WARNING: This article contains sensitive topics. Those in need of support can contact the Mental Health Crisis Line: 613-722-6914 (within Ottawa) and 1-866-996-0991 (outside Ottawa), the Ottawa Distress Centre Crisis Line: 613-238-3311, or the Youth Services Bureau 24/7 Crisis Line: 613-260-2360 or 1-877-377-7775 (toll)
Sidney Moon’s May Be a Play?! breaks the fourth wall through a quirky, interactive experience. Moon takes audiences on her creative process journey for the Ottawa Fringe Festival.
In May Be a Play?!, Moon’s creative partner betrays her, abandoning her with only a month to produce a performance idea. Alongside close friend Maggie Decady, Moon illustrates the emotional ups and downs of being an innovative artist.
The play is a mix of Moon’s daily video documentaries leading up to the festival, with an on-stage performance in the “present-day.”
The audience witnesses Moon’s brainstorming, her struggles with mental health and her difficult decision to start medication. May Be a Play?! documents mental health’s influence on every aspect of the human experience, including the creative process.
A significant component of the show is the large projector situated behind the stage, where all of Moon’s video montages are played for the audience. These clips are followed by an on-stage scene between Moon and Decady, discussing the content and aftermath of the montages.
May Be a Play?! exposes the audience to intimate moments and Moon’s perseverance as a local artist. The play is an honest, real-life account of Moon’s struggles, highlighting her bravery in openly recording her experience with mental health.
Throughout the show, Moon refers to her play as “a human journey.” May Be a Play?! explores familiar emotions like betrayal, anxiety and plain-old awkwardness. Each audience member can interpret these themes differently.
The play’s relaxed setting ensures Moon’s humane descriptions of her emotions and dilemmas offer relatability. It gives audiences time and space to reflect on what personal life experiences the scene reminds them of.
For me, witnessing Moon’s process from start to finish was satisfying. By documenting her growth as an individual and a creator, viewers saw the raw process of how the show came to be.
May Be a Play?!’s usage of terrible puns and Gen-Z sarcasm provides comedic relief throughout the play, with video montages even displaying Moon’s attempts at learning the ukelele. Moon eventually surprises with short, beautiful covers of Sara Bareilles’ “She Used To Be Mine” and Haley Blais’ “Be Your Own Muse.”
Moon and Decady’s on-stage relationship stands out, especially when it’s revealed that Moon has been betrayed. The close, humourous friendship is refreshing to see, reminding me of many of my own relationships. Decady also appears in Moon’s videos, still playful and hilarious as she is onstage.
Moon offers many routes of audience engagement, including pulling a member to help with spontaneous improv and entertaining the audience with a scene full of laughter.
May Be a Play?! beautifully demonstrates the theme of growth and reflecting on one’s past self, identity and accomplishments. It’s full of optimism, humour and honesty. A must-see, if you’re looking to resonate with a playwright on universal topics like friendship, betrayal or the anxieties involved in pursuing one’s passion.
Featured image provided by Taylor Vardy/Ottawa Fringe.
