Caitlin Brubacher and Christophe Davidson in
One Good Marriage by Sean Reycraft
Directed by Erin Brubacher, 2006
One Good Marriage, in the words of playwright Sean Reycraft, is a play about “something extraordinary happening to two nice, normal, slightly-depressed people, ‘What’s the worst thing I can do to them,’ I thought. ‘Then let’s see how they claw back from this’....”
Underlying the comedy in One Good Marriage is the powerful story of a young married couple’s extreme isolation. Making a link between loneliness and the institution of marriage, the play underscores our profound human need for a broader community. At the same time, the story reveals the ways in which a community may limit our perceptions of self and who we can be in the world. With wit and insight Reycraft shows us that facing ourselves fully, though frightening, can lead us towards what is best about us: our capacity to love. Through the experience of a tremendous loss, Steph and Stewart are forced to re-examine themselves, and they come to find new meaning in their marriage and a reinforced sense of the importance of genuine connection. Underneath the absurdity of their nightmare and the hilarity of their emblematic dynamic, Reycraft sends us a somber and complex message, highlighting the difference between security and stagnancy, intimacy and co-dependency.
Our rehearsal process mirrored our sense of Steph and Stewart’s reaction to their tragedy. We began not quite knowing how to treat the darkness of a play written in jokes; then we embraced its darkness and the severity of the situation that the couple encounters. Finally, we were able to step back from their story (and in turn our story), finding humour and playful, ridiculous humanity even in its darkest moments.
We wanted our production to echo the theme of dislocation in the play itself, and so have chosen diverse spaces in the city as our "theatres." Both the audience and the actors will experience the feeling of suspense, as the shocking story unfolds and the actors navigate their way through the distinct “stages”. The intimacy of Café Rico and Studio MANGE MES PIEDS necessitates the audience’s involvement in Stewart and Steph’s relationship; le Belmont, while more spacious, is a dark setting where the audience will be confined to a central area. In all three of these locations, however, the actors and the audience will share the space; the stage will have no borders, just as the intimate exchanges between the two characters are granted no privacy and given no boundaries. We thought it appropriate that this play should visit more than one community in Montreal (ie. the communities which grow up around a café, a night club, a dance studio), just as Stewart and Steph seek to create a new community themselves.
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