The crackwalker, toronto playwright judith thompsons scabrous dissection of four emotional and. Judith thompsons first play is a graphic, harrowing glimpse at life on the edge, at individuals battered by poverty, ignorance and hopelessness. Naked means freedom, naked means afraid, but working through that fear. The show runs until saturday, october 11, 2008, tuesday to saturday at 8 p. Judith thompson hears the poetry of the inarticulate and the semiliterate, embodying the colloquialisms, the brand names, the fractured but expressive syntax, with the urgency of their speakers. She takes equal pleasure in eating doughnuts i love em and in defecating. Opening night of judith thompsons the crackwalker, playing at the factory theatre, was one of emotion. The crackwalker, starring claire armstrong, stephen joffe, greg gale, and yolanda bonnell.
Crackwalker freaked me out before theyd killed the houselights. The crackwalker by judith thompson factory, 125 bathurst. The crackwalker is a dark portrait of the underbelly of kingston ontario, where thompson had been a social worker. This essay proposes that the structure and meaning of the plays are. Renowned canadian playwright judith thompson directs the play that launched her career and remains as vital today as it was. If youre looking for theatre that takes you to the edge of hell, the crackwalker fits the bill. Theresa and alan struggle to make a home for their baby but with disastrous results. The crackwalker explores the psyches of a retarded woman and her fr. At some points i wanted to jump on stage and either. Download screenplays in pdf the bulletproof screenwriting. Judith thompson also says, the crackwalker is the spirit of a baby who looms over the proceedings. Agamemnon play one from the oresteia the age of consent.
One example of its power is the prevalence its unorthodox language and. Elements of the gothic in the works of judith thompson. The intensity, detail, and invention that premium actors bring to their roles give the crackwalker a disturbing sense of the heartfelt to go with the flinchmaking bleakness of the city from the. The national theatre collection, already free to uk state schools and statefunded fe colleges, is now available to those uk pupils and teachers via remote access. Judith thompsons crackwalker at the hudson guild theater is an excessively bleak urban drama about two married couples who are down and almost out in a city in canada.
Intermission a crack in everything intermission magazine. A crackwalker roundtable with playwright judith thompson and three. Theresa, worshipped by her boyfriend, is a mentally challenged woma. The crackwalker, now on stage in toronto, is the definition of a committed performance. At some points i wanted to jump on stage and either comfort. Theresa, a mentally challenged woman and her dysfunctional boyfriend alan struggle to find love and the security of a home, but make disastrous decisions which result in the death of their baby. Drama online is now available to academic institutions upon request through the end of may 2020, at no cost or obligation and on an unlimited access basis. Chapter one concentrates on establishing a working definition of the gothic, its history and development, and the three subcategories of the genre that i will be focusing on in the subsequent chapters. Hes a vulgar, coarse trucker and she is his hapless love slave. View of spatial metaphor in the plays of judith thompson theatre. The crackwalker s opening scene plunges the audience, dizzyingly, right into the moral murk of the underclass of kingston, ont. Lili doves costumes nicely define characterization. Theirs is an abusive relationship based on sex, beer, battling and low expectations.
Thrown out of her apartment, a retarded young woman stands centerstage talking of her sexual adventures. Habitat a habitat is the environment in which an organism, species, or community lives. Crackwalker is playing at the theatre passe muraille backspace 16 ryerson ave. A drama that doesnt skirt away from tough realities. All three gothic subgenres share their affinity for translating late. According to the allknowing wikipedia, it is considered one of the most tragic. As claire, armstrong handles the complexities of lovehate with skill, letting. The crackwalker explores the psyches of a retarded woman and her friends. Watch the trailer for stratford festivals loves labours. The crackwalker memorial university research repository. The crackwalker, judith thompsons first play, was first produced at theatre passe. Sandy and joe are trapped in a cycle of domestic violence and verbal abuse. From the very opening, the crackwalker grabs our attention and holds onto it.
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