Poetic
License
Written and Performed by Erika Batdorf
Directed by Todd Hammond
Dramaturg Marty Kingsbury
Lighting Designer Elizabeth Asselstine
Sound Designer Teresa Przybylski
Theatre, movement and interactive talk show meet in Poetic
License as
we meet Marty, a creative writing professor at the brink of walking
out on her life. In the midst of a lecture she falls apart and begins
to expose her struggle to balance writing, motherhood and academia.
In the process she challenges the world of words, hierarchical education
and objectivity. Marti is passionate, inappropriate and desperate for
answers as she challenges her students to examine what is truly radical.
Does she walk out on her job, her kids, her whole life? Her guardian
angel appears to help Marti and the audience navigate through a journey
away from paralysis. A third character, physically paralysed and full
of humour, challenges the audience to examine desire in the context
of eternity. Enter this funny, magical world where poetry is edible,
ruffian angels describe paradise and the audience is fed an unexpected
meal.
(75 minutes long)
The piece raises questions such as; is education biased? What is bias?
What is radical? What is inappropriate in the context of an academic
environment? The piece refers to or includes poetry by Yeats, Blake,
Kerouac, Tahirih (an Iranian poetess who was killed in the 1840's),
Oliver, Ginsberg, Baudelaire, Pound, Wilde, Plath, Eliot and Artaud.
The second act requires a fairlysimple set that can be adapted to non-theatre
venues (lecture halls are ideal). The first act can be performed alone
(45 mins) followed by a discussion with the audience, (which can also
follow the full- length performance).
Technical Requirements: Poetic License (ages 12-adult) is a full evening
solo performance
With no intermission. (The length varies slightly depending on the audience
interaction.) The piece can be performed in a theatre or a lecture hall.
Sound equipment and lighting is required for the full performance and
for large halls, a portable microphone may also be necessary.
Reviews...
Poetic License received 3 Dora nominations in the independent theatre category for
- Outstanding New Play or Musical
- Outstanding Performance by a Female
- Outstanding Direction -Todd Hammond
NOW magazine Kate Pedersen NNNN
“hilarious and thoughtful… Erika Batdorf's show is emotionally compelling,
visually elegant… watching Batdorf was the highlight of my week, possibly
my month.”
EYE Paul Isaacs
“wonderful… one of the most humorous, note-perfect performances
I’ve seen all year- a female Lucky Jim.”
Town Crier By Eric McMillan
“Daring ...moving theatre.
Erika Batdorf is a phenomenon. …transporting and incredibly affecting….
this could be a play that brings the masses into more daring theatre. …Poetic
Licence — and Erika Batdorf in whatever she next
does—
is an experience no one should miss.”
"Erika went on to perform Poetic License during the Festival to great
acclaim. The audience was mesmerized by her ability as a performer, and by
the challenging format of the play. The first act was a stunning and intimate
portrait of a woman whose personal world crumbled and collided with her professional
world of academia. It was a beautiful meltdown. That was almost enough until
the play turned us on our heads by the entirely unexpected shift in style and
content of the second act."
Kelly Thornton, Artistic Director of Nightwood Theatre, Toronto
Images
Photo by David Leyes
Photo by David Leyes
Photo by David Leyes
Photo by David Leyes
Photo by David Leyes
Photo by David Leyes
Photo by David Leyes
Photo by David Leyes
Photo by David Leyes
Photo by David Leyes
Photo by David Leyes
Photo by David Leyes
Video
