Following sexuality across four periods 1n time > ‘Out of the Garden’ traces themes of sexual freedom through history Caroline Ho Arts Editor he first of two winter productions by the Departments of Theatre and Stagecraft & Technology opens this Friday with a premise that is sinfully seductive. Out of the Garden, directed by Claire Fogal, is a compilation of selections from five plays by Caryl Churchill and Don Nigro, woven together to create a millennia-spanning story about the history of sexuality. Out of the Garden is set in four distinct time periods: From Genesis’s story of Eve after being exiled from Eden; to the world of Vinegar Tom, set in 17th-century England, rife with witch trials; to Anima Mundi, which takes place before the turn of the 2oth century and features historical figures including Madame Blavatsky, Ezra Pound, and W. B. Yeats; and finally, a modern-day monologue from Frankenstein about one woman’s infatuation with the monster and the myth. The plays are connected by overarching themes of sexuality and the progression of liberation. “From the most repressed to the most releasing,” said Kate Rytter, who plays Susan, a very proper and drab Englishwoman in the Vinegar Tom world. Originally, the Department had planned to only do the play Vinegar Tom, but Fogal wished to offset the utter bleakness of the play by incorporating other material, creating a story that is more positive, more diverse for audience and actors, and more pertinent to social issues of today. Allegra Ferrari plays both Biblical Eve in the Genesis storyline and witch- hating Margery in Vinegar Tom. The latter play, explained Ferrari, presents a perspective that is necessary for its starkness, but not the most suited to 2017. In Vinegar Tom, she said, “All of the female characters are victims, and all of the male characters are just evil.” “That’s not what feminism is,” said Nina Dosdall, referring to the mindset of hating all men. Out of the Garden aims to deliver a more inclusive message that resonates across space and time, with people of ut of the a mata ee eee ed all genders learning to deconstruct toxic beliefs about sex, inequality, and agency. Dosdall’s character Joan, also from Vinegar Tom, is a 50-year-old woman who begins to stand up for her own sexual freedom in a world that is far more repressive than our own. Joan is persecuted for witchcraft, which Dosdall believes provides a powerful commentary on the continuing liberation. “We're of our issues to the world, and that still reception [...] So it’s interesting watching women develop through history,” she said. This historical development starts with Eve, at the very onset of human discovery and sin. Eve is basically completely ignorant, with no knowledge of anything in the world and nobody to learn from, and Ferrari has had a lot Image via www.douglascollege.ca struggle for women’s still opening up a lot has very contentious of freedom in bringing this blank-slate character to life. “She's definitely the most challenging character I’ve worked on, but the most liberating,” said Ferrari. The world of 17th-century England is in some ways more familiar, but it poses its own difficulties. The actors have to immerse themselves into a mindset governed by very different principles, where fears of witchcraft are all too real. In this world, explained Dosdall, “You operate your life on superstition. That’s your belief structure, that’s your science, so it’s really hard to cut off your sense of logic.” Luckily for audience members, they have the talent of the Theatre Department to draw them right into the small-town mob mentality that led to the witch trials. The actors believe that the audience will also have no trouble following along with the four very different time periods. Assembled by Fogal, the scenes and themes that run throughout the play are deftly intertwined. “Especially when you see it laid out, it just all clicks together,” said Rytter. This production is the first ever premiere of this compilation play. Out of the Garden runs from March 10-17 in the Douglas College Studio Theatre, with a free preview on Thursday, March g at 2 p.m. Tickets and show times are available at www.outofthegarden.bpt.me. Horror film addresses the true horror of subtle racism > ‘Get Out’ film review Jessica Berget Staff Writer kkk « He: are you not scared of them, man?” Jordan Peele achieved the almost impossible last Friday by making white people afraid of racism with his directorial debut Get Out. Sharp and full of social commentary, the film pokes at instances of subtle racism as the basis of its terror. The result? Horrifying— yet wonderful—entertainment. The film focuses on Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), who is nervous about meeting his girlfriend Rose’s (Allison Williams) aggressively-white parents for the first time in their four-month-long relationship. His anxieties are eased when Rose jokes about how lame her parents really are: Her father, she says, “will definitely tell you he would have voted for Obama a third term if he could.” But it seems Chris’ fears may not have been unwarranted as the film progresses. When they arrive at her parents’ house, it’s clear that something isn’t quite right. Chris notices the family’s servants are black, something Rose’s dad makes a point of defending. “We hired Georgina and Walter to help care for my parents. When they died, I couldn't bear to let them go.” It’s obvious there is something wrong with the servants, who act strange and almost robotic. At first Rose’s family’s creepy behaviour appears to only be nervous attempts to accommodate their daughter’s black boyfriend, but when they mention Chris’ “genetic superiority” in an awkward dinner conversation, the family’s other subtly racist comments are suddenly brought to light, and the film takes a creepy turn. The film becomes even more disturbing when Rose’s parents notice Chris is trying to quit smoking and Rose’s mom offers to hypnotize him to rid him of his habit. Initially he declines, but later that night, when he is caught going out for a cigarette by Rose’s mother, there is no way to escape. Get Out possesses a complex genre hybrid of thriller and comedy which will make you want to hide your eyes in terror, but your eyes are glued to the screen at the same time. Even in the most paralyzing of scenes, Peele is still able to get a laugh (or even a woo- hoo in my theatre) from the audience. The most comical scene is when Chris’ friend Rod (Lil Rel Howery) attempts to convince some police detectives that his friend has been kidnapped by his white Image via Blumhouse Productions girlfriend’s family to make him their sex slave. However, in this movie laughter is often met with horror. In fact, these comedic relief bits only serve to make the viewer more terrified for what is about to happen next, making the intensity of some horror scenes all the more terrifying. Get Out is a cinematic treasure, marrying both horror and comedy with perfect execution, all while pointing out profound instances of racism. The intensity of this movie will leave you on the edge of your seat, and in a crossfire of wanting to know what happens next and not wanting to look back at the screen. But believe me, it’s worth it.