PREVIEW
19 Weeks
Northern Light Theatre and Azimuth Theatre co-production
March 28 to April 13
The Studio Theatre
ATB Financial Arts Barns
10330 – 84 Ave.
Tickets: Start at $20. Call 471-1586 or online at northernlighttheatre.com
In a season dedicated to women’s stories, Northern Light Theatre artistic director Trevor Schmidt has chosen a play with one of society’s most sensitive and controversial topics – abortion.
NLT in a co-production with Azimuth Theatre is mounting Australian playwright Emily Steel’s unvarnished, personal story. The North American premiere of 19 Weeks opens Friday for a two-week run at the ATB Financial Arts Barns.
19 Weeks is the story of a couple who is overjoyed at a second pregnancy. However, through medical tests and screenings they discover their child has Down syndrome. For a variety of reasons, Steel chooses an abortion.
“The script is very hard. It’s difficult subject matter to deal with, but Emily is incredibly transparent and direct. She does not make any bones about it. There is no hiding,” said Schmidt, who directs the play.
Schmidt discovered 19 Weeks after reading about the Australian premiere on the web. He realized an old theatre buddy, John James Hong, was married to the starring actress, Tiffany Lyndall Knight. Through introductions, he secured the rights.
“I’m always interested in plays where there is a central conflict. In this play there’s the question of responsibility to yourself versus being noble and sacrificing your own happiness.”
Schmidt was attracted to the script not only because the conflict is visceral, but because a couple with a child makes a difficult decision.
“It’s a conversation that affects more people than we expect. It’s a lot like sexual abuse. It affects so many women we don’t know about.”
Vanessa Sabourin, artistic producer of Azimuth Theatre, stars in this one-hour solo show. The actor-director received a theatre grounding at St. Albert Children’s Theatre and later studied at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.
One of Alberta’s boldest and hardest working theatre artists, she co-founded the award-winning The Maggie Tree, an independent, female-based company, and was artistic director of Urban Curvz in Calgary.
She’s also a mother of two young girls under the age of four and is perfectly suited to understand Steel’s private dilemma.
“When Trevor gave me the script, I decided to read a few pages before going to bed. I couldn’t put it down. The voice was so honest. There was no agenda other than true sharing. It was raw and thought out and caring in a responsible way,” Sabourin said.
She also shared many personal links to Steel. Both were theatre artists in their late 30s trying to balance a thriving career while raising a family.
“Her husband is pleasant and he’s there for her every step of the way. The script is about a woman’s right to choose and in this one I see my partner, and he’s always been there for me. This isn’t just about a woman’s experience. It’s both. There’s no blaming.”
While 19 Weeks asks the question about how people make difficult decisions, Sabourin is grateful Schmidt gave her the freedom to stay present in Steel’s story.
“The story can’t be too sculpted or refined, or it loses its honesty. Being able to tell this story is truly a gift.”
