Photo by Joseph Ste. Marie
by Sharman Yarnell
“Do You Ever Ponder Life”? Seeds, now on at Centaur Theatre, has the audience pondering a-plenty: How could the Canadian Government allow Monsanto to create and take over farmers’ lands with ‘Genetically Modified Organisms’? How can a farmer be sued and found guilty when his guilt is never proven? How can patent rights of a corporation possibly take precedence over and above the rights of the farmer?
Seeds is described as Documentary Theatre. As such, it is based on the true story of Monsanto vs Percy Schmeiser, a farmer in Saskatchewan who was found to have GMO canola growing on his land. Monsanto went after him tooth and nail. He claimed that the seeds got on his land because they were blown there. Monsanto claimed he stole them.
The play is written directly from court transcripts and also from interviews by Montreal playwright, Annabel Soutar, with parties involved. It was first produced in Montreal by Soutar’s theatre company, Porte Parole, in 2005 and won the Best English production of the year by the Association quebeccoise des critiques de theatres. It went on to Toronto for another highly successful run and is now set to take off on a national tour to Calgary, Ottawa and Vancouver. (The french version, Grains, is presently touring through Quebec.)
The stage is set up as a lab, courtroom and farm house, all in one. Across the backdrop, is an elongated screen projecting images of the actors, usually speaking in court, to the media or at conferences taking place in various parts of the world. Occasionally, the calm, yellow fields of Saskatchewan appear, reminding you where the story started.
All actors are on stage at the same time, drifting into the background to change costumes for one of the varied roles they play. The transformations are smooth, well executed. Bruce Dinsmore, flows from India’s powerful environmental activist, Dr. Vandana Shiva (female), to biologist/environmentalist, the reserved, Dr. Barry Commoner. Cary Lawrence, at once the typical Monsanto representative, collected and self assured, morphs into a young shop clerk, sweeping the floor. All actors put in beautiful performances in each of their roles: Mariah Inger, Alex Ivanovici, Tanja Jacobs, (she’s a cracker as Sister Catherine Fairbaim), Liisa Repo-Martell.
The only actor playing a single role is multiple award winner, Eric Peterson, as Percy Schmeisner. He is truly solid and consistent throughout his excellent performance. What better choice for the cranky, stubborn Schmeisner. He has played the role before and…Peterson has the advantage of growing up in a small town in the prairies. He understands the life of the farmer and small town politics.
At times, the play becomes too busy with so many people on stage along with the ever-changing images on the screen. There are also a lot of statistics along with scientific technological jargon to take in. But the story itself is so intriguing, especially now with countries in the EU banning GMO seeds, that the audience is held riveted to the action and words.
It must be said, however, that the direction by Chris Abraham is tight, flows well and makes use of every inch of the stage. (Recent recipient of the $100,000 Siminovitch theatre prize.)
There are so many different subtexts within this play: government control of what we think and eat, the public’s right to know what is in the food it consumes – labeling, scientific manipulation of genes – even religion pops up. As said in the play, “They’re messing with something God created”.
Percy Schmeisner’s tenacity and refusal to be taken over by a corporate monster is looked upon by some as an attention grab. To others, he is a just a farmer standing up for his rights.
Who’s telling the truth? Did the seeds blow onto Schmeiser’s land? Did he steal the seeds? Does it matter? Is that really the crux of the issue here?
That’s the most interesting part of the play – We get to be judge and jury….
Seeds is a must see not just for the excellent acting but for a good look into a case that has opened the eyes of a once accepting public to the concerns of genetically modified organisms.
On at The Centaur Theatre until November 24.
For more information: www.centaurtheatre.com
Box Office: 514-288-3161
Originally published in The Montrealer.
