What’s old is new again in the latest production by Quarter Century Theatre Collingwood (QCT).
Rochelle Reynolds, the founder of QCT, has dusted off two plays written in the 1800s in an effort to bring them back to the stage in a new way. She’s combined the plots of Miss Julie (by August Strindberg, 1888) and A Doll’s House (by Henrik Ibsen, 1879) for a new play in two acts.
“Each of these stories should be museum pieces,” said Reynolds. “They were written in the 1800s and they should be obsolete, but they aren't. And the reason is, in a lot of ways, Western society, in particular, still holds the same values as 100 years ago, particularly regarding the role of women.”
Miss Julie is the story of a young heiress who has become a prop in an estate.
“She has no real identity because she is a woman,” said Reynolds.
Miss Julie seduces a male servant, who, soon after, threatens to ruin her through blackmail.
For Reynolds adaptation, Miss Julie will be set in 1940s New Orleans and Julie is a fiery Southern Belle character - in the style of Gone with the Wind or a Streetcar Named Desire.
A Doll’s House is about a woman named Nora Helmer, a housewife whose husband falls ill. She gets a bank loan without the required permission of a man by forging her father’s signature. When her husband finds out, he casts her out of their home. Later the loan is forgiven and her husband welcomes her back, pretending as though nothing happened.
Reynolds has re-worked Doll’s House into a 1950s sitcom (think I Love Lucy).
“The new access points make it more interesting to absorb the dense material and these heavy plots,” said Reynolds. “I think it further leans into the statement I’m making that we’re still fighting the same fights.”
She admires both Strindberg and Ibsen for writing the original plays at a time when it was not fashionable nor acceptable to stand up for a woman’s rights.
“Both Ibsen and Strindberg, as white male writers, were able to think beyond the shallow image of what women were capable of,” said Reynolds. “They flipped the script.”
Reynolds is doing her own flipping by re-imagining the scenes from the 1800s to more modern times, and taking a cast full of accessory characters and re-working the script for two actors on a stage with some chorus members (played by Collingwood area up-and-comers).
And this time, promises Reynolds, there will be some comedy.
“One of our most loyal QCT supporters said ‘everything you do is serious,’” laughed Reynolds. “Comedy is one of the easiest ways to be critical … We can be funny while still remaining true to what we want to do.”
There will be two main actors, both Toronto-based and accomplished career thespians, Kayla Whelan and Toni Ofori, who will play the leads in both acts. Reynolds will not be on stage this time, but will still be filling the roles of writer, director, producer, stage manager, and show designer.
“These are very special characters to me,” said Reynolds. “There’s something very special about adapting stories in new and interesting ways … and I guess it’s furthering my own personal niche.”
The show is called Not That Old Chesnut, and it runs on stage at the QCT studio located at 19 Fourth LIne in Collingwood from May 4 to 11. There will be preview shows on May 4 and 5, and the regular run is from May 6 to 11, all shows start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance or $40 at the door and are available online here.
