Cole Lewis, Arthi Chandra, Montserrat Videla, Jessica Carmichael from the 1991 Workshop Production, Vancouver, 2018 (Photo by Patrick Blenkarn)
Rehearsal is underway at a wide table. My eyes are drawn to a pair overhead projectors at its centre. Crouched over the projectors’ glow, their hands a blur, Shadow Puppeteers Mina James and Montserrat Videla work at a frenetic yet deeply focused pace.
At one end of the table, Performer Jessica Carmichael, speaking into a microphone, her voice live-altered by Sound Designer Sam Ferguson, portrays a slew of supporting characters. At the other end of the table—across a sea scattered markers, transparency sheets, and tape—sits Writer/Director Cole Lewis, performing lines of dialogue as her main character. She stops frequently to discuss the visuals being projected onto a large sheet in the background.