Peeling Onions with Ahmed

Our Playwright Around the House, Ahmed Moneka, has been hard at work on his newest project, The Onion Cellar; a collectively-created, world-fusion musical celebrating openness, storytelling, and community. In fact, not even a few weeks ago, he was conducting a second round of interviews with his incredible team of artists! To learn more about Ahmed’s work on The Onion Cellar, check out his Q&A session with our Intern Artistic Director, Caitie Graham.

The Interview

CAITIE: The Onion Cellar is probably the most epic project I’ve ever had the privilege of being a part of. It’s ambitious in so many ways; in its devised development process, in the breadth of stories it seeks to link, its musical nature, and what it aims to offer its audience. The possibility inherent to this concept is almost infinite, which to me is – at this stage in the process – simultaneously the most exciting and most challenging thing about it. 

What – in your mind –  is the most exciting part of this project (if you can choose)? And what is the most challenging? 

AHMEDIn my opinion, holding space means creating an environment where people can be honest and true to themselves without feeling the need to conform or deceive others. It’s about sharing your feelings openly with others, as this helps build trust and promotes healing. As the saying goes, ‘We live together, but we die alone.’The challenging part is the story and the style of delivering it. The characters are all very different yet similar. Thinking about the rules of the play, it’s not a musical, it’s a play with music. I want to draw strength from the actors. Some are poets, dancers, actors, musicians, etc. I want to create a world that has all these elements. 

CAITIE: In these early stages of this project’s development, your focus has largely been on interviewing and building connectivity among your company of performers – Dillan Meaghan Chiblow, Nehassaiu deGannes, Richard Lam, Alison Porter, Shaina Silver-Baird, Ravyn Ariah Wngz – and restauranteur and business owner Shamez Amlani.

Tell us about how you approached these interviews, and how they served as a useful entry point to beginning this process. 

AHMED: Every person on this planet has a unique story and complex life. As a writer, my approach is to start from a real and genuine place, a true story, and then fictionalize it. During the interview process, I learned a lot and connected deeply with each of the artists we interviewed. Now, I feel like I know them personally, and they are like my friends. This compassion towards their story helped me learn how to be a better listener. These artists were invited because of their incredible talent and bravery in sharing who they are – that is the onion cellar. I have now established a foundation for each of these wonderful human beings, which I will use as a motive to build my characters. I won’t copy and paste their lives, but I can use their stories as inspiration. Moreover, I believe in teamwork and collaboration. I involve the artists from the first step and encourage them to raise their character with me. They have a say in whether they are comfortable with the portrayal or not.

CAITIE: Let’s recap your activities thus far. In the Fall of 2022, you conducted one-on-one interviews with each member of the company to source personal stories and perspectives to build into the foundation of The Onion Cellar. Then, at the Playwrights Retreat in May 2023, you sifted through the recorded interviews (12hrs worth!) to make note of recurring themes, common threads, and sites of connection between stories. Then! You determined a series of pairings between company members to further expand on these ideas, and begin introducing the collective to one another…which yielded ANOTHER 6hrs of recordings. 

What is your process for combing through all this material, and what do you look for? 

AHMED: I have a background in acting and have studied theatre for nine years. Whenever I’m working on a project, I make sure to do thorough research beforehand, especially when it involves multiple stories that aren’t my own. One of my mentors, d’bi.young anitafrika, taught me the importance of constantly checking in with the people I’m writing about and getting to know them as individuals. This means understanding what makes them happy or sad, what excites them, and what bores them. The final step of my process involves bringing everyone together and going on excursions. My concept for this project is that despite differences in gender, race, class, or religion, we all have much in common. By coming together and embracing our similarities, we can create a powerful sense of togetherness and harmony. All we need to do is listen to each other without judgment.  

CAITIE: If I could liken this process (or at least, what I’ve observed of it) to a musical instrument, I would say it’s been most like an accordion so far. With each interview series, the accordion expands, filling the instrument with stories and inspiration. Then the accordion is compressed as themes and threads are pulled and processed. This back and forth of sourcing inspiration, and making meaning of it feels like the way an accordion is played. 

If you could liken your process with this project so far to a musical instrument, how would you describe it? 

AHMED: What a nice instrument the accordion is! I love it. I think that the Scottish bagpipe is an instrument…  that filling it with air is like listening to them, playing the notes is like reflecting on it, and being aware of when to keep the bag full of air and when to play. It’s kind of smaller than the accordion.

CAITIE: In March, you’re attending a week-long retreat at The Gillespie House to dedicate some concentrated time to this project. How do you see yourself using this time, and what would you like to walk away with? 

AHMED: I want to spend this week designing the appearance of those characters, creating a map, choosing the background, and fictionalizing the characters. That way, when we meet them in the fall, we will have some ideas to present to them.

Shakespeare D&D: Recap

The Story So Far…

 

Shipwrecked on a mysterious island following a violent tempest, our adventurers – the young sorcerer Percy Parsimmon Parsnip, the songful bard Feste, the fun-loving witch Hecate, the jittery rogue Dogberry, the vengeful paladin Joan, and the mysterious warrior Fidele – set out to find the missing master of the diminutive gnome, Dromio of Syracuse.

 

Guided by a local inhabitant, Caliban, the party make their way into the heart of the densely forested island where they are harassed by troubling visions, meet by the wondrous spirit Ariel, and solve the riddle of a bounteous feast. Conquering their many challenges (and narrowly avoiding death once or twice) they finally arrive at a hillside grotto at the edge of the woods.

 

Deep within the caverns hidden within the homestead, they find the imprisoned Antipholus and confront the evil hag, Sycorax.

 

Once a coven-mate of Hecate, Sycorax was banished by her sisters for stealing and consuming the newborn child of the Macbeths in hopes of birthing a powerful progeny. Instead, imprisoned on a far-away island, she had a son, Caliban.

 

In those darkened caverns, in the fight of their lives, the heroes finally prevail when Joan reveals her true form – an ethereal-winged Aasimar, a being touched by the gods – and smites the hideous hag.

 

Our story begins weeks after these event when, having escaped the island, our protagonists arrive weeks later at the bustling port city of Ephesus, where new adventures (and new companions) await!

 

Join us for SHAKESPEARE D&D: 2nd EDITION on Monday, May 15!

 

(Party image by Jeremy Smith)

 

2023 Season Announcement

Driftwood Theatre presents The Final Bard’s Bus Tour

A 30-year Tradition of Outdoor Summer Theatre Winds Up in 2023 

Driftwood Theatre Group today announces their 2023 season including the return of Shakespeare D&D, and the final season of The Bard’s Bus Tour from August 5-27, 2023 in eight Ontario communities including Kingston, Bloomfield, Peterborough, Oshawa, Pickering, Ingersoll Toronto and Burlington.

With gratitude to audiences, artists and company members who have shared in nearly 30 years of outdoor summer theatre, Driftwood Theatre will bring its celebrated Bard’s Bus Tour to a close in 2023. 

“The past few years have prompted significant reflection about Driftwood’s history, legacy and long term goals,” says Artistic Director Jeremy Smith. “We’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished and grateful to our partners, supporters and audience members across the province who have supported The Bard’s Bus Tour since 1995” 

Driftwood will carry on with a new mandate in 2024, but before then The Bard’s Bus Tour will hit the road one last time with its most personal production to date: Living With Shakespeare, a love-letter to the poetry and plays of William Shakespeare. 

Living With Shakespeare image by Ramon Perez.

Living With Shakespeare, created by Jeremy Smith and Steven Gallagher, brings Jeremy officially back to the stage for the first time in over a decade as he reckons with his life-long relationship to the Bard of Avon. Weaving scenes, passages, and music from Shakespeare’s greatest plays with personal stories from Jeremy’s lifelong relationship to the Bard, Living With Shakespeare is an exploration of our continuing fascination with the world’s most recognizable playwright. 

“It has been a privilege to work alongside one of the greatest playwrights in the history of English theatre for almost 30 years,” explains Mr. Smith, “but all things come to an end. I’m so thankful and thrilled to be able to personally share this final tour with our audiences across Ontario.”

Shakespeare D&D image by Jeremy Smith

The 2023 Driftwood Theatre season will kick off with the return to the 2022 sold-out phenomenon, Shakespeare D&D: 2nd Edition. A live-play event of the world’s most popular tabletop roleplaying game, Shakespeare D&D: 2nd Edition brings together a cast of Driftwood friends for an evening of Dungeons and Dragons on a quest of Shakespearean proportions. Shakespeare D&D: 2nd Edition will take place live on May 15 at Toronto’s Social Capital Theatre, and streaming on YouTube.

Behind the scenes, Driftwood’s Beyond the Bard new play development program continues to work with playwrights Gloria Mok and Ahmed Moneka on their new plays, Diminished and The Onion Cellar respectively. In May, these artists will be coming together with the Living With Shakespeare creative team for Driftwood’s first-ever  playwrights’ retreat in Picton, Ontario.

Tickets for Driftwood’s 2023 Season are now on sale online at driftwoodtheatre.com. In keeping with Driftwood Theatre’s vision of theatre for all people, all performances offer a range of ticketing options and Driftwood continues to offer Community Tix, free tickets to community members for whom the cost of attending is prohibitive.  

Driftwood Theatre is dedicated to good people connected by great stories and is grateful for the support of the Ontario Arts Council, The Canada Council for the Arts, and season sponsors Ontario Power Generation and Deighton Associates. For more information about Driftwood’s mission, mandate and projects, visit  www.driftwoodtheatre.com 

 

Shakespeare D&D: 2nd Edition

May 15 at 7pm
Social Capital Theatre, 154 Danforth Avenue

Click HERE for more information

 

Living With Shakespeare

Bard’s Bus Tour 2023 Confirmed Schedule

AUGUST 5 & 6 (previews) – Kingston at Springer Market Square in association with The Kick & Push Festival

AUGUST 9 (Opening) & 10 – Prince Edward County at BMO Pavillion at the Eddie presented by County Stage

AUGUST 12 & 13 – Peterborough at Peterborough Museum and Archives in association with the Peterborough Museum

August 15 & 16 – Oshawa at Ed Broadbent Park presented by the City of Oshawa

AUGUST 17 & 18 – Pickering at Esplanade Park in association with the City of Pickering

AUGUST 19 & 20 – Ingersoll at Ingersoll Cheese Museum in association with the Ingersoll Cheese Museum

August 22 & 24 – Toronto at Kew Gardens Park

AUGUST 25, 26 & 27 – Burlington at Royal Botanical Gardens presented by the Royal Botanical Gardens

Additional dates to be announced soon

Click HERE for Full Schedule

Media Contact: Damien Nelson, damien@wantandable.ca

Finding Inspiration in 2023

Hello and Happy New Year from Prince Edward County!

After digging ourselves out of a very snowy holiday season, we’re almost ready to pull the curtain on Driftwood’s plans for our 29th season. Almost, but not quite.

I’ve always worked from home. It’s one of the great perks of running a non-venued theatre company. Since moving to Picton, home has also come to include a second business, a licensed Bed & Breakfast (www.instagram.com/gillespiehousebnb), and our house is now a hub activity.

This summer we’ll welcome artists and staff here for the duration of rehearsals and preparation for the summer season; a place to come together in the celebration of our imaginations and creativity. Throughout the rest of the year, we’ll welcome guests as they embark upon their own adventures here in PEC.

Today the house is empty, as my family are off at school and work. After a December filled with the hustle and bustle of construction, it’s nice to have some quiet in the house again. It’s also helpful, given that I’ve been doing a lot of writing lately.

This is a distinctly different experience for me: writing. Not grant or administrative writing (I do those things all the time), but writing as an art form. It’s been a little like dragging out my sketchbook after months of letting the practice slip. I find myself hesitant. Too often, my brain gets in the way of any progress – self-doubt crippling any meaningful momentum.

As I meander through the empty house on my way to my desk, I’m finding inspiration from my daughters who, even when they aren’t at home leave constant reminders of their presence: the hand-made multi-coloured necklace hanging from a doorknob, the recently-completed 1,000 piece Harry Potter Lego set proudly displayed in the fire room, countless canvasses and pages of art strewn about the house, a giant cardboard box decked out as a Club House making a statement in the front hall.

As much as it might frustrate me to constantly be tidying the detritus of my children’s creativity, I do hope they continue to create and imagine with such fearlessness. 

It’s ironic how, when we’re kids, our imagination is the progenitor of all our fears (last night I was up four times consoling both kids after nightmares) and yet we’re often more fearless in the way in which we explore the world and express ourselves. We just haven’t learned to fear the dragon of self-doubt, haven’t armored ourselves against the barrage of other people’s judgement.

When a kid commits to doing something, they do it with relentless abandon. They imagine completely, freely and without hesitation. It’s an important lesson, really. A great reminder of the power we all hold within ourselves.

As I continue to write, I’m going to try and hold onto that willingness to play, to explore, to create. Just get in there and do it.

And when my daughters get home, instead of chastising them for not cleaning up, I’m going to tell them how delighted by and proud I am of their boundless creativity (ok, and then maybe get them to tidy up a little bit) and join them in the Club House with some Lego.

Jeremy.