{"id":11699,"date":"2016-02-17T06:39:54","date_gmt":"2016-02-17T14:39:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/?p=11699"},"modified":"2016-02-16T10:49:43","modified_gmt":"2016-02-16T18:49:43","slug":"the-valley-brings-current-events-close-to-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2016\/02\/17\/the-valley-brings-current-events-close-to-home\/","title":{"rendered":"The Valley<\/em> brings current events close to home"},"content":{"rendered":"

As students, we\u2019re often too focused on our coursework to assess our own mental health or that of those around us. We consider the victims of police aggression and devastating mental illness to be beyond us, fleeting figures in dashcam videos and quivering cell-phone recordings whose altercations are to be put on trial on YouTube.<\/p>\n

The Belfry and Victoria playwright Joan MacLeod, with their history of producing and showcasing both topical and thought-provoking works, are now presenting The Valley<\/i>, a play that examines the chronic struggle between law enforcement, mental illness, and society in an intimate and poignantly human narrative.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll [MacLeod\u2019s] characters are real people. She doesn\u2019t write them as stereotypes or caricatures,\u201d says actor Luc Roderique, making his Belfry debut as Vancouver police officer Dan.<\/p>\n

The cast of four characters (a cop, his wife, a struggling student, and his mother) and their physical and emotional afflictions are pulled together by a brutal incident at a Vancouver SkyTrain station. The true sequence of events slowly unravels as the audience sees how each character copes.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Valley<\/em> looks at issues relating to mental health and police aggression, and how the two intersect (photo by Emily Cooper).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cConnor is an 18-year-old first-year university student and writer who comes back home and is in a lot of mental distress,\u201d says actor Matt Reznek about Connor, the character he plays. \u201cHe has a psychotic episode at a SkyTrain station and has an altercation with a police officer [Dan]. The play is about the repercussions of that incident.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inspired by the events surrounding the Robert Dziekanski tasering at Vancouver International Airport, the work aims to explore the human factor involved in reactive incidents and to move beyond the cut-and-dried interpretations often presented in media.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a certain ambiguity to the script, where you are constantly shifting allegiance between the characters,\u201d says Roderique. \u201cWe get to see Dan on the job, but then you also get to see him in private moments where he gets to talk about how he feels about his job and relationship candidly. We can forget [people in law enforcement] have private lives, struggles, emotions, and kids, and they can be a little messed up just like us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The freedom to explore their characters beyond an archetype has helped both actors authenticate the sense that these events could happen to anyone, and that often those who have great potential suffer silently.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe creative mind and temperament is always attributed to mental illness,\u201d says Reznek. \u201cFor another writer it could have the danger of seeming like it is a stereotype, but the way it is presented is that\u2019s it\u2019s just misunderstood. We as a society can\u2019t distinguish between genius and insanity; there is a very thin line. It\u2019s important to the story that he has the potential for greatness; it\u2019s more tragic.\u201d<\/p>\n

The portrayal of a brilliant but conflicted young artist and student is even more critical as Camosun students begin to neglect their mental health in haste to cram for final exams and midterms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know if there ever was a point where I came close to breaking, it was during college,\u201d adds Roderique.<\/p>\n

Unbroken by the prospect of the play\u2019s four-week run, the cast have faith their work will draw in and engage audiences of all demographics.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been some very ambiguous mixed debates, which is exactly what we were hoping for,\u201d says Roderique. \u201cThat\u2019s what I think theatre should do: it should spark questions and debates and discussions.\u201d<\/p>\n

A subversive player in the mental-health debate, The Valley<\/i> intends to promote change through open discourse, an activity that residents of Victoria and Camosun students alike crave. The play tackles events that are relevant to those far away from the college grounds, as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easily transferable to the world, not necessarily just Canada,\u201d says Reznek.<\/p>\n

The Valley
\n<\/i>February 2 to 28
\n$23 to $48, The Belfry
\nbelfry.bc.ca<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As students, we\u2019re often too focused on our coursework to assess our own mental health or that of those around us. We consider the victims of police aggression and devastating mental illness to be beyond us, fleeting figures in dashcam videos and quivering cell-phone recordings whose altercations are to be put on trial on YouTube. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,160],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-february-17-2016"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t