PREVIEW
Leave of Absence
Feb. 6 to 16
Walterdale Theatre
10322 – 83 Ave.
Tickets: Regular $20, seniors $18, Walterdale card members $15. Visit www.tixonthesquare.ca
Recommended 14 plus, mature themes
Bubbly plays are easy to digest. Provocative plays offer more compelling arguments.
In playwright Lucia Frangione’s inflammatory Leave of Absence now running at Walterdale Theatre until Feb. 16, she challenges religious attitudes towards same-sex relationships.
It is a script that specifically champions queer sexuality in the context of the Christian-Catholic belief that same-sex relations are a sin.
The Vancouver-based playwright/actor/director was compelled to write this searing production in part because of an attack that took place while she was in high school. A gang of boys physically violated a socially awkward young girl because they believed she was a lesbian.
The heterosexual playwright never reported the incident, and in one way, Leave of Absence is an act of atonement for turning a blind eye to violence.
The play’s main character is Blake (Lilly Hauck), a young teenage girl invited to experiment with her best friend. Unfortunately, her best friend points the finger at Blake.
“This girl is made into a scapegoat. She’s outed as a dyke and in the process is bullied extensively. However, she refuses to implicate her best friend. She knows her friend will be bullied in the same way,” said director Alix Reynolds.
As we meet the main character, “Blake has not put a label on herself. She’s still exploring her identity. She has not had an opportunity to make any decisions.”
As the bullying increases in violence, her parents, the principal and a priest are brought into the picture. Greta (Wendy Shobe), a single mother, is a liberal parent who tries to be supportive of her daughter. However Leap (Chance Heck), her father, is an estranged parent with his own set of issues.
Father Ryan (Glenn Balombin) becomes the major figure to whom Blake confides her personal problems.
“Father Ryan becomes the fulcrum of the play. Everyone goes to him for advice. He is steadfast, calm, caring and open. He seems easy to open up to,” Reynolds adds.
“She’s not done anything wrong. He sticks up for her and gets flak.”
Bellerose Composite High teacher Cassandra Kompf seamlessly plays Martha Woods, the school principal – a role close to her everyday teaching experiences.
“Martha is tough but fair. She wants people to like her. She’s all about her relationships. She’s devoted to God. She has a mystical relationship to God and has a belief she is married to God,” said Kompf.
She explains Martha shares a deep belief with 13th-century mystics. Many were women who felt they participated in a personal experience with God.
As Blake discovers her sexuality, Martha tries to steer her towards God believing the young girl will benefit from celibacy and devotion.
“She’s very protective and cares about Blake. She wants to spend time with her and have theological discussions,” Kompf said.
Throughout this multi-layered production, each character travels a complicated and at times tortured path.
“It’s about a girl’s journey to find her sexuality. It’s about a mother trying to be open and a father absent from the church and his sexuality. It’s also about how the church functions. It’s about a girl's attempt to find resolution in a place that both supports and rejects her.”
Ultimately the play asks us “to realize people have to come to their own belief system on their own. We cannot be judge and jury – that people need to discover their moral compass on their own terms.”
