The
      Cadre
      -
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      ERIN
      FAGAN
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      There
      is
      both
      a
      chill
     
     
      and
      an
      intoxication
      which
     
     
      comes
      upon
      finding
      yourself
     
     
      as
      a
      witness
      at
      the
      edge
      of
     
     
      conflict.
     
    

    
     
      When
      the
      personalities
     
     
      and
      their
      actions
      are
      very
     
     
      much
      in
      your
      face,
      you
      are
     
     
      forced
      to
      look,
      listen,
      and
     
     
      speculate
      about
      things
      that
     
     
      are
      otherwise
      avoided.
     
    

    
     
      Last
      week,
      the
      Edge
     
     
      Players’
      production
      of
      Cana-
     
     
      dian
      Murder
      Trial
      was
      held
     
     
      at
      The
      Barn
      for
      three
      eve-
     
     
      =
      s,
      combining
      elements
      of
     
    

    
     
      ulti-media,
      a
      gritty
      and
     
     
      witty
      script,
      powerful
      charac-
     
     
      ter
      performances,
      and
      well-
     
     
      metred
      crime-drama
      sus-
     
     
      pense
      to
      create
      a
      theatre
      ex-
     
     
      perience
      filled
      with
      impact.
     
     
      While
      some
      parts
      of
      the
      show
     
     
      were
      somewhat
      slow
      and
      re-
     
     
      petitive,
      this
      was
      by
      far
      out-
     
     
      weighed
      by
      performance
      and
     
     
      suspense
      in
      the
      innovative
     
     
      troupe’s
      seventh
      production.
     
    

    
     
      The
      themes
      and
      struc-
     
     
      ture
      of
      the
      play
      were
      reminis-
     
     
      cent
      of
      the
      highly
      acclaimed
     
     
      television
      show
      “Law
      &
      Or-
     
     
      der”
      in
      following
      one
      brutal
     
     
      murder
      from
      the
      crime
      scene
     
     
      through
      the
      investigation
      and
     
     
      on
      to
      the
      climactic
      trial
      pro-
     
     
      ceedings.
     
    

    
     
      The
      writer-producer-
     
     
      director
      team
      of
      Randy
      Bur-
     
     
      rows
      and
      Francois
      Weber,
     
     
      long
      involved
      in
      the
      four
      year
     
     
      history
      of
      the
      Edge
      Players
     
     
      troupe,
      began
      the
      project
      two
     
     
      years
      ago
      out
      of
      an
      interac-
     
     
      tive
      creative
      process.
     
    

    
     
      “We
      thought
      it
      would
     
     
      be
      a
      cool
      idea
      to
      try
      a
      court-
     
     
      room
      drama
      of
      some
      sort
      --
     
     
      like
      Law
      &
      Order
      --
      so
      we
     
     
      drew
      up
      ideas,”
      explained
     
     
      Burrows
      as
      he
      described
      the
     
     
      origins
      of
      the
      play.
     
    

    
     
      From
      what
      Burrows
     
    
   
   
    
     
      30
      March
      1999
     
    
   
   
    
     
      referred
      to
      as
      the
      completion
     
     
      of
      the
      “first
      bastard
      script,”
     
     
      he
      described
      the
      role
      of
      in-
     
     
      put
      and
      ideas
      from
      the
      per-
     
     
      formers
      into
      aspects
      like
     
     
      characterization
      as
      being
     
     
      highly
      formative,
      although
     
     
      the
      inclusion
      of
      news
      clips
     
     
      and
      video
      evidence
      presented
     
     
      on
      three
      screens
      around
      the
     
     
      set
      was
      an
      idea
      that
      they
      had
     
     
      desired
      to
      include
      from
      the
     
     
      beginning.
      I
      felt
      these
      ele-
     
     
      ments
      served
      to
      compare
     
     
      what
      is
      seen
      by
      the
      general
     
     
      public
      with
      what
      actually
      oc-
     
     
      curs
      in
      a
      criminal
      investiga-
     
     
      tion.
     
    

    
     
      “We
      wanted
      to
      have
      a
     
     
      multimedia
      component,
      to
     
     
      recreate
      the
      audio-visual
      evi-
     
     
      dence
      [that
      would
      be
      found]
     
     
      in
      a
      courtroom,”
      said
      Bur-
     
     
      rows,
      whose
      cameo
      as
      re-
     
     
      porter
      Steve
      LeCavelier
      in
     
     
      televised
      news
      reports
     
     
      bridged
      scenes
      and
      added
     
     
      wonderful
      lightness
      to
      the
     
     
      proceedings.
     
    

    
     
      The
      plot
      of
      the
      show
     
     
      was
      based
      in
      part
      on
      a
      true
     
     
      story,
      namely
      a
      relatively
      re-
     
     
      cent
      case
      where
      a
      man
      used
     
     
      the
      infamous
      “too
      drunk
      to
     
     
      know”
      defence
      after
      a
      brutal
     
     
      Canadian
      murder.
     
    

    
     
      In
      this
      play,
      the
      body
     
     
      of
      an
      assaulted
      17-year-old
     
     
      girl
      is
      discovered
      in
      a
      store-
     
     
      room.
      The
      victim
      (played
      by
     
     
      stage
      manager
      Alison
     
     
      MacDonald)
      had
      apparently
     
     
      used
      fake
      I.D.
      to
      enter
      a
     
     
      crowded
      bar,
      and
      is
      discov-
     
     
      ered
      to
      have
      had
      high
      levels
     
     
      of
      alcohol
      and
      rohypnol
      (or
     
     
      “Rufies”,
      the
      highly
      publi-
     
     
      cized
      “date
      rape”
      dru
      oe
     
     
      system
      at
      the
      time
      o
     
    

    
     
      When
      a
      suspect,
      dy-
     
     
      namically
      fleshed-out
      b
     
     
      Michael
      Farrell,
      is
      fou
     
     
      there
      is
      new
      wana
      5
      on
      nen
     
     
      sides
      as
      eee
     
     
      personal
      responsi
      une
      sate
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Arts
      &
      ENTERTAINMENT_
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Murder
      on
      the
      Edge
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Edge
      Players
      stage
      Canadian
      Murder
      Trial
     
    
   
   
    
     
      defendent’s
      rights
      confront
     
     
      each
      other
      on
      legal
      grounds.
     
     
      The
      startlingly
      violent
      con-
     
     
      clusion
      leaves
      a
      few
      more
     
     
      questions
      than
      answers
      --
     
     
      which
      is
      always
      a
      good
      thing
     
     
      in
      murder
      mystery.
     
    

    
     
      As
      aresult
      of
      the
      close
     
     
      proximity
      of
      the
      recreated
     
     
      murder
      scene
      and
      the
      realism
     
     
      of
      investigative
      characters
     
     
      (highlighted
      by
      the
      strong
     
     
      pce
      of
      Dennis
     
    

    
     
      Iisworth
      and
      Tony
      Larder
      as
     
     
      embittered
      and
      frustrated
      de-
     
     
      tectives,
      and
      by
      Jennifer
     
     
      Campbell
      as
      a
      traumatized
     
     
      and
      somewhat
      confused
      wit-
     
     
      ness
      interrogated
      by
      Kirk
     
     
      MacKinnon),
      it
      felt
      like
      the
     
     
      closest
      experience
      for
      an
      au-
     
     
      dience
      member
      to
      tangibly
     
     
      rr
      along
      with
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tality
      home
      and
     
     
      into
      the
      interrogation
      room.
     
     
      In
      this
      scene,
      one
      was
      im-
     
     
      pressed
      by
      the
      striking
      “mean
     
     
      streets
      of
      Oshawa”
      attitude
      of
     
     
      one
      suspect
      played,
      althou
     
     
      slightly
      smirkily,
      by
      T
     
     
      ee
     
     
      bat
      characterization
      of
      a
     
     
      ree
      cpt
      by
      Lisa
     
    
   
   
    
     
      court
      scene,
      in-
     
     
      cluding
      a
      jury
      section
      filled
     
     
      with
      inadvertant
      audience
     
     
      members,
      showcased
      the
     
     
      measured
      and
      well-styled
     
     
      bantering
      of
      Francois
      Weber
     
     
      and
      Aynsley
      Batherson,
      fur-
     
     
      ther
      vivid
      performances
      by
     
     
      witnesses
      and
      court
      members
     
     
      such
      as
      Jennifer
      Godfrey
     
     
      (who
      was
      naturally
      reminis-
     
     
      cent
      of
      the
      sort
      of
      “expert”
     
     
      one
      would
      expect
      on
      the
     
     
      stand),
      Robertson
      Li
     
     
      Leo
      Cheverie,
      and
      the
      j
     
    
   
   
    
     
      evin
     
    
   
   
    
     
      rtrayed
      by
      S
     
     
      Shabaty.
      Other
      characters
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      pr
      by
      Haley
      Crane,
     
     
      mes
      Hicken
      and
      Darcy
     
     
      MacDougall
      added
      to
      the
     
     
      vivid
      realism
      of
      the
      story
      and
     
     
      the
      power
      of
      this
      large
      cast.
     
     
      What
      impressed
      me
     
     
      most
      about
      this
      was
      the
     
     
      Michael
      Farrell
      and
      Francois
     
     
      Weber
      as
      the
      “seemingly”
     
     
      normal
      suspect
      and
      the
      emo-
     
     
      tionally
      charged
      defense
      law-
     
     
      yer,
      respectively.
      Farrell
      was
     
     
      a
      disturbingly
      changeable
     
    
   
   
    
     
      plete
      wit
      an
      Edward
      Norton
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      crew
      cut
      and
      a
      thinly
      var-
     
     
      nished
      smugness
      which
      made
     
     
      this
      character
      so
      psychologi-
     
     
      cally
      and
      physically
      present.
     
    

    
     
      “It
      was
      an
      interestin
     
     
      character
      because
      of
      the
      shi
     
     
      in
      character,
      the
      challenge
      of
     
     
      two
      characters
      in
      one,”
      stated
     
     
      Farrell
      about
      the
      nature
      of
     
     
      this
      complex
      role.
     
    

    
     
      “You
      just
      wanted
      to
     
     
      hit
      the
      guy
      or
      something,”
     
     
      complimented
      one
      audience
     
     
      member,
      also
      struck
      by
      the
     
     
      performance.
     
     
      *Continued
      on
      page
      9
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
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