Meanwhile - Maximum Two People Per Show

Genre definition = Silly · Intense · Intimate

It was very dark as we were led down the path towards what I could only have assumed was the stage. I hadn’t the foggiest idea what Meanwhile was about since the play I was supposed to check out had canceled on me. I wandered over to the next theatre tent where I knew Allyson would be standing, waiting for her show to begin.

“Looks like no porn for me tonight. The show is canceled today. I will have to pick it up tomorrow.” I said. 

“We can see Meanwhile together. They allow a maximum of two people per show. It is every half hour.”

I flashed my reviewer pass and got tickets to the next show. We waited for a little bit and then it was show time. Of course, the show was outside which meant the stage could be anywhere.

A tallish woman with dark hair walked over to us and flicked on a lantern she was holding. “Follow me this way and watch your step.”

Down the trail we marched, fending off the odd mosquito, and after a few moments arrived at The Garden, a grove of trees along the shoreline. The grove was lit by dozens of battery-powered candles and it felt like we had indeed stepped into a different world. The usher disappeared and we were greeted by The Gardener (Gerald Williams). He began to tell us all about The Garden and what the rules for The Garden were. A list of all the rules was posted on a nearby tree explained all of the rules and we were free to read it. There was a short history lesson also. It indicated we had stepped forward in time to 2063.

Being a science fiction kind of guy, being in the future got my attention.

We were led into The Garden but we didn’t make it very far as we were intercepted by Blade, a sprite like character, who led us away from The Gardener. She brought us to her home under a nearby tree. We were told about how the world was different. Flooded. Divided. Nature was attempting to reclaim the Earth by digging and reaching across barriers. Of course, some of that was implied and I had to dig for meaning. The rules in the forest we were there to protect the forest but the Blade character was intent on making sure the rules were bent, if even just a little bit.

The story continued from there and we were treated to the planting of seeds and playing with a singing bowl. It was very disconnected and random. I tried to dig for the meaning because digging (and planting) were repeated metaphors for the world in which the characters inhabited. I hoped there would be a little more story involved and some reason behind why the characters were as they are. I wanted to know more about why the rules were so important to The Gardener. I wanted to know who exactly Blade was or if Blade was some ethereal character meant to represent the Earth. It wasn’t terribly clear.

“We thought the world had forgotten us,” Blade says at one point.

Yet, being that this is a show limited to only two audience members per show (one person is preferred) it is more about the experience of just being in a place with people one would never meet in the real world. It is the simple act of being, something the Blade character attempts to convey. The Gardner is her counterpart.

Meanwhile is a micro-theatre piece and the close interaction can make some uneasy. The audience is not passive in the experience. You are visiting a future place where the characters talk to you and not around you. You touch and talk to them.

Perhaps this is what an audience needs from time to time. But there is something missing from the production. It is missing a clear meaning. It has meaning, it attempts to tell you what it is, but is is much too vague.

We then left The Garden and walked back to the Fringe tent.

“So, what did you think?” I asked my fellow audience member.

“There was a very interesting element about ritual,” Allyson said.

I think you have to be very ready for a show like Meanwhile and quite open to riding the disjointed moments. It is a 20-minute performance on Granville Island - if you want to check it out, the tickets are only available at the door. Shows begin at 7:30 pm and run every half hour following.

By Shane Birley
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