By Mikhail Saavedra
L-R Front: Stella Hunt, Fleur Jacobs, Zahir Gilani, Ryan Singh (Director), Nick Nasrallah, Anya Wassenberg
Middle: Barbara Johnny, Mary Goldman, Krista Hovsepian, Laura McKay, Nancy Gray, Erica Levene, Mark Munro
Back: Nicole Wile, Russel Harder, Kelly-Marie Murtha, Gregory Cruikshank, Gregory Segalas
Top: Michael James, Tanya Frenette
“I actually began writing this at NYU to express the undeniable power of human individual sexuality and the different ways we use this power- or it uses us.” those are the words of writer/creator Joelle Arqueros which so clearly explain the heart of the play. If anyone doubts that we are quite consumed by relationships, they need to pay a visit to the unique play “Sex, Relationships, and Sometimes…Love,” for proof that the battle of the sexes and the battle with ourselves is alive and well. The play which has its roots in a long running and very successful off Broadway play running over 6 years now! The show is written by LA based Joelle Arqueros, directed by Ryan Singh, and produced by Kingston 6 Entertainment.
Sex, Relationships..tackles fearlessly the themes of passion, love, selfishness, self gratification and a few other surprises which ultimately define the diversity experienced in our day to day interactions, without any degree of censorship. Get ready for a no holds barred theatrical mirror that will leave you thinking about your own life and passions.
“When Ryan (Singh) brought the script to me in summer, I was moved to produce the monologue show because of the diversity and range of the characters present in the 27 individual pieces. Working with such a large cast made life interesting; the rehearsal process to opening night was a labour of love,” shares producer Roger Dundas about what it took to get such a large cast organized, and it shows in the flexibility and diversity of the performances.
But what about the performers themselves, of which there are nearly 30? Zahir Gilani puts it bluntly and intensely “As an actor, this show has provided me with a great opportunity to grow. Because we chose our own monologues for this show I took a chance to work outside my comfort zone with 1 of my monologues. In the performances thus far I have had great successes and also taken risks by performing pieces that may not suit me. Live theatre can be very humbling, and it won’t always be pretty but as a student of the craft I feel it doesn’t serve me to only do work that I’m comfortable with. So I am thankful for the chance to broaden my horizons.”
Ultimately Sex, Relationships…is a play about the many ways our humanity finds to make sense of the difficulties we face daily in our pursuit of happiness or if you care to look at it from a fun perspective you can also look at it from Fleur Jacobs’s (Blue Light Special) perspective “It has been a real adventure being a part of this journey. It is not too often where one can play a sex trade worker and then a cheating spouse in one evening!”
If you are looking to catch a thought provoking play filled with dozens of the most exciting performers in Toronto you should give Sex, Relationships, and Sometimes…Love a view. There is one last show for this cycle coming up on November 8th at 6pm and 8pm at the Poor Alex Theatre. For more information go here
http://www.sexrelationshipsandsometimeslove.ca
Crew:
L-R: Erica Levene (Actor), Nikki Clarke (Publicist), Ryan Singh (Director), Roger Dundas (Producer), Sandy Duarte (Costume)