Kate Newby was no stranger to Prince George, when she was called in by Theatre Northwest to direct their current play.
Newby was also no stranger to the Drowning Girls script, she being a longtime fixture of the Calgary theatre community.
Drowning Girls was based on the real-life murders in England of Bessie Mundy Williams, Alice Burnham Smith and Margaret Lofty Lloyd, all victims of their serial killer con-man husband George Joseph Smith. He was executed in 1915. It was turned into a modern script by playwrights Beth Graham, Charlie Tomlinson, and Daniela Vlaskalic.
"This guy had seven wives altogether and killed three of them, that we know of," said Newby. "But it isn't his story, it is their story, the women, and the playwrights tied it somewhat to The Furies of Greek mythology. (Three immortal sisters who tormented sinners in the underworld and pursued evildoers on earth, depending on the classical stories from Greece and Rome.)
"It is an extraordinary piece of theatre. It was created by friends of mine for a fringe event, and to me it feels like a waltz; it has an ebb and flow to it. And I can see their (the writers') own personal rhythm within it. I've had to pull away from that, almost do a brain erase, so I don't fall into directing in their voice. The job of the director is to put the rhythm of the play into the hands of the actors, and it is their rhythm that has to be what moves the moment for the audience."
It was the play itself that mainly attracted Newby to return to Prince George, but there was another reason as well. She had never directed for TNW before, but she wanted to get her arms around this script she knew so well via the work of her friends. Secondly, she wanted to return to the place where her extensive theatre background and complex experience as a director got a different kind of application.
Newby spent time on the staff of the 2015 Canada Winter Games helping to arrange the music festival held in the outdoor plaza at the Civic Centre.
"Things are amazing in this city," she said. "I'm so glad to be back. I really like Prince George. Music, theatre, the arts - it's easy to see how deep that runs here. And this has been a lovely theatre company to work with, the things they are doing at Theatre Northwest are very impressive. Prince George is lucky to have them, and they are lucky to have Prince George."
The presence of this play on the city's cultural calendar is proof that Prince George is where theatre and social issues have a place at the same table.
"This is a type of theatre that anyone can embrace," she said.
"It's a celebration of the empowerment of women. It celebrates and honours the voices of women, but it's just a good story, good drama. It's a look at victimization
but not people who say 'my bad' about something that happened to them. It wasn't their bad. It was his bad. And today, things like this are still live issues in our society, and we are all responsible for how we make that journey as ourselves and as a community."
The Drowning Girls is on at TNW until Feb. 15. It stars Lauren Brotman, Sarah Roa Canero and Heather Morrison. You can buy tickets via the Theatre Northwest website or at Books & Company.
