March 7, 2007 - 4:00pm
Two worlds are colliding at the Malaspina Theatre.
The innovative use of digital media is an integral part of Power, the current production at the Malaspina University-College Theatre, which runs from March 6-10.
“We’re using a lot of video in the production and I’m very pleased with the result,” said Doug Stetar, an instructor in Media Studies and Digital Media Technology. “It’s a very energetic show with a really great vibe and energy to it. To some degree, that comes from the pairing of digital media and theatre.”
Digital images are projected throughout the play, the first time such a thing has been done in a Malaspina Theatre production. Stetar, along with Mike Taugher and Ross Desprez from the Theatre department, felt the addition of digital media to a theatre production would make for an interesting show.
“I had talked with Mike Taugher about digital media and its relation to theatre and we discussed how video and theatre and film overlapped in a lot of ways,” said Stetar. “Ross Desprez came up with the idea of a play about power and asked me if I was interested in doing video for it. It seemed like a fun opportunity for everyone and an opportunity for students to work with different things.”
Power, a multi-media collage which explores the many aspects of power in our society, uses all kinds of video during the production. Some of the footage was shot specifically for the play, while the rest is footage Stetar and his students found and pieced together to fit with the theme. A lot of the footage is fairly straightforward, but some of it isn’t, often acting as bridging moments between scenes or as an interlude moment.
“Sometimes, the script makes way for the video, while at other times the video is a direct part of the script. We tried to be really creative in the way we integrated the script and the video and how they played together,” said Stetar.
While the use of digital media in Power is visually innovative, Stetar says it also complements the theme of power and its many faces in the production.
“We integrate media directly into the play, and I think the media has a whole lot to do with power in today’s world. When we filmed an actor and projected her in a mirror with different images of her body, it has a strong subtext. The media creates and fuels a lot of ways young women feel about themselves.”
This production is the first step in a new relationship between the theatre department and the media studies department, but Stetar doesn’t think it will be the last.
“This is only the beginning of this kind of collaboration. I think we’ll work together again creating positive, experimental opportunities for students,” he said.
The show comes with a warning: it’s not suitable for all family members. The production includes violence, coarse language, nudity, and the use of smoke, strobe lights and disturbing visual imagery.
Power runs March 6 to 10 at the Malaspina University-College Theatre, 900 Fifth Street, Nanaimo. Showtime is 8 pm. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors.
For reservations, call the Malaspina Theatre box office at 740-6100.
Tags: In the Community
