Call of the Wild
Hyena/Subpoena is multimedia magic
Catherine Kidd, the writer/performer and mastermind behind Hyena/Subpoena—a one-woman theatre and spoken word piece now playing at Les Ateliers Jean Brillant—said she doesn’t bother reading bad reviews because “it takes you off your game.”
Kidd, who is a graduate of Honours English and Creative Writing at Concordia, teams up with director Alison Darcy and her Scapegoat Carnivale Theatre Company, as well as DJ Jacky Murda who provides instrumentals to the show’s spoken word narrative. Geoff Agombar adds a dash of videoscape magic, and the result is a multimedia performance that leaves you wondering why more people aren’t talking about Kidd’s work.
“She’s a true troubadour,” I heard one woman say as I was putting on my jacket to leave after the show. I saw another wiping tears from her eyes. So I have to wonder: who is writing bad reviews about a show that has been picking up steam this past week and has plenty of track left to travel (Kidd confessed she intends to take the show on the road)?
Hyena/Subpoena is the story of fallen poet and activist Mona Morse who has fled to South Africa to escape the controversy surrounding her latest work. Enthralled by hyenas and inspired by their resistance to binary classifications such as good/evil, male/female, and scavenger/hunter, Morse explores their lifestyle and habits.
We then jump through a series of formative moments in Morse’s life, from her time in a mental institution, to her psychiatric evaluation, to flashes of junior high school and elementary. Agombar’s videoscape images of hyenas, lions and South African landscapes, coupled with Kidd’s free flowing prose-poetry, delivers a strong production in a beautiful space. Why more shows aren’t produced at Les Ateliers Jean Brillant is anyone’s guess.
Kidd is a powerhouse performer. She sings, dances, climbs the rafters and asks the big questions, such as, “What is society’s obsession with the need for a scapegoat?”
Discussing the traditional mythology of hyenas, the animal’s poor reputation (see The Lion King), and the pitfalls of taxonomy, Kidd admitted that a major goal of this piece was to explore the social forces that serve to alienate people.
“Everyone feels like an outsider at some point in their life,” she said, “and if we’re all on the outside, who is on the inside?”
She also emphasized that it was important for her to avoid writing a story about victimization, preferring to find something constructive to say instead. “Who knows what the appropriate response to tragedy is?” she asked. “Tears and laugher are two sides of the same coin.”
Friday night, Hyena/Subpoena earned both, and there is inevitably more of the same in store for the remaining performances. Les Ateliers Jean Brillant is no more than a 15 minute walk from campus, so do yourself a favour, see this show and bring a friend.
Hyena/Subpoena / Oct. 27-29 / 8 p.m. / Tickets $15 in advance, $20 at the door. / catkidd.com/hyena-subpoena
