As the lights dimmed, signifying the start of the new theatre season, the audience at the Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC) was abuzz with excitement. The first play of the 2012-2013 season is The Secret Mask, penned by Carleton alumnus Rick Chafe.
The Secret Mask, Chafe’s most recent play, centers around the idea of an estranged father and son reconnecting through mental disease.
In the play, George struggles to deal with meeting his father, Ernie, who abandoned him when he was two for the first time and, to make matters worse, Ernie has just had a stroke which has left him with aphasia, resulting in memory loss and garbled words.
“I found it very enjoyable, informative and at times, heart wrenching,” theatre enthusiast Judy Williams said.
Chafe attended Carleton in 1981 and completed the masters program in journalism.
He now lives in Winnipeg where he writes many plays that are performed at various festivals and at various independent venues across Canada.
The Secret Mask carried a balance of comedic and tearful moments, which at times would occur in the same instant.
“The play has been called heartbreakingly funny and that’s probably the best description of what I was after,” Chafe said.
The show was performed by three actors: Kate Hurman, who played Ernie’s speech pathologist and other key supportive roles, Michael Mancini, who played George, and Paul Rainville, who played Ernie.
Each of the three actors had to portray very deep emotions to demonstrate the importance of the subject matter.
Hurman had to transform herself into several different characters, all who had their own personalities and characteristics. One such example is when she portrayed the speech pathologist, May, in one scene and then directly after that portrayed a young ditzy waitress.
Mancini played a character going through many important crossroads in his life.
He had to decide whether he was ready to forgive his father, he had to cope with his wife leaving him, and he had to try to not let his relationship with his son slip away.
The biggest challenge for for Mancini was to balance the resentment George had for his father, while struggling with his own integrity.
“[George] has always felt the sense of duty that he has to do the right thing,” Mancini said.
“There’s a lot there for an actor to discover. It has no shortage of emotions and is full of conflict.”
Rainville played a man trying to discover who he is. The character’s crisis was emotional, but his portrayal added a comedic zest to the story.
“It was an awful thing my father went through, but at the same time, he handled it with such grace and we all laughed so much,” Chafe said.
“They were laughing tonight, so I’m happy.”
The next play that Chafe is working on is based on his own experiences. This time, the story is inspired from a trip he took to New Orleans to help a friend who was having a breakdown after Hurricane Katrina. The play will be performed by two actors and a jazz trio.
The Secret Mask runs until Sept. 30 at 1233 Wellington St.
