ON STAGE
What: Kaleidoscope Theatre presents The Giver
When: Saturday Feb. 23 and Sunday Feb. 24, 2 p.m.
Where: McPherson Playhouse
Tickets: $22 for adults, and $12 for children 16 and under at the McPherson Playhouse box office at 250-386-6121 or online at rmts.bc.ca
It’s been more than 25 years since Lois Lowry wrote The Giver, a dystopian tale about a 12-year-old boy growing up in a community that values “sameness” and frowns upon differences and individuality.
Despite the passage of time, the novel for young adults remains as popular and controversial as ever, a staple of middle-school reading lists and a regular on the American Library Association’s lists of challenged books.
Now, Eric Coble’s stage adaptation of The Giver is set to make its Canadian première with a production by Victoria’s Kaleidoscope Theatre for Young People at the McPherson Playhouse.
Kaleidoscope’s stated mission is to present plays that stimulate and inspire young people to think critically about the world around them, and The Giver ticks all those boxes and more, says Roderick Glanville, the company’s artistic director.
“It’s a beautiful story of hope in a time of change,” he says. “I think it reflects our current world right now, where we are living in a world of fear and suspicion, and freedom of joy and expression is becoming a challenge.”
Indeed, Lowry’s story seems eerily prescient in the age of Trump, border walls and rising xenophobia.
In accepting the 1994 Newbery Medal for The Giver, Lowry admitted that she, too, was seduced by the fictional society that she created from her own “river of memories.”
“It did feel good that world,” she said. “I got rid of all the things I fear and dislike — all the violence, prejudice, poverty and injustice, and I even threw in good manners as a way of life, because I liked the idea of it.
“It was very, very tempting to leave it at that, but I’ve never been a writer of fairytales and if I’ve learned anything through the ‘river of memories,’ it is that we can’t live in a walled world, in an only us, only now, world where we are all the same and feel safe.
“We would have to sacrifice too much. The richness of colour and diversity would disappear, feelings for other humans would no longer be necessary, choices would be obsolete.”
So Lowry allowed her lead character, Jonas, to disturb that world by training to receive the community’s memories. In the process, he uncovers the truth behind the lie and is forced to make a choice — something he’s never had the opportunity to do.
“What happens with Jonas in The Giver is that he changes his world and through his change, everything else changes with it,” says Glanville, who directs the Kaleidoscope production.
“What I love about this story is that it asks a lot of hard questions. It doesn’t pull punches, but it doesn’t hit you in the face. Also, the ending is ambiguous. We’re not quite sure. Does Jonas actually get away from the community to ‘elsewhere?’
“That’s what’s beautiful about the theatre, is we get a chance to show that decision and the audience gets to decide: ‘Did he make it or not?’ ”
The play, which stars Elliott Loran as Jonas and Brian Linds as the Giver, kicks off with two shows for students on Friday, followed by matinées Saturday and Sunday.
It’s a brief run, so you’ll need to move fast if you want to see it, Glanville said.
“At times, I feel a little sad, because you invest so much in the creation and then it’s up so quickly and gone so fast. But that’s just the reality of creating theatre for young audiences in Victoria in this time.”
