When Slave Play premieres in Toronto, it will not only mark the national debut of one of the most provocative and celebrated plays in recent Broadway seasons, but it will also draw a line in the sand for how Canadian theatre is willing to confront the issues of pleasure, race, relationships, and colonial history.
Funny, daring, and exhilarating. That is how Jordan Laffrenier, director of the Slave Play and associate artistic director of the Canadian Stage, describes the provoking and emotional piece. It comes not as a polite introduction from Broadway, but as a provocation for its Canadian audiences, and for the director, provocation is the point.
“Every moment of the play is provocative,” Laffrenier told Now Toronto on Wednesday. “I think that the play is ultimately about the secrets that we are all trying to keep, that we’re all dealing with, and it’s daring in the way that it reveals those secrets, and it also reveals those secrets in ways that are deeply funny and engaging.”
Laffrenier says he first saw the show – written by American playwright, actor, and screenwriter Jeremy O. Harris – on Broadway, and remembers its humorous and moving nature is what drew him in. It also unearthed something beneath his surface, locating words he felt he had always wanted to say, but could never find.
Those words? Slavery is still alive in contemporary society and can manifest in relationships, particularly interracial ones, where race can play a significant role in its unfolding.
“I have often felt like slavery in particular exists, and it’s a part of modern society. And so actually seeing the ways that [Slave Play] brings that forward was quite surprising and engaging and revealing,” he said.
Before Slave Play felt reflective to Laffrenier, it brought up frustration. The uncomfortable and challenging sensation did not stem from the play itself, but from a calling to show parts of his humanity he had not yet disclosed.
“When I saw the show on Broadway, I was actually really angered by it, particularly the first act. A part of it is that I saw the first act completely at face value…I stayed through the anger, and that ultimately, that kind of confrontation met me in a place that asked me to reveal more of myself,” Laffrenier said.
But Act Two transformed his anger into revelation. To his surprise, the play opened him up in new ways, offering him a form of truth and honesty that required his participation – allowing himself to fully engage with the experience and be challenged by its raw intensity.
Laffrenier says Slave Play’s form can be misunderstood. He refrains from defining what might arise during someone else’s experience of the show, adding that to him, the play is unique in what it accomplishes: creating a kind of revelation and revolution in North American theatre, a movement led by Black artists.
“In doing that, it makes us participants in the work,” he said.
Will the audience feel alienated? Laffrenier says he does not think so, adding that the audience becomes not just a part of the second act, but complicit in it. For the director, engagement and reformation may challenge or confront the audience, and whether members allow themselves to experience the play alongside its characters, may reveal something about what they take away.
“I think some might find it challenging and walk out. I think some might find it challenging and lean in. And I’m actually really interested in the theatre being a container for multiple perspectives to exist, and that there isn’t just one way to experience this play, and that people can experience it within the many multitudes of identities that are contained within Toronto,” he said.
So, what does the director hope the audience will take away? That we do not need to hide.
“I always have had this feeling that if I could only be seen fully, I would be loved fully,” Laffrenier said.
“It takes two in order to participate in that. And so how do I both let myself be seen fully and loved fully and also in doing that, see and love my partner fully. And how do I, as an audience member, let this play sit with me in such a way that I’m willing to both look into myself and look into the other, both in my personal relationships and in society.”
PUTTING SLAVE PLAY TOGETHER
Since Nov. 1 of last year, Laffrenier has been hard at work on the Slave Play, delving into research, asking questions about the larger ideas of the show, learning about the members of the team, and preparing for set. “It was an extraordinary amount of work,” he said.
While figuring out ways to successfully direct the play is of utmost importance, Laffrenier says the never-ending process of building trust with the actors is just as vital, ensuring each member feels comfortable while embarking on such a vulnerable and emotionally charged piece.
“I’ve always looked at the actors as collaborators and creating the story. And we were really lucky that the Canadian stage actually set a day-long workshop for myself and the actors to meet the work. And so, they were a part of the conversation,” he said.
With some actors playing their roles for the very first time and others stepping beyond their understudy or the second role, honing in on safety for every team member while welcoming their input remains important for the director.
“What’s amazing is that the actors will come to me and be like, ‘I think it would actually be great if we started the day with a longer check in, or a different kind of check in’, and we’re constantly unfolding the process together.”
THE SLAVE PLAY TOUCHES DOWN IN TORONTO
Slave Play will hit the Canadian Stage at the Berkeley Street Theatre this week, and Laffrenier says the Toronto production is entirely unique to the city, holding a special significance for the director.
“I think it says something about our city, that we’re able to take on and witness such a provocative play. The first two weeks are completely sold out, and that, to me, says a lot about who we are as a city, that we’re able to engage with work that is challenging and provocative and that we may see ourselves in.”
Though both the play and script will remain the same, Laffrenier says that he is eager to learn more about how the audience engages with the material, noting that Canadians often avoid their history with slavery, their role in it, and how complicit they were.
Slave Play will take the Canadian Stage at the Berkeley Street Theatre from Sept. 27 to Oct. 26. To learn more about the production and to purchase tickets, click here.