P@VanF: All Sorts – diversity in performance

By Ashleigh Dalton

Tucked away in the gym of a church basement, a diverse group of performers put on a theatre show and made their family and friends, and most importantly, themselves, proud.  When the curtain call came, I could feel the sense of accomplishment from each of the actors as they took their bows and celebrated their individual and collective achievements.

Theatre Terrific is a theatre company for people with disabilities. Featuring sixteen performers of various abilities and disabilities, All Sorts focused on the coming together of three very different families (the polite house, the anarchist house and the happy house) through songs and body movements, and a symbolic story of a crow. The purpose of the production seemed to be telling a story that would communicate a message about accepting differences.  They succeeded in this, with effective usage of sound (recorded and live) and visual components (strong costume choices, and a clever contrast of light and dark in shadow puppetry) to support the story.  I would have liked to see more careful use of the set, as the entire first sequence took place in the back corner of the stage, with the actors’ expressions and actions barely visible to the audience.  

Short and direct in its 30-minute course, All Sorts provided an outlet for performers who may not fit within mainstream theatre groups.  This was a piece of theatre with a serious and important message, told in a fun and light-hearted way.

All Sorts was produced by Theatre Terrific, Vancouver.  Written and directed by Susanna Uchatius.

For more information and to discuss the show please go here.