“This whole earth which we inhabit is but a point in space”
– Henry David Thoreau, “Walden or, Life in the Woods”
Many of us look up to the stars in awe of the vastness of space, but few of us have ever experienced it. But what if the opportunity to fulfill your dream was taken away from you? How would you contend with the envy for those who got to go, even when it’s your own sibling? Amy Berryman’s Walden, directed by Erik Richards, is a near-future sci-fi drama highlighting the climate crisis in a new and exciting way. Blending our obsession with space travel and our desperate need to save our planet, Walden is truly a play of our time.
The BMO Incubator at The Theatre Centre has been transformed into a cozy cottage through Richards’s set design. A fire pit, deck chairs, and garden of beautiful fall mums create the outdoor space, while a wood-panelled dining area is the majority of what we see of the inside of the home. The gentle pre-show music transforms into blissful nature sounds as the play begins, making it undeniable that we are deep in the wilderness.
Photo by Sandro Pehar
Cassie and Stella, a pair of twin sisters, have always dreamed of going to space like their father. And Cassie has actually been able to fulfill that dream. She’s come home from a year-long mission to the Moon and is now making a visit to her sister. Unbeknownst to her, her sister now lives with an “EA” (Earth Advocate) Bryan, and they’ve recently gotten engaged. This shocks Cassie; it seems much has changed since she left for the Lunar base. As debates arise and more information about the twins’ history at NASA is revealed, the answer as to the best way forward for humanity becomes more and more elusive.
Photo by Sandro Pehar
I love getting to see science fiction on stage; it’s rare, and yet a play like Walden shows how we can easily imagine not-so-distant futures while not having to create a whole spaceship on stage. Walden pleasantly surprised me, as Berryman talks a great deal about a lot of the same topics my fiancé and I are also intrigued by: potentials for inhabiting Mars, how to best save Earth before it’s too late, and Lunar bases as a starting point for further space travel. Although one thing we got thinking about after the show, which Berryman could have never anticipated when writing the play, is the massive uptick solar power has had in the past five years. Bryan and Stella talk about how the “EA”’s tend to not use a lot of electricity, because of the fossil fuels involved, and yet if they were around today, the roofs of all of the houses would simply be covered in solar panels. Otherwise, it was easy to tell that Berryman’s text is relatively recent, as the solarpunk elements as well as our current limitations with space travel and inhabiting other planets is still in the zeitgeist today.
I’m also very glad that Berryman didn’t shy away from calling our potential to inhabit other planets what it is: colonization. We tend to flinch at the word because we know the horrors colonization has brought to this planet, and yet the billionaires of today are ready to wreak the exact same havoc on other planets – assuming that this is a victimless crime as there are no beings living on Mars (that we know of). My fiancé is currently reading Kim Stanley Robinson’s “Red Mars” to me, another story where the terraforming of Mars is a hot point of contention. It seems that no matter how long ago, the idea of colonizing Mars has always had moral dilemma attached to it, and Berryman certainly taps into that with Walden.
Photo by Sandro Pehar
However, the stand-out element to me is the interpersonal relationships between the characters. Berryman’s text strings the audience along beautifully, giving us little hints to the past until the whole story will finally come bursting forth from a character. We get to deeply know both sisters, which makes the ending all the more difficult. We see the love that all of these characters have for one another, and therefore how deeply the betrayal can cut, even if some innocent actions are only perceived as betrayal.
Bringing Walden to life is a trio of exceptional performers whose undeniable chemistry make this show such a joy to witness. Charlotte Dennis’s Cassie brought tears to my eyes, and her passion for her craft shines through in this role. Emily Anne Corcoran deftly inhabits Stella, allowing all of her many dimensions to be seen in their turn. Oshen Aoun brings a levity to Bryan which is definitely needed in this play, along with a seriousness which truly grounds his character.
Photo by Sandro Pehar
Walden asks us the serious questions we need to be pondering: do little actions from individuals make a difference in the climate crisis? Can we move to other planets without enacting the atrocities of the past? What if we’re too late? Walden is a prime example of how we can take the current discourse and transform it into something truly thought-provoking but also entertaining. I think Walden has now taken top spot as my favourite Icarus Theatre production to date, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of their season has in store!
Walden runs in the BMO Incubator at The Theatre Centre until September 26. For more information and tickets, visit: https://www.icarustheatre.ca/2627
Quote from Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden” from: https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/10264.Henry_David_Thoreau?page=9
Cover Photo: Emily Anne Corcoran and Charlotte Dennis. Photo by Sandro Pehar.
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