Cast of “SAMCA”, Photo by Barry McCluskey
SAMCA seems perfectly tailored to my sensibilities, bursting with lyrical text and indulging my penchant for poetically gruesome, eerie frolics. I caught an earlier version of this folk-horror musical at the 2022 Hamilton Fringe Festival (my review). Even then, despite a handful of weaknesses in the execution, I found it very compelling. And most of those deficiencies have been overcome in this recent presentation by Riot King and Spindle Collective.
Set in the late 1800s and drawing of Romanian folklore, the story sees sisters Miha (Natalia Bushnik) and Prava (Kathleen Welch) discover their sexuality and fraught womanhood amidst religious rhetoric and very real, tangible threats. Figuring prominently in their imaginations is Samca, a creature of the woods who steals women’s babies and frightens men with her complete lack of need for them. Having lost their mother and estranged from an abusive father, they face the woods—and the world—together. With handbaskets slung over their arms, there are echoes of Little Red Riding Hood in their vulnerable woodland venturing. It’s all deliciously Brothers Grimm.
A chorus of spectral women (Andra Zlatescu, Beatrice Kwan, Jenna Geen, Sydney Nicholson, Elif Coșkun, Fae Alexander, Camila Farah and Madeline Kennedy) in blood-stained white dresses lurk about the woods and seem to cling onto the sisters as they grope and gambol ominously. This ensemble also provides the primary musical aspect; Zlatescu’s accompaniment on a hand saw is especially eerie with its otherworldly, theramin-like sound.
Bushnik and Welch’s script is a richly rendered, dark fairy tale, wrestling with ideas of violation and purity. Sexual experiences carry vivid emotional and cultural baggage, characterized by intense yearning and repulsion. Pregnancy and motherhood take on grotesque, mythological significance as the sisters negotiate the treacherous landscape of their relationship and abject dealings with men. Oh yes, and then there is the haunting presence of Samca—an entity they both fear and worship.
The story is earthy, almost oppressively so, taking place in a world of dirt, moss and bark. The Fringe production I saw used projections to try to convey this ambiance, a technique that wasn’t well integrated. Director Brendan Kinnon’s new production is an outdoor experience, staged in a backlot of Black Creek Pioneer Village, and wholly atmospheric. The three locations of the travelling show are distinctly evocative—a gnarled tree and planked alcoves behind a creepy house, a open field surround by trees and a foreboding dirt road. Ciaran Connaire’s rustic set elements and Franco Pang’s lighting design punctuate the naturally sinister quality of each space with simple, sometimes garish Halloween-y flourishes that are remarkably effective.
The company has implemented accommodating measures for patrons with designated guides to lead people towards the venue and help them navigate the potentially treacherous terrain in the dark. They have bug spray available if you need, though you should come prepared for an evening outdoors. Dress appropriately with the necessary accessories.
Though it could all be a little tighter, SAMCA is an immersive, dynamic and haunting theatrical experience.
SAMCA
running September 25 to October 5, 2024
Black Creek Pioneer Village, North Property (7060 Jane Street)
running time: 90 minutes (no intermission)
Natalia Bushnik and Kathleen Welch in “SAMCA”, Photo by Barry McCluskey