A Fountain School double feature

The Fountain School of Performing Arts double performance of Riders to the Sea is a moving evening not to be missed.

The production features the play, written by John Millington Synge, followed by an opera by the same name composed by Ralph Vaughn Williams.  

“Doing these two shows back-to-back is never done,” says director David Overton, who taught theatre at Dalhousie for more than 40 years. “Nobody ever does this. They’re such lovely pieces and they work so well together. When the Fountain School approached me about doing it I was really attracted to the idea. That’s the most rewarding part seeing the two pieces in tandem together, reflecting and illuminating one another in different ways.”

Play and opera performers Simone Hogeveen, Erin Taylor and Rianna Robinson.

Seen together, the two shows really do inform each other, helping the audience understand the nuances of emotion and theme in totally complimentary ways.

The production — at once haunting and moving — explores themes of loss, faith, and Irish cultural traditions while showcasing the vast talents of the students in the Fountain School of Performing Arts. The play features fourth-year acting students from the Fountain School, while the opera featuring voice students under the musical direction of Professor Marcia Swanston.

There are moments throughout that bring tears. Acting student Fiona Kidd said the most difficult part was, “probably just the intensity of the material and having to come back to that every night. It’s draining.”

Fiona Kidd (Nora) and Alex Cubbon (Cathleen) in the play.

The experience of acting and becoming a character in this fashion resonated with the cast, as opera member Maggie Andersen noted: “I think that’s what I like best, getting to step out of ‘Maggie’ for a while and escape and get lost in [her character] Nora.”

“Theatre to me is an escape while also being a way of processing emotion,” adds acting student Melissa MacGougan. “I get to take myself out of the real world and show myself in ways people usually don’t see.” The emotion brought by every member of the production really displays this dedication and connection to character that Andersen and MacGougan feel.

Opera performers Ashley Cook (Cathleen) and Lindsay Connolly (Maurya).

The music, in its turn, is absolutely stunning. The soloists and chorus alike are able to connect to the music and the audience to bring the show to life.

“There’s something so powerful about singing and having it be a total body experience,” says fourth-year voice student Lindsay Connelly. “People say when singers are sick it’s like their whole world is destroyed because the body is the instrument.” Connelly, who plays an elderly widowed mother who has lost her sons to the sea, really displays an ability to let her character and instrument take over her entire being throughout the opera.

The opera, with Rebecca McCauley (Cathleen), Lindsay Connolly (Maurya),  Alexa Munroe Choquette (Keener).

With stunning sets, fantastic direction and outstanding performances, Riders to the Sea runs through Sunday, February 7 in the Sir James Dunn Theatre of the Dalhousie Arts Centre. Tickets are available through the Arts Centre box office.