Preview
THE STONES
Zeal Theatre
Written, directed and performed by Tom Lycos and Stefo Nantsou
Presented by the Calgary International Children’s Festival
Runs until May 29
Big Secret Theatre (Epcor Centre)
Every year at the Calgary International Children’s Festival there’s at least one show that straddles the boundary between young people’s and adult theatre. This year it’s The Stones.
Despite its title and the presence of a couple of geezers with electric guitars, this play isn’t about the geriatric rock band. It’s a hit comedy-drama from Australia inspired by the real case of two teenage boys in Melbourne who were tried for manslaughter in 1994 after kicking rocks off a freeway overpass and killing a passing motorist.
The boys, 15 and 13 at the time of the incident, were spending a Sunday afternoon chucking and kicking rocks by the busy freeway. One of the rocks they sent plummeting off the overpass smashed through the windshield of a car and straight into the heart of the driver, Dr. Malcolm Goodall, an eminent microbiologist.
"This story hit the front page of the news in Australia," says Stefo Nantsou, co-creator and co-star of the show. "And it sparked a whole lot of debate on current affairs programs that were basically screaming that the juvenile justice system was too lax and allowing kids to get away with whatever they liked."
At the time, Nantsou and fellow writer-performer Tom Lycos were looking to create a new play for their Melbourne-based young people’s company, Zeal Theatre. "We try and find stories with concepts that will be interesting to teenagers and adults," he says. "We thought this one would suit us down to the ground."
In the show, Nantsou and Lycos portray both the two teens and a pair of cops with conflicting opinions about their guilt. Although he and Lycos weren’t allowed to interview the boys and their families while researching the play, Nantsou says they had the full co-operation of the police, in particular the homicide detective who handled the case.
"He was incredible, the detail he provided about the boys," adds Lycos. "And at one point he said to us, ‘It’s not just kids from bad backgrounds who do this sort of stuff. We find kids doing this all the time, but in this case these boys were unlucky.’ And as he said that, this other policeman walked into the room to make himself a cup of coffee and he said (sarcastically), ‘Yeah, right.’ We realized these two cops had really different ideas on the case. Literally, as we walked out, Stefo said to me, ‘Right, we’ll play the two policemen and the two boys.’"
"We virtually wrote the play on the way to the car," says Nantsou.
OK, so where do the electric guitars fit in?
"The vibe of the show at the beginning is these two boys jamming in the garage while their oldies are out – it’s anarchy," says Nantsou. "We play with our teeth, do screaming guitar solos." The guitar playing breaks the ice with young audiences, he says. "You get the young boys thinking, ‘Wow, that’s a Telecaster and he’s got a Strat, and these old farts aren’t too bad."
"Actually, I’ve been playing for about 20 years," adds Lycos.
"Tom’s also a trained acrobat who used to work for Circus Oz, so there’s lots of stunt work," says Nantsou. "It’s really physical."
After the actors have won over the audience as a couple of rambunctious kids, the play takes a sharp turn midway through with the unexpected death of the motorist and the shift from daft comedy to serious drama. "I call it setting a bear trap for the audience," says Nantsou with a smile.
The duo premièred The Stones in Australia in 1996, where it went on to win awards, and they’ve since toured it to the U.S., the U.K. and northern Europe, as well as to the Toronto and Vancouver children’s festivals. The script has also been adapted and performed by two Canadian kids’ troupes. After this tour to Calgary and Edmonton, Lycos and Nantsou will take the show to Japan in July.
"Everywhere we go, whether its upper-middle-class places or very poor, destitute ones, or non-English-speaking cultures, everyone seems to be able to relate it to some story that’s occurred in their past or in their town," says Nantsou.
In more than one performance, he and Lycos have seen a young audience member sink into his chair when the rock-kicking accident occurs – or other kids turn and look at him knowingly. "It’s pretty in-their-face," says Lycos.
The Melbourne teens ended up being tried in adult court. Nantsou and Lycos don’t want to reveal the verdict and spoil the show, but the play itself doesn’t make any final judgments on whether the boys were guilty.
"We leave that dilemma with the crowd," says Lycos. "We really avoid trying to preach to kids or tell them what to think. We’re much more interested in getting them to think for themselves."
The Stones has five more daytime performances through Saturday, May 29 and one evening performance on Friday, May 28 at 7 p.m. |
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