generous donations we collected at the event helped us meet the minimum qualification for the 2-to-1 matching grant we received from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation. Yay Rivendell, and thanks to everyone that contributed!

I look forward to many more parties and events at our new home – can’t wait to see you there!
 

by Tara Mallen, Rivendell Artistic Director

Last month Rivendell was proud to partner with Goodman Theatre and the National Veterans Art Museum to produce two evenings of Theater of War: The Female Warrior Program. These evenings consisted of a reading of excerpts from Sophocles' Ajax with a woman in the lead role (played by the magnificent Elizabeth Laidlaw with a wonderful supporting cast comprised of Keith Kupferer, Kathy Logelin, Mierka Girten, Guy Massey, Rebecca Spence and Mark Montgomery), followed by a panel discussion on war and its effect on servicemen and women. Approximately 200 veterans and their families attended. You can read Trisha's post about it here.

As many of you know, the theme of war as seen through a woman's lens is one that Rivendell has been committed to exploring for several years now. As our soldiers come home from overseas, I'm proud of the public awareness Rivendell is creating around this important issue, beginning with our Trojan Women Project last fall, continuing with the Veterans Day Commemoration in alliance with the National Veterans Arts Museum, thenTheater of War collaboration with Goodman Theatre last month, and culminating this Wednesday with Fresh Produce 2012: Women at War.

As I prepare for this Wednesday's event, memories from our Theater of War panel discussions come back to me. One member of the audience, a veteran, spoke about how the play awakened some new thoughts in him about his war experience. He was amazed by how the play was written over 2000 years ago, but we still have not found a better way to manage conflict as a society other than by going to war. We are still waging war today, and it is still scarring our servicemen and women. Not only have we failed to find a societal solution to war, but we also haven't found a way to assimilate veterans back into our society when a war is over. He was also struck by the theme of suicide in the play, because that also continues to be a real problem with veterans today.

He went on to talk about how veterans make up about 1% of our society - a very small minority. Military culture is so different from civilian culture that they feel very alienated when they come return from active duty. They're in a cultural no-mans-land: they're not active servicemen, but they're not civilians either. They are in limbo, making them feel alone and misunderstood. This alienation makes it extremely difficult for them to deal with the psychological effects of war and the horrors they've been through.

Another audience member commented about the character of Ajax, who felt such anger in the play. Ajax felt keenly that his own army's actions were unjust, and went against what he thought to be right. His own army didn't keep its promises to him, and he felt betrayed by them. This audience member said he really responded to that because, as a veteran, he has a lot of anger, too. When asked by a panelist what his anger is about specifically, he answered that he is an Iraq war veteran, and that he just doesn't know why he went to Iraq; that perhaps they were there under false pretenses; that their mission was unclear; and that he didn't know if they were actually doing good or harm. So when he came back home, instead of feeling like a hero he felt ashamed. He felt betrayed by his country, and that made him really angry, just like Ajax. He's been back since 2005, and is a little less angry now than he was then, but says that he can gauge how long a veteran has been back from the war by how angry he is.

Their comments made me realize the absolute importance of events like these. Those of us who are not part of that 1% still need to shoulder some responsibility as our soldiers come home and try to reestablish their lives. I believe that the arts can try to bridge gaps within a community and heal wounds in a culture that might otherwise be impossible to heal. The Theater of War readings offered these young veterans a chance to express their feelings in a public forum, where they felt supported and understood. They helped make what is so invisible to so many, finally visible. And most importantly, they helped foster a hopefully ongoing dialogue, so we all can begin to fully understand how to support our returning warriors.

I am so honored that Rivendell had the opportunity to be part of such an important event and I am really excited about further exploring the unique challenges that face female warriors specifically in today's military. We look forward to sharing these women's stories with you through our FRESH PRODUCE: Women At War 2012 new play development series over the next few months.

Our first Fresh Produce 2012: Women At War Salon takes place this Wednesday night. Tickets are sold out!

by Trisha Hooper
Rivendell Administrative Assistant

The story of Ajax can be so jarring and horrific at times that it is hard to see any real world connection to the modern day military and its soldiers. Hearing the descriptions of Ajax slaughtering and torturing the animals she mistakes for her enemies, one can’t help but catalog and place this event in the distant, savage past. But what if the things Ajax experiences are still experienced by soldiers today?

The last two Wednesdays, Rivendell and Goodman Theatre presented Theater of War: a reading of excerpts of Sophocles’ AJAX, followed by a panel discussion for veterans and their families. After participating in these events and hearing veterans speak about their own experiences at war, I can now answer this question.

The rage Ajax, played by a woman in this version, experiences in the play does resonate and ring true to soldiers and veterans today. The idea of a “kill switch” that is instilled in a soldier, one that is difficult to turn off once it is activated, is present throughout history and is still real today. The most important part of counseling a veteran is de-activating the automatic response training they received in the military.

This seems like an impossible task – when someone returns from their military service filled with feelings of anger, betrayal and shame, how are we, as a society, to help re-integrate them back into our world? How do we take this former civilian (who will never really return to civilian life, instead becoming a veteran) and allow them to resume their post-deployment life? And can art, in any form, help?

The answer to this is closer than one might think – another thing I learned in the post-reading discussion was that Sophocles may very well have written AJAX and other plays as part of a re-integration ceremony for returning Greek soldiers. Through gathering together – soldiers and civilians –in the amphitheater, and by watching a play about the soldiers’ experience, Sophocles was allowing a dialogue to take place about the experiences of war, and also allowing the soldiers a feeling of honor and support from the community. In societies where there are established rituals to honor warriors, the instances of PTSD and other post-combat problems are much lower.

A soldier’s life is so drastically different than that of the average civilian. It sometimes seems like bridging the gap between the two is impossible. Can art help bridge this gap? I think so.

Three Ways to Help Spread the Word About Our New Home:

by Bernadette Rapante, Administrative Intern

What better way to start the New Year off than with a challenge! At our ensemble meeting this past Monday, we came together to brainstorm ways to get the word out about our beautiful new home.

Many ensemble members, friends, staff, and donors have been working tirelessly to get our new theatre space ready before our first public event on February 8th -- just 30 days from our meeting last Monday! Excited ensemble members have already taken to social media to get the word out over these 30 days. That’s our first step, and you can help!

Here's how:

1. Check your Facebook pages to and make sure that you are a fan of the Rivendell Theatre Ensemble page by clicking the blue “Like” button in the top, right hand corner.
2. Do you Tweet? Rivendell does! Follow us on Twitter and re-tweet when we post about updates on the building and our shows!
3. How many people do you run into everyday -- smashed together on the Redline, on the elevator after work, that old friend you see in the grocery store? Tell them ALL what we are up to! It only takes 30 seconds to explain that we have a new theatre and where to find us! Invite them to our Fresh Produce workshop and celebration on February 8th at 7pm to be part of our first audience!

We are moving in! 5779 North Ridge Avenue! Spread the word!