U of L presenting award-winning ‘Blood: A Scientific Romance’
By Bobinec, Greg on February 8, 2020.
Greg Bobinec
Lethbridge Herald
The University of Lethbridge’s Drama Department main-stage production of “Blood: A Scientific Romance” by Meg Braem will hit the stage Feb. 11-15 for audiences to take in the award-winning play.
The third production of the Drama Mainstage 2019-20 season opens with a twisted tale about loss and love. The award-winning play by Braem is filled with visceral imagery and haunting dialogue, which features a rich cast of characters.
“‘Blood: A Scientific Romance,’ it’s a great contemporary Canadian play. It’s written by an Albertan playwright, Meg Braem, who is actually formally a faculty member here at the University of Lethbridge,” says director Kelly Reay. “She has written a wonderful story about two twins and two doctors, and the doctors are studying the co-relations between the twins. He has discovered that they have a miracle in their blood and they have made it their life’s work to discover the secret behind the twins.”
Twin sisters Poubelle and Angelique are bonded in both biology and shared tragedy after a car accident leaves them orphaned along a prairie highway in a pool of blood. Both young twins are brought home with Dr. Glass after their recovery, and quickly find themselves the subject of endless experiments.
“I produced the world premiere of ‘Blood’ in 2001 at Sage Theatre in Calgary,” says Reay. “We were dazzled by the language and the abstract, poetic storytelling. We had worked with Meg on a number of other projects and ‘Blood’ was another exciting opportunity for us to work with her. The play is very compelling and a great showcase for these young actors to sink their teeth into.”
The strong cast of four university drama students present the complex and abstract play, which has been accompanied by a large contemporary set, special effects and many surprises for the audience.
“We have been working on this play since early January when we started rehearsal. It features four great student actors out of the University of Lethbridge Drama Department, and the crew consists of a great combination of the students and faculty here at the university,” says Reay. “This play is really exciting because it incorporates really wonderful writing, with some top-notch performances and a really unique and awe-inspiring set design, not to mention there is a number of other elements such as special effects, a wonderful original score composed by Kelly Roberts and a few surprises.”
“Blood: A Scientific Romance” will run Feb. 11-15, starting at 7:30 p.m., each night on the University Theatre. Tickets are available online at ulethbridge.ca/tickets or by phoning 403-329-2616.
Follow @GBobinecHerald on Twitter
14-13
