Dawson players undaunted by challenging drama

“It was really hard to find somebody that came from Sri Lanka,” said Roy, whose role required her to learn classical Indian dance and the exact pronunciation of Sri Lankian words over the holiday break. “Some people said ‘just make up anything’ but I didn’t want to. I’m a perfectionist.”

The entire cast of ‘Pentecost’ was indeed ‘perfectionists’ as they adopted incredibly believable mannerisms and accents from numerous Slavic languages such as Russian, Ukrainian and also Bulgarian and Lithuanian.

“We performed in front of a high school and during intermission the students were amazed at how we were speaking their language,” said Roy referring to a recent matinée presentation. “Some students didn’t believe it until they heard their language being spoken by the actors.”

Pentecost, directed by Douglas Buchanan and written by British playwright David Edgar, is set in an abandoned building in Eastern Europe, where the discovery of a revolutionary fresco threatens our understanding of Renaissance art history.

As art historians, priests and ministers desperately attempt to identify the meaning and history of the undated fresco, the play quickly takes an opposite direction. A multi-cultural group of refugees seeking political asylum take control of the abandoned building. Pentecost, symbolically untitled in reference to the Biblical story of disciples speaking different languages, bridges rich art historians from the West to the poor expatriated refugees from the East.

“At first it was in a circumstance of conflict that they were brought together,” said audience member Neda Esmailzadeh about the sudden intrusion of the nomad group of refugees. “But then, they started to develop compassion for each other. It showed how humans are depended on other humans.”

'Pentecost' presented a situation of confinement where the characters see beyond culture, language and religion and begin to share a common bond with one another.

“They exposed so many life stories and backgrounds of so many people,” said Esmailzadeh. “Even if they’re not necessarily true, I think it exists out here.”

At first, the play might seem difficult to understand because of the constellation of languages. But, the characters present such believable stories of war, exile and deportation that the emotions of pain and injustice quickly take prevalence.

“The tricky part in the play is that you have to figure out who understands who,” said acting student Mikel Mroué. “It’s an ensemble piece because it only fits if everyone is working together and everyone develops from one person to the other.”

Mroué played Leo Katz, an extremely knowledgeable American art historian. Along with his co-stars, he sacrificed his holiday break to research the development of art, the making of frescos, and the Italian artist Giotto di Bondone’s fresco ‘The Mourning of Christ’ in order to prepare for his leading role.

“It’s every actor’s job to research his character,” said Mroué. “I don’t think an actor should be praised for it because that’s his responsibility.



‘Pentecost’ continues at the Dome Theatre, 3990 Notre Dame W., on Feb. 1, 2 and 3. Contact the box office at 514-931-5000.