Orphan Well

I knew Rebekah's performance would be wonderful and wasn't disappointed. The entire cast was equally great. The direction beautifully heightened the emotional weight of the story. This was a truly powerful piece and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I was expecting a much more straight forward plot than what we received. I expected a simple story about fossil fuels destroying the planet and was instead taken on a journey that had far more going on than that. Commentary and horror. I dug it.

This haunting story combines some of the darkest features of our province and melds it all into a chilling tale that highlights religious abuse, governmental power imbalance, toxic economics and good old ecocide. Alas, Alberta is a sick place. And we’re all in trouble.

One statistic shared in the show is that there are about 170,000 abandoned wells in our province, which represents a staggering 37% of all wells. Many of them are leaking, risk explosions and are a general blight on our once beautiful landscape. The dangerous toxicity of these wells offers a clear parallel to the corruption and decay imposed by those who wield positions of power here. Given the opportunity, those in control would topple us like Humpty Dumpty and then gaslight us into thinking that it can all be reassembled. (Perhaps there is opportunity for a gas lighting pun somewhere…)

Orphan Well stands on an interesting concept but admittedly feels a little undercooked. It might benefit from an expansion and further workshopping. The story is non-linear, and the staging suggests a non-real void where the characters can seamlessly traverse time and space. With some scenes acting as a distant memory and others possibly acting as a hallucination, the audience is often left guessing until the pieces can all be put together. Deepening character, imagination and intention may help us follow along in the absence of an easily identifiable setting.

(Access note: the preshow sound was too loud for me and my guest to communicate comfortably. So, if you enjoy chatting before showtime, consider holding longer in the lobby before claiming your seats.)

Incredibly impressive what they were able to pull off so efficiently. The way the three actors flow between characters was perfect, with obvious tells as to who they were inhabiting in any given scene - and, in some ways, there weren't even really scenes. The entire story unfolds with naught a pause or fade-to-black in sight, with the actors and lighting seamlessly moving around the stage in real time, sometimes changing characters (including subtle costuming hints) between lines. And the use of some simple poles to paint scenes was far more effective than I would have thought possible. Really, truly, impressive. I've also never felt like I was so close to a bonified cult leader - that performance was eerily impressive.

If I have any complaints, it's only that some of the messaging was a bit on-the-nose, and some of the parts that were a bit more open to interpretation felt like that uncertainty didn't actually add anything to the narrative. If I'm going to have to bring my own interpretation to events, I'd prefer that the exercise of exploring those interpretations with my friends after the show would help illuminate the themes a bit more. Instead, we found ourselves slightly confused by certain scenes.

That being said, this also didn't take away from the show in any way, really. This is certainly a show to watch if you're interested in Fringe artists pushing the envelope with minimalist costuming and props!

Interesting premise, one of the actors was much weaker than the others and it was clearly a show written about Alberta by someone not from Alberta.

With an environmentalist bend this show attempts to weave a dark tale and sinister tale about the oil field, but does so in a way that leaves the audience confused and wondering why the characters make the choices they do.

This show pokes thoughtfully and stylishly at complex issues surrounding the fossil fuel industry in northern Alberta. Ecology, landscape, treatment of women, remediation of left-behind (hence orphan) oil and gas wells, media coverage, wildfires, and the presence of faith communities within the industry environment—all these issues are raised for our consideration. Expect both darkness and the light of awareness in this striking production from Theatre Free Radical.

Very gripping story, and they did a good job maintaining tension. Did a lot with very few props. The performances were great—varied and distinct from each other. Several plots were ongoing but they weaved them together well. It was sometimes a bit repetitive and I think they could’ve cut some parts. I also wish there was a bit more subtlety in the sexual assault dialogue; it bordered on tell not show. However, the ending scene was darkly hilarious. Overall, a really solid horror play.

Orphan Well was beautifully haunting. With only three actors and no more set or props than a few poles, this show gave an incredibly unique and dark story relevant to not just Alberta, but the whole world. The show speaks to how cults abuse people, how people, especially women, are affected by trauma, and how the Alberta oil & gas industry impacts the environment and the people living on it. The actors all played multiple characters and I was impressed by their ability to clearly switch from one character to another, at one point literally having a conversation with themselves, and it worked great. Throughout the show there was carefully timed sound cues that were perfectly in-sync with the actors every time. The performance was poetic, deep, and chilling, and I will surely remember it for a long time.

Ari Mitchell, AYTC