Five questions with Wights playwright Liz Appel
iPhoto caption: Liz Appel headshot courtesy of Liz Appel.
Set on October 31, 2024, just days before the recent U.S. election, Wights is Crow’s Theatre’s latest world premiere, a provocative four-hander about language and its capacity to hurt people.
Written by Liz Appel, who was born in Toronto and educated at institutions including Yale and Cambridge, the larger-than-life social satire follows two couples steeped in the semantics and politics of academia — at Yale, no less. When brilliant scholar Anita (Rachel Leslie) begins to prepare for the job interview of a lifetime, all hell breaks loose.
Directed by Crow’s artistic director Chris Abraham and billed as “if Edward Albee and Jordan Peele had a baby,” Wights promises to leave audiences squirming in their seats.
Intermission spoke with Appel over email for a brief Q&A about Wights, now playing until February 9. Her answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Can you talk a little about the significance of the title?
The play explores the power of language to shape our world. “Wight” is a contronym, or a Janus word, so it holds two directly contradictory meanings, in this case human and non-human. So the sense of the word depends radically on context, and is a little unstable. And I’m curious how instability can be a force for transformation. I’m also exploring the ability to see and know something, and simultaneously un-see it and un-know it at the same time, as a state of being.
Why this play now?
The play is set in the run-up to the 2024 U.S. election and looks directly at this particular moment of social and political division, and how we speak to and about each other.
What’s your favourite moment from the rehearsal room so far?
There was a moment when one actor accidentally professed love to another actor and it was the funniest and the best.
Is there a moment in the play you’re most excited to share with audiences?
I’m excited for the audience to enter the world the designers (Joshua Quinlan, Imogen Wilson, Ming Wong, Nathan Bruce, Thomas Ryder Payne) and the director (Abraham) have created, and not know what’s about to happen.
Who is this play for?
The play is for anyone who loves live theatre. And likes to be challenged. And likes to be surprised.
Aisling Murphy
Aisling is Intermission's senior editor and an award-winning arts journalist with bylines including the New York Times, Toronto Star, Globe & Mail, CBC Arts, and Maclean's. She likes British playwright Sarah Kane, most songs by Taylor Swift, and her cats, Fig and June. She was a 2024 fellow at the National Critics Institute in Waterford, CT.
LEARN MORE
iPhoto caption: The team behind The Nine Lives of Ross Fordham poses for a photo. Photo courtesy of Theatre Aquarius.
Theatre Aquarius’ newest musical weaves a family tapestry out of stories and songs
Police officer Ross Fordham’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren are the talents behind the production, which opens on January 10 at Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Trudie Lee.
A Christmas Carol makes a triumphant return to Theatre Calgary
“It brings me a lot of joy to know that the generations of Calgarians who saw this show when they were a young person are now, 37 years later, bringing their sons and daughters,” says artistic director Stafford Arima.
iPhoto caption: Photo of Mark Crawford courtesy of Theatre Aquarius.
Mark Crawford returns to Theatre Aquarius as A Christmas Story’s nostalgic narrator
“There’s a beautiful song that Ralphie’s mother, who’s played by Jamie McRoberts, sings to her boys in act two,” said Crawford. “I almost started weeping [when I first heard it] — the tenderness of a mom taking care of her kids in this moment, and [me] standing there as the adult version of one of those kids. I think that’s so identifiable for people: those moments of tenderness and love between this family.”
iPhoto caption: I Don't Even Miss You photo by Eden Graham.
Factory Theatre welcomes new audiences with shows that explore human connection
“I feel like I’m really looking to theatre for joy right now,” says artistic director Mel Hague. “I don’t mean works that are specifically funny or happy. I’m talking about something deeper where you can feel connected to the art on stage, the space that’s hosting it, the other people in the audience, and yourself.”
iPhoto caption: J. Kelly Nestruck headshot courtesy of The Globe and Mail.
An exit interview with Globe and Mail theatre critic J. Kelly Nestruck
J. Kelly Nestruck has left the building. (Or at least the aisle seat.)
iPhoto caption: Photo of Gary Reineke courtesy of Allegra Fulton.
Remembering Gary Reineke, the man who knew how to enter
Gary couldn’t abide a bad show. This was a man who looked imperiously down his nose. You knew judgment was surely there at the tip, and that it would not be forgiving. He couldn’t stand a bad actor.
Call for applications: Publishing and editorial assistant
Intermission Magazine is seeking a dynamic and collaborative individual to join our team.
iPhoto caption: What Writing Can Do: The 2025 Musical Theatre Critics Lab
Announcing What Writing Can Do: The 2025 Musical Theatre Critics Lab
What Writing Can Do is timed to coincide with the Grand and Theatre Aquarius’ co-production of Waitress, which will serve as a jumping-off point for discussions throughout the Lab.
iPhoto caption: A Christmas Story production still by Dahlia Katz.
REVIEW: A Christmas Story feels fresh at Theatre Aquarius
If you want to catch A Christmas Story before it closes, good luck — the show is close to sold out, and with the talent on that stage, it’s not hard to see why.
iPhoto caption: Madame Minister production still by Dahlia Katz.
REVIEW: Madame Minister is a star vehicle for actor Laura Condlln
Laura Condlln and Cyrus Lane offer performances that are worth the drive to Barrie — the two have terrific chemistry and timing.
iPhoto caption: Production still courtesy of The Bee's Knees.
REVIEW: The Bee’s Knees falls short of its timely premise
The Bee’s Knees might evolve into a stronger project down the line, but at present, the play and production feel swept away by the spangled allure of the 1920s setting.
iPhoto caption: J. Kelly Nestruck headshot courtesy of The Globe and Mail.
An exit interview with Globe and Mail theatre critic J. Kelly Nestruck
J. Kelly Nestruck has left the building. (Or at least the aisle seat.)
Comments