Stage Door News
Stage Door News
When Jeff Culbert was approached to direct the revival of Jason Rip’s play To Ashes one of his first thoughts was that he needed to somehow use the song Ace of Spades by Motörhead in the play.The song was used in the original 2004 production of To Ashes which Culbert acted in. For Culbert the song sets the tone of the play. Jeff saw Jason Rip soon after being asked to direct the play and Jason said, without knowing Culbert’s own thoughts, “you got to use Ace of Spades.”The new wave, heavy metal song matches up with the high energy and aggressive nature of To Ashes.
To Ashes is a two person play about two men who are both named Thomas Ash. One goes by Tom, the other Thomas. The play’s conflict comes from what should be a minor nuisance, but is instead the spark that lights the fuse. Tom Ash begins to receive calls from a collection agency looking to collect from the other Tom Ash, the one who goes by Thomas.
A simple enough confusion; except that Tom Ash’s life is unravelling at the moment. His marriage is ending, he is losing custody of his child and he is losing his job. On top of this, he has a bad temper. As Culbert puts it, “he is a live wire,” and he is the ever-present threat of violence and danger in the play. The tension escalates when the collection agency refuses to stop calling the wrong Tom Ash. They think they are on to his tricks of trying to evade them.
Thomas Ash, the man who in fact owes the money, has a disability. He is becoming a recluse. His mother, who is in a nursing home, is losing her memory. Thomas Ash is not well. An inevitable confrontation between Thomas and Tom occurs when Tom goes to Thomas’ house to confront him and to get him to stop the collection agency calls.
When the play first premiered at the 2004 London Fringe it had a big appeal for audiences. Culbert believes that part of the play’s appeal is because, “It hits on something primal. We see someone dominating another person, bullying another person. There is a simmering danger in the play.” For Culbert what makes the play interesting is that Thomas Ash, instead of simply being the victim, looks within himself to find a way to defend himself against the aggressive Tom Ash. This is an aspect of the play Culbert is highlighting in this production. “We are really looking at the arcs and trajectories of the characters. There is a moment where Thomas decides he is going to do something to defend himself,” says Culbert. These themes were very much on Jason Rip’s mind when he was writing the play: “I was thinking a lot about the difference between an aggressive and a passive approach to life,” says Rip.
The question of identity is also a major theme in the play, and what happens when someone else shares your identity. Jason Rip explains that with “having the name ‘Rip’ as opposed to ‘Seam,’ I have often wondered about the significance of names. I will let the audience decide the ramifications of the last name ‘Ash’ and the fight for it.”
While there is always potential for violence in this play, it is important to remember that To Ashes is a comedy. “It is a classic Jason Rip play,”says Culbert. To Ashes features a lot of the subject matter that Jason knows and often writes about plus there is a good dose of his wry humour. In Culbert’s mind what makes this play special is that it is Jason at his most distilled and bare bones in terms of his writing.
Jason Rip has come to a point in his career as a writer where his earlier works are being revived in London. Reviving older London plays is very important to creating our sense of a regional theatrical canon. I asked Jason what it feels like to have his works revived by other artists. “I am reminded of something Leonard Cohen said when asked how he feels when people cover his songs. He said that he felt too flattered to have a critical response. Having achieved what they tell me is a prolific output, I am very grateful when some of the best come out of the drawer so that a new audience can experience them. I hope it happens more and more,” say Rip.
Culbert remembers that the original creation of To Ashes in 2003/4 involved weekly meetings between Rip as the writer/director and the two actors Jeff Culbert and Serge Saika-Voivod. Culbert and Saika-Voivod would improvise dialogue and monologues which they would record on tapes. After this period Rip went to work on writing the play.
The actors for this 2016 revival are London greats Jeff Werkmeister and Tyler Parr. Werkmeister is producing the production under his new company, Dormant Collective. Werkmeister explains “I have wanted to create a company for a while. The name Dormant Collective came to me because I have been sitting waiting for the right play and I wanted a collective of a group of artists to work with.”
Part of the appeal of doing To Ashes for both Werkmeister and Parr is fond memories of seeing the original production. Werkmeister says, “I remember seeing this play and it had an effect on me. I love the projections of the character. I think it is one of Jason’s best plays.” For Parr there is an element of nostalgia in doing this play. The play was premiered during the vanguard of new London plays being created. Parr says, “It feels like revisiting a childhood home.” When the play was first produced, “it was a time when influences hit me at my core.”
Werkmeister plays the aggressive Tom Ash. One of the highlights of the process for him has been, “really investigating the text.” His approach to Tom Ash is that Tom is aware of his aggressive self and tries to suppress it. This makes his anger even scarier for the audience because you never know when his violent side will bubble up.
Parr plays the reclusive Thomas. One of the key parts of Thomas’ character is that he has a disability. In the original production this was very physical. For Parr the question of what is Thomas’ disability is not as obvious. It is left to the audience to consider the validity of Thomas’ inability to work. As the team pealed back layers of this play they found that, as Parr puts it, “Thomas’ disability is his disability.” It is one of the many questions, mysteries and surprises that await audiences attending To Ashes.
If You Go
To Ashes by Jason Rip
Directed by Jeff Culbert
Starring Jeff Werkmeister and Tyler Parr
February 18,19,20,24,25,26,27 at 8pm
Saturday February 20 at 2pm
The Arts Project, 203 Dundas Street
For tickets: 519-642-2767
By Adam Corrigan Holowitz at http://londonyodeller.ca.
2016-02-23
London: Revival of Jason Rip's "To Ashes" runs to February 27