Ghost River Theatre’s Struck is a lot of things. It’s a stream of consciousness. It’s an exploration of an split second that changes everything. It’s examining a traumatic event. Written and directed by artistic director Eric Rose, Struck tells of the true story of how Eric was struck by lightning at the age of 21. It’s an innovative production, using cameras and lighting and projection to try to enhance a flimsy storyline. There is no structure to the telling of this story. The pieces of the narrative are loosely tied together but this production lacks focus, forethought and a compelling root to the story. Struck feels like a series of ideas with no real beginning, middle or end.
The play runs 2 hours, broken up by a twenty minute intermission. The first half tells of how Eric (Daniel J. Perryman) was struck by lighting while camping with a friend, Walker. The play incorporates filming and multiple screens on stage, close ups of miniature models of the tent in close proximity to a lake. It’s a multilayered experience, but the narrative doesn’t go beyond Eric experiencing the lightning strike and being treated in the hospital for his wounds.
The second half features Nathan Schmidt as Eric, now at age 41, having just recently lost his father. He travels back to Ontario to visit his first family residence, asking the new owners if he can go into their home. He visits the old abandoned hospital where he was treated, when he was struck by lightning, and the whole time, he leaves lengthy messages on his friend Walker’s answering machine.
The technical aspect of this production is innovative, with projection designer Wladimiro A. Woyno R combining his art with Kerem Çetinel’s lighting design and Anton deGroot’s sound design. They all have to work together to try and weave around the action on stage, along with Robin Leveroos’ set and properties design.
It’s a complex telling with haze and lights setting the play in various locations, like the hospital, or the middle of a lake, or in a tent. Sometimes all the action plays out on screens on stage, and you’re watching Matthew McKinney’s real time camera recording. Perryman and Schmidt work hard to maintain a connection to the audience, but it is lost in the noise. All innovations are signature to Ghost River’s theatre productions, but the company really misses the mark on telling a compelling story with a strong underlying message.
Struck is filled with components that are interesting, with very little vision.
Ghost River Theatre’s Struck runs until February 11th. More information is available online.
Photo Credit: Jaime Vedres