free/fall: fear of the other explored

Free/Fall is an exercise in dialectics and coincidence (or not) examining our collective consciousness about our fear of the ‘other’.

When an expert on international terrorism admits he doesn’t have a passport because he’s never actually ventured beyond the US border, you know there are questions to be answered about the legitimacy of our fears of ‘illegal’ immigrants and the unassailable paradigm of western capitalism.

Theatre Free Radical takes on some daunting political and social issues in this play about fear, borders, orphans and our inter-connectedness.  Using a proposal for a vampire theme  park in Romania as a vehicle for examining these issues, playwright Len Falkenstein roams from Nova Scotia to Transylvania and the settings and concepts and alternatively projected stage left and right.  

The cast is a capable crew of east and west-coasters, including local grade 8 student Sophie McNeilly. While there are many memorable moments, including vampires enjoying their bloody mary’s at an outdoor table, Elizabeth Goodyear stands out with her remarkable stage presence and convincing delivery of material that, in other hands, may seem didactic but she delivers as heartfelt and convincing.  

True, not true.  Real life, dream life.  The dialectics and interplays will have you thinking about free/fall long after you leave the theatre.

Free/Fall is on as part of this year's Vancouver Fringe Festival. For more information go here.