Photo by Tristan BrandBorn before history - before even the gods - in the house of stars, ANA is a strange and wondrous being. She is a delight and a terror. An abomination, a deity, a freak and the star of our carnival show. ANA is not bound by the same laws that govern the lives of us mere mortals. Read more …
When this creature is caught in the mouth of inescapable decision she deceives fate by splitting into a new self, multiplying at every crossroad, escaping her own terror to survive, to be free. But the selves she leaves behind still exist and go on living to this day. Now, completely overcome and bewildered by her many incarnations, ANA must face her selves to reconcile her countless existences.
This daringly bilingual play takes audiences on a journey of creativity and madness. Combining the rhythms of Scots- English with Canadian-French, ANA dissolves barriers between languages to explore a space that words alone cannot describe.
A beguiling magical-realist epic that stretches an extended umbilical cord through history.
The show itself sits somewhere between complete genius and total madness: it’s easy to take in but harder to make sense of – perhaps the root of its charm, but it could be alienating.
Ana is a play which comes from a profound and brilliant idea, but it seems to have, not merely two, but multiple authors, none of whom could agree with director Serge Denoncourt upon a common structure or theatrical dynamic.
At times Ana is bewildering, at others perplexing, but it’s never less than fascinating.
At this best, this show has a wild and fabuous female poetry about it, that makes it a fine production for the week of International Women’s Day.
Up until two-thirds of the way through, it is as gripping as it is intriguing. The longer it goes on, however, the less meaningful it gets; what starts off as an extraordinary piece of work ends up unsatisfyingly vague about its purpose.
The play’s disjointed structure and fluctuating tone do eventually start to tell.
What starts off purposeful, if strange, ends up a little silly, and the show becomes steadily less meaningful as it goes on.
Doubling up in style
Stellar Quines & Imago Theatre tour Scottish-Quebec co-production
Interview: Clare Duffy
New production ANA from Stellar Quines and Quebecois company Imago
Ana--a strange and wonderous play
Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh from Wednesday March 14, 2012. More info: www.bruntontheatre.co.uk
Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh from Thursday March 1, 2012, until Saturday March 10, 2012. More info: www.traverse.co.uk
Eden Court Theatre, Inverness from Monday March 19, 2012, until Tuesday March 20, 2012. More info: www.eden-court.co.uk
Tron Theatre, Glasgow from Thursday March 22, 2012, until Saturday March 24, 2012. More info: www.tron.co.uk
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