Istvan Dugalin ➤

Cast of Last Landscape | Photo by Fran Chudnoff

Adam Paolozza (creator and director), plays the one familiar human here, stripping off layer after layer of clothing and multiple face masks; this excessive protection, gradually discarded, further clutters up his cramped quarters. A wall of cardboard boxes are a drab and flimsy barricade against the wet, miserable void beyond. This opening is uncomfortable, cumbersome and confined. Hints of our current society squeak through in tinny fragments of audio from the smartphone he obsessively crouches over.

Except for this poor man, carted away as his house is systematically dismantled by a small group of “posthuman workers,” people don’t figure into the unfolding events in Last Landscape. Presented by Bad New Days and Common Boots Theatre, this highly conceptual series of environmental episodes invites us to imagine an earth that existed either before we were here or after we’re gone. 

Those quirky, diligent workers grind away with their own non-verbal methods of communication. Nada Abusaleh, Nicholas Eddie, Gibum Dante Lim, Annie Luján and Kari Pederson drag and push a collection of found objects into position to create a series of natural landscapes. Though clunky, the spectacle is organized and methodical. The exposed elements of Buddies’ huge black box theatre space figure prominently in their self-aware antics. As André du Toit’s lighting falls on disparate textures of cardboard, plastic tarps and gauzy fabric, Ken Mackenzie’s set becomes astonishingly persuasive—conjuring rivers, rock formations and trees.

The cute “BACK IN 15 MINUTES” sign they plop at the end of the first act is a striking example of the playfully meta-theatrical flourishes that establish the space as decidedly under construction. According to the production team, over 90% of the vast array of materials are re-purposed and all have a planned life afterward—a functionally sustainable initiative linked directly to the show’s ecological themes.

We experience this world vicariously through the touching and hilarious interactions of the animals in these manufactured landscapes. There’s some goofy geese and a rambunctious dog (by Puppetmongers Theatre). Other puppets feature in more innovative and poignant vignettes. A three dimensional stick figure (scenic marionette design by Roxanne Ignatius) is brought together and, through nuanced, evocative puppeteering, gradually convinces us of sentience. The mammoth sloth (by Graeme Black Robinson) and its baby (by Clelia Scala) are another deeply moving highlight—specifically, a brief touching of humanoid finger to claw is a potent rendering of interspecies connection.

Shout out to SlowPitchSound (Cheldon Paterson) for an evocative, live soundscape. Though often cloistered at the side, he does venture out to interact with the other performers as he collects on-stage sounds to weave into the ambient design. Even an obvious technical glitch and its resolution by a crew member feels fully integrated into this theatrical event. 

The mood occasionally dips into sombre territory, as it does with the stick creature’s quietly devastating fate. Though disheartening, destruction feels inevitable and the attitude Paolozza fosters with this creative team is distinctly holistic. 

The show takes its time, allowing us to watch as environments evolve through slow, cumulative, purposeful collaboration. The artifice and its meaning come together and break apart in cycles of creation and destruction. It’s very meditative and longer than you’d expect this sort of thing to be, but none of the time feels empty or wasted.

Last Landscape feels like an epic walk in the woods, traversing an expansive timescale yet consistently intimate.

Last Landscape
January 12 to 26, 2025
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre (12 Alexander St.)
1 hour, 50 minutes (including intermission)

Cast of Last Landscape | Photo by Fran Chudnoff