What is your role in Shatter? I play one of the shadows of the townspeople of Halifax. My character is a patriot; he loves Canada through and through, and would do whatever it takes to keep her safe from whatever evil lurks in the rest of the world. His ideas may be misguided at times, but his intentions are true.What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? I was involved in my high school theatre about six years ago, having performed two plays there. After graduation and through my undergraduate degree I wasn’t able to find time to devote to the stage, but I’ve finally carved out a place in my schedule for the theatre. I only found out about Walterdale about three months ago, and the community has been so welcoming and engaging… I’m very glad it’s become a part of my life now.
What brought you out for the show? I was looking around for some way to get back into theatre, and I came across Walterdale. The sense of community and inclusiveness immediately drew me to look into it further, and upon reading the script for Shatter I knew I wanted to be a part of this. I’ve always played a comedic role in light-hearted plays, and I wanted to try stretching my comfort zone for something more meaningful and real–and Shatter has those qualities in spades.
Why do you think people should come see the show? What do you think audiences will take away from it? Shatter strikes me as a particularly poignant commentary about the effect of fear on people’s perceptions of things. It makes an intensely important point about truth in public perception, especially in today’s world of global fear-mongering and hatred. Anyone coming to see the show that expects a quaint historical drama will likely leave the play with that perception… well… shattered.
Shatter deals with a major event in Canadian history that Canadians today might not know too much about. Are there any other major events in Canadian history that you feel we should know more about than we do?
Not necessarily an event, but an effect… I think most Canadians (myself included) don’t truly understand the far-reaching effects that Residential Schools had and continue to have on the culture of the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples. It’s important to try to understand and consider these events and the effects that they have so that we can avoid making mistakes we’ve already made.