The sound of knitting needles greeted me as I walked into the BMO Incubator at The Theatre Centre. But it wasn’t a pre-show sound effect, there were folks knitting as they waited for the show to start. Many others were clad in knit goods, a product of the cold but also showing enthusiasm for the play they were about to witness. Spycraft, written by Kirk Dunn and Claire Ross Dunn, is a unique and exciting story about how knitting was used to deliver coded messages during World War II. Directed by Richard Greenblatt, Spycraft brings a little known piece of war history to life with some of the best storytellers theatre has to offer.

It’s 1942, and the Second World War has been raging for years. Audette, a middle-aged widow, has been working in a factory making Spitfires for the Royal Air Force. She’s approached by the Special Operations Executive department about becoming one of their agents. With flight experience and plenty of know-how behind her, Audette excels in her training and becomes a field agent in occupied France. To avoid detection but still be able to take notes, Audette takes to knitting more code into her knitting projects. As the war continues on and the police become more vigilant in France, Audette has the idea to use her knitting projects as a means of transporting messages; she even gets her superior officer Simon to start learning the craft. Though she’s able to blend into her surroundings for a while, eventually a young lady notices Audette and her knitting. Liesl is a knitter herself, though she’s just starting out, and has asks Audette to teach her some of the basics. Little does Audette know that by accepting Liesl’s offer, she’ll be thrust into the belly of the beast, and able to do far more recon than the plan originally called for. But with her new best friend being the wife of a Nazi general, and his suspicions of her growing by the day, what will become of Audette?

This story of subterfuge and innovation is framed by a mother and daughter, Cleo and Sophie, who have recently received documents outlining Audette’s bravery and contributions to the war. Audette is their grand and great-grand mother, and the debrief which they read about her time in France reveals much more about their family than either of them were expecting. This framing narrative directly juxtaposes what we’re witnessing in the world around us with the atrocities which occurred during WWII. While we’ve all had the same thoughts, and seen the “set your clocks back to 1936 Germany” memes which are referred to in the play, there’s still something deeply upsetting at the level of similarities between war-time Europe and some parts of North America today. The final line of the play, “What can we do?” hangs in the air long after it’s spoken – another thought most of us have frequently.

Nick Blais’ simple yet effective set design is full of delightful and well-planned surprises. With spools of rope wound to resemble yarn criss-crossing the room, you find yourself simultaneously surrounded by Audette’s preferred mode of spycraft while also in the web of lies and deception she is going to have to weave to survive. The door, initially covered in documents and maps when they’re in the war room, later becomes a confessional, and later a plane! Though likely borne out of necessity, as this is a travelling production, the innovation is undeniably impressive, garnering applause particularly when the plane scene had finished. However, one of the most exciting aspects of the design is that all of the knit items you see on stage have been knitted by a team of knitters and the pieces worn on stage have secret messages coded within them. This is a beautiful detail which shows just how much care, attention, and passion went into creating Spycraft.

The cast of Spycraft is likewise passionate, featuring a stellar ensemble of performers. Diane Flacks leads the cast as Cleo/Audette, with her hallmark fieriness and vivacity. Her stage presence is undeniable and she’s a performer I could listen to endlessly. Charlotte Dennis plays Sophie/Leisl/June and she performs each role beautifully. Her ferocity easily matches Flacks’ and yet they also make a very sweet and vulnerable mother/daughter duo. Blair Williams’ Simon certainly has the most profound character growth throughout the play, and Williams deftly takes us on that journey. Devin Lee’s Gerald is such a stark opposite to his alternate character, and yet there’s no question in his demeanour which character he’s portraying. This cast works so well together and create incredible moments of tension, despite the fact that we technically know the outcome of the story.

I keep coming back to that final question: “What can we do?” Yet I think Audette’s story, and the stories of the real women like her, are the perfect examples of what we can do. Audette was able to take something she knew how to do (knitting) and combine it with the new information she learned from the SOE to create an entirely original mode of message transport. So that’s what we can all do: take a thing that we know how to do, and do it so that it benefits those around us as well. Whether that’s making some socks and mittens and donating them to charity, speaking up for those in need or who are being persecuted, or simply being able to put a smile on someone’s face through art or music, whatever we can do to make the world a brighter place is something. Spycraft is a shining example of this – of community coming together to create something which is bettering those who get to experience it. So find your sparkle and share it with the world, just like Audette.

Unfortunately, the Spycraft tour has come to an end, but to keep an eye out for further productions, visit: https://www.clairerossdunn.com/theatre

---

Cover Photo: Simon (Blair Williams), Audette (Diane Flacks), June (Charlotte Dennis). Photo Credit, Heidi Chan.

---

Thank you to my Patrons:

N. Bushnik, S. Fisher, B. Kinnon, D. Moyes, E. O’Brien

And to my supporters who’ve bought me a coffee:

Angelica and Paul, Anonymous, Adrianna, Caitlin, Jonathan, Jada, and Courtney

Would you like to become a Patron? Check out my Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/AViewfromtheBox

Or, you can buy me a coffee at: buymeacoffee.com/aviewfromthebox