When the curtain goes up on DalTheatre鈥檚 production of 7 Stories, the audience will see a stage and a play unlike any other.
Morris Panych鈥檚 classic of Canadian theatre takes place entirely on the ledge of an apartment building seven stories off the ground. The main character, called only 鈥淢an,鈥� stands on the ledge, contemplating their next move.聽
As Man interacts with the various neighbours whose windows look out on the ledge, the play brings out questions of identity and perception through this both terrifying and whimsical premise.
The fourth year Fountain School of Performing Arts acting students, directed by Ann-Marie Kerr, will perform this unique and heartfelt piece from November 29 to December 3 at 7:30pm in the Dunn Theatre, with a matinee at 2pm on December 3.
Everyone Has a Story
The play鈥檚 title reveals not just its setting, but also its structure.
鈥淭here are seven windows, because there are seven stories going on, because the title is a double entendre鈥�, says actor James Ersil, who plays the central character of Man. 鈥淭o me it鈥檚 about how everyone is caught up in their own lives, but we鈥檙e really all connected somehow鈥�. Not only is Man precariously balanced seven stories above the ground, but they are also about to be transformed by the seven stories of other people who similarly are questioning life and their role within it.
These seemingly disconnected vignettes with which Man interacts certainly show an urban world of people distant from each other. Kerr notes that the play finds comedy in this, despite the bleak premise. She says, 鈥淟aced through, we get so much comedy that is connected to the fact that nobody really cares about this person standing on the ledge鈥�.聽
While the characters are self-absorbed, their stories are each eccentric and unique.
Actor Neo Alexander Ragsac.
Not As They Seem
Some of these vignettes on meaning may be very relatable to a modern audience. Actor Jack Wiggan鈥檚 character, Al, is hosting a party within one of the apartments. Paradoxically, Wiggan says, 鈥淎l鈥eally doesn鈥檛 like people at parties鈥�.聽 The distance between outward social actions and inward feelings is certainly one we have all felt before.
Wiggan notes that despite this detachment from people, Al 鈥溾�as a fairly intimate moment with Man, trying to almost coax them off the ledge, before falling back into the self-serving persona鈥�.
Other vignettes in 7 Stories use strange premises to explore the idea of appearances and reality.聽 Another actor, Sophie Wilcott, discusses the importance of this theme to her character, Rachel, a woman who uses trickery to prove to herself and others that God exists: 鈥淪he鈥檚 a bit of a con man鈥ut she would tell you through and through that it鈥檚 with good intentions.鈥�