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Nov 25 - Dec 2, 2001 |
Small Room Between Worlds
Dragana Varagic explores the transformative power of theatre
By Sarah B. Hood
Originally Published: 2001-10-28
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Actress Dragana Varagic
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I think there is a great interest in Catalan theatre," comments Dragana Varagic. She recently performed in a trio of Catalan plays at Saskatoon's Persephone Theatre. Also, she points out, London's Royal Court Theatre and the Edinburgh Festival have recently produced work by Catalan playwrights. Now Varagic and her company April Productions are betting on the trend by remounting The Vindication of Senyora Clito Mestres by Catalan author Monserrat Roig. (She has already given it an outing at the 1999 SummerWorks festival.)
The Catalan language is a fascinating mixture of French and Spanish sounding elements. It is, of course, the national language of the territory of Catalonia, centred around the capital of Barcelona in Spain, which exists in relation to the rest of Spain somewhat as does Quebec within Canada (to vastly oversimplify the issue). "I think Clito Mestres sounds like a pretty ordinary Catalan name," says Dragana. It is also an echo of the name Clytemnestra, the villainess/victim of Greek drama who arranges for the murder of her husband Agamemnon upon his return from the Trojan war.
Senyora Mestres is an actress who is preparing to portray the great tragic role. "It happens in a dressing room, which is to me the small space between two worlds, where the transformation happens," explains Varagic. "Clytemnestra and Clito Mestre are definitely not the same person, but it's obvious from the title there is going to be a parallel."
Unexpectedly, given her calling, Clito Mestre is "a speechless woman," says Varagic. "She's not able to communicate. She actually got empowered by the words of Clytemnestra and the play." It is through her own performance that Clito Mestres is able to face the terrible losses in her own life. "I think it's an amazing play," Varagic adds.
Varagic herself has no connection with Catalonia apart from an appreciation for its culture. "This is a Catalan play and I am a Serbian-Canadian actor; I have a Czech Canadian designer [Jan Komarek]; I have a Canadian director [Chris Abraham]," she says. "It's meeting in the rehearsal room - which is also a small space. We find the way to communicate together."
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