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In 2013, Nova Scotian choral director Scott Jones was stabbed in the back in a homophobic attack that left him paralyzed from the waist down. During his victim impact statement at the trial, Jones uttered three words to his attacker that sent shockwaves all around the world: “I forgive you.”
Alongside playwright Robert Chafe, Jones turned his story into a deep and heart-wrenching theatrical performance accompanied by a children’s choir. Produced by Artistic Fraud and directed by Jillian Keiley, I Forgive You is a powerful retelling of Jones’ life, chronicling his experiences coming to terms with his sexual identity, his complicated path to forgiveness and everything in between.
Actors Nathan Carroll and Jeff Ho narrated the story from Jones’ perspective, embodying two different versions of Jones’ thoughts and inner turmoil—one who is angry and doesn’t want to forgive, and the other who wants to forgive, understand and help the person who harmed him. Both actors narrated the story with emotion and passion, as if it were their own.
While the choice to cast two actors in the role of Jones was initially confusing, I quickly came to appreciate the way the two actors seamlessly bounced lines off each other to capture Jones’ inner conflict with rawness and emotion.
Jones himself was also on stage throughout the entirety of the play as the conductor of the children’s choir. While Jones remained silent for the majority of the performance, positioned in the middle of the stage with his back facing the audience, his presence and vulnerability were deeply felt in every corner of the theatre.
Occasionally, Carroll and Ho paused the narrative and looked over their shoulders at Jones. They waited for Jones’ nod before continuing on, as if asking for his permission to reveal the most vulnerable moments of his life and continue telling his story.
The score, composed by Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós and arranged by Ingi Garðar Erlendsson, provided a chillingly beautiful soundscape to the narrative. Its power and intensity heightened some of the play’s most powerful moments.
The sounds and harmonies of the children’s choir allowed the powerful score to shine even brighter. Made up of Ottawa-local choristers between the ages of 10 to 16, the choir sang with elegance, power and unity.
The children stayed on stage for the whole performance, sitting on stools arranged in a raised and semi-circular platform at the back of the stage. When they weren’t singing, the children were silent onlookers to the play’s events and were an ever-present reminder of the play’s theme of childhood. The child in Jones that was lost—the one that loved to dance and use the pedals on the piano, and the one on the other side of the knife who would grow up to cause irreversible harm to another person.
Toward the end of the play, Carroll and Ho turned toward Jones and asked, “Scott, do you forgive him today?”
For the first time in the performance, Scott turned his wheelchair around and faced the audience. As he gave his raw, unscripted answer, I looked around the theatre to see many audience members wiping away the rogue tears from their eyes. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t one of them.
I Forgive You was a reminder that forgiveness is a multifaceted and complex concept. Jones’ story, and the elegant way in which it was told, was a powerful experience I won’t soon forget.
Artistic Fraud’s I Forgive You continues its run at the National Arts Centre (NAC) until March 11. Tickets are available on the NAC website.
Featured image by Fred Cattroll/NAC.
