The world premiere of Downed Hearts at the Ship’s Company Theatre in Parrsboro on the evening of Friday, August 18 offered poignant depth & immeasurable emotion. It is a compelling story of heartbreak, inspired by the Swiss Air disaster of 1998, 9km off the Peggy’s Cove coast of Nova Scotia with brilliant writing by playwright Catherine Banks that both lingers and nestles. The production is being collaboratively presented by Artistic Directors Laura Vingoe-Cram of the Ship’s Company Theatre; Jake Planinc, Matchstick Theatre; and Kat McCormack, Eastern Front Theatre. Director is Samatha Wilson, Elsa Pihl is Co-Producer with McCormack while Mary Vingoe is Dramaturge.
All of the above, along with a very talented ensemble, from the cast on stage, to the crew behind the scenes, are firmly interlocked with their insights, talents, commitments & devotion, to bring the words of Banks alive on stage and to share this powerful story across NS as well as the intention to stage it much further afield.
The tight knit cast of Downed Hearts not only shine as stars, they also make each other’s stars shine brightly as the story of a young fisherman connected to the retrieval efforts unfolds. His life and family already possess many layers and then this disaster of unimaginable magnitude and international reach is added to his world with no answers to the many formidable whys that haunt his dreams and days.
Zach Faye as Aaron; Martha Irving as Percy; Sherry Smith as Pearl; Ursula Calder as Belle, Glenda Braganza as Amanda and Elm Reyes as Lucas wield their way into your hearts, enchanting us with their authenticity. We love them as much for their imperfections as their strengths. The set, props, and costumes as well as lighting, imagery and sound effects immerse us into the bone chilling realities of the plane crash for the victims, their families, the rescuers, and the community, as well as the simplicity and complexity of a life by the sea that will in many ways never be the same. You experience not only the cruelty of the losses and the love and strength of family and community but the pull of the ocean, the ripping of the sky as the plane plummets into the open sea, the magic of light dancing on water and the mythical wonder of Saturn.
There are universal truths at the core of the story such as: both tragedy and joy connect in intricate, inexplicable ways; the human heart is expansive in its way to love, ache and heal; people can come into and leave our lives most unexpectedly yet make the most profound difference; every life matters no matter how long or brief; being kind is always better than being right; we each have a calling if we choose to listen; hope is a bird that forever sings even in the darkness; art creates beauty, while beauty shapes healing; and that kindness and love are
as powerful and as mysterious as the ocean herself. And finally, like pebbles falling into the sea, we are caught in the ebb and flow of the tides of life like ripples that may travel far beyond our reach, yet forever connect us as we each rise to the same sun, glow under the same moon and gaze upon the same stars.
Congratulations to Playwright Catherine Banks, the Ship’s Artistic Director Laura Vingoe-Cram, fellow collaborators, cast, crew and Board on a play that breathes life and understanding into an agonizing story through dignity, compassion and faith in the best of the human spirit. Put Downed Hearts on your must do list! It will open your heart to possibilities and resilience beyond tragedy.
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