Barrie’s Talk Is Free Theatre (TIFT) is known to do things a little differently, and their latest production is no different.
Cast and crew have been busy preparing for opening night of its latest production, Madame Minister, which is an adaptation of a Serbian black comedy about a wife who is treated poorly by the community until she becomes the wife of the cabinet minister, at which point the tables are turned.
But none of it will be performed in any local theatre.
Instead, the 90-minute play is being performed in the front entrance of a Collingwood Street home owned by Pauline and Paul Stevenson, which is more than 125 years old.
The local theatre has been doing “site-specific, immersive work” for quite a while, says artistic producer Arkady Spivak.
“Either it does not take place in a traditional space, or it uses traditional space in a most bizarre and unique kind of way. Sometimes it includes promenades, where the audience moves physically and literally between a scene or building,” he said.
For this production, the audience watches the play from their seats like they would in a traditional theatre space; however, the house itself is also playing a role with its setting and has a metaphorical value to what the script is about, Spivak added.
“It all started from the ever-present issue of theatre companies (not) having access to affordable and decent spaces," he said. "We are a 22-year-old company and at certain points in our history we did not have access to anything consistently, so we started doing funky things.
“Now, it’s become that we are excited to do it, so even though there are now places around town to do theatre properly, the entire season we are doing it from different locations.”
The owners of the historic home have been longtime theatre supporters, said Spivak, adding it was during a visit a few years ago that he started to think about how the house could be used in a unique way some day.
“She wanted to do a special event here … but I had bigger designs. It’s a mistake to invite me to your house,” Spivak said with a laugh, adding the house has so many historic features that bring an invaluable character to the play.
“When a curtain goes up in a major musical and the audience has to be wowed immediately, it's going to cost $5,000 in set design. For it to happen here, it’s all organic," he said.
Pauline Stevenson and her husband purchased the 3,500-square-foot home — located off Cook Street at 142 Collingwood St., and built in 1879 by Dr. and Mrs. Charles Bosanko — a little over four years ago.
Stevenson said she simply loves sharing her love of theatre, as well as local history, with others who are interested.
“We are so very fortunate to have this calibre of theatre in Barrie,” said Stevenson, who is a former member of the board with TIFT and currently sits on the city’s heritage committee.
“He’s just the type of person who ropes you in with his charisma," she said of Spivak. "He’s incredibly innovative and one of these people that truly thinks outside the box in terms of the kind of theatre and where he produces it … It’s been a journey.”
Stevenson said when Spivak asked her if she’d be open to having a show produced in her home, she thought it would be a great way to not only support the local theatre, but also showcase a piece of Barrie’s history.
“Heritage, to me, is really important. I think it’s really important to try to protect, preserve and celebrate the heritage we have, and we don’t do enough of that in this city,” she said. “I love this house. I think it’s really special and I am really committed to celebrating it and I want to share it with people that care about it.
"This is the marrying together of two things that I am extremely passionate about — heritage and theatre and the arts. This is both things coming together in the most fantastic way.”
Spivak says theatre is all about generosity, and he's extremely grateful for the couple opening up their home.
“I don’t just mean financially. It’s also generosity of spirit and generosity of adventure. Being open to the craziest notions,” he said. “I think they’ve both learned to trust us in that while it will be insane and crazy and unpredictable ... but for all of (theatre's) spontaneity, it’s incredibly regimented.”
Stevenson says despite knowing her east-end home will soon be flooded with strangers, she’s only feeling excitement as cast and crew buzz around preparing for opening night.
“I am kind of OK with it. It has been a really hectic week … but life is about experiences and having stories to tell and this will be an interesting piece to add to the binders I have upstairs in terms of the history," she said.
The play runs until Dec. 7. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here.
