The York-based theatre company says goodbye to hierarchy—today’s actor could be tomorrow’s director
Arts Editor
With its distinguished fine arts faculty, York is a stepping stone for artists. For the Coyote Collective, a group of York artists now presenting a series of short plays called The Festival of Altered Surroundings, the Eleanor Winters Art Gallery is that stepping stone.
The Coyote Collective presents a new model for theatre production, in which members work as a group with interchangeable roles. Each group member specializes in their own discipline of theatre, which allows him or her to hone that special skill while broadening other abilities and talents.
Blue Bigwood-Mallin, a fourth-year student, advocates this collective process.
“The idea was that working this closely together, we will learn from each other and can call on one another for any role, creating a ‘collective based learning,’” Bigwood-Mallin says.
Susannah Mackay, a production member studying devised theatre, is of the same mentality.
“Working in a collaborative sense has given me confidence to produce my own work independently and not feel pigeonholed into only one aspect of the industry,” she says. “I feel I have confidence to do all of it because of the collaboration.”
Additionally, the Coyote Collective sees their work as a process rather than an end product where progression is essential. By never labelling a piece as complete, they train themselves to constantly improve their work.
What the Coyote Collective finds most rewarding about their method is that their expertise, and talent in a particular area is value.
The festival showcased a combination of different styles of theatre, in addition to works at different stages in their development. The show consisted of three original vignettes.
The first drama, entitled Mama, directed by Mackay, captured the audience with a dramatic monologue, effective lighting, and sound effects.
This emotionally charged, experimental piece follows a man taking care of his decrepit mother. Mackay captures the audience with her portrayal of a split personality, manifesting her psychosis in the form of a sock puppet.
The second dramatic work, a read-through by Garett Oliver, a theatre and English double major, featured performances by Oliver, Mackay, and Bigwood-Mallin. Although still in its early stages of development, the read-through managed to captivate the audience with a strong script.
“The intent of the read-through was to get something on its feet and see how it stands in a public space,” says Oliver. His read-through was presented for the first time at the festival.
The final drama, Horizon, was performed by Mackay, Oliver, Bigwood-Mallin, and Eric Welch, a final-year theatre major. One of the best developed vignettes, Horizon was one of the stronger performances evinced by its
dramatic totality.
The power in the performance came from the effective use of props and having a strong contrast of white and black objects, highlighting the difference of man-made and natural objects. Horizon is about expressing to an audience the truths that civilization has lost, which can still be found in nature.
To emerging artists, The Festival of Altered Surroundings is a stable rock for self-promotion and versatility.
