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Editorial, Opinion

McGill must take a stand against Bill 62

by McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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Bill 62 is a xenophobic piece of legislation that is not reflective of the multicultural values upheld at McGill. The bill, passed by the provincial government on Oct. 18, prohibits citizens from covering their faces while giving and using public services. Justified under the guise of religious neutrality and security, Bill 62 is anything but neutral. Instead, it targets one specific sector of society: Muslim women who choose to wear the burqa or the niqab. If enforced, the law will infringe on the religious freedom of these individuals on a day-to-day basis. These Muslim women—including McGill students—will, theoretically, be forced to unveil to access Quebec public services. That includes taking the bus or the metro, attending classes at McGill or another a public university, or getting medical treatment at a hospital.

This law stands to affect a significant number of McGill students—6.4 per cent of respondents in the 2009 Student Demographics Survey conducted by the Social Equity and Diversity Education Office (SEDE) identified as Muslim—some of whom may choose to wear a burqa or niqab. The McGill community must respond, because the university must be a safe space for all students. To promote values of cultural acceptance, diversity, and religious freedom, McGill administration, professors, and students must actively and vocally oppose Bill 62.

The debate over secularism in Quebec is not new. Since the revolutionary changes in the 1960s and ‘70s under the Lesage and Bourassa governments, wherein the Roman Catholic Church was forced to relinquish control over healthcare and education, many Quebecois have remained strictly devoted to enforcing the separation of church and state. However, these principles of non-discrimination and religious freedom have unfortunately become twisted covers for Islamophobia and ethnocentrism. Today, Bill 62 is the state’s response to recent waves of immigration—particularly from majority-Muslim countries—and the supposed challenges they pose to Quebec’s secularism. What the Quebec government fails to see is that to be secular is to ensure that no one religion is favoured or repressed by the state. By infringing on the religious freedom of Muslim women who choose to wear a burqa or niqab, the provincial government has confused secularism with discrimination.

If it truly embraces diversity, the university cannot remain silent on this blatant act of discrimination that will affect current and prospective members of the McGill community.

When the Trump administration enacted a travel ban on individuals from predominantly Muslim countries, a policy that similarly targeted a specific religious group, the McGill administration released a prompt statement in support of Muslim students affected by the discriminatory order. Principal Suzanne Fortier declared that the Executive Order contradicted McGill’s character as a “community that embraces diversity,” and asked students for feedback on how the legislation would stand to affect them and how McGill could appropriately support them. A similar statement regarding Bill 62 has yet to appear in students’ inboxes. McGill may rely on provincial government funding, but that is no excuse. If it truly embraces diversity, the university cannot remain silent on or comply with this blatant act of discrimination that will affect current and prospective members of the McGill community. McGill students need to know that their religious beliefs, whatever they may be, will be accepted and welcomed on campus. A clear statement from the university administration is necessary to communicate this, as well as a similar call for feedback from students to the one it issued after the travel ban.

Professors and students also have a responsibility to respond. Several McGill professors have posted announcements on MyCourses, promising not to enforce Bill 62 in their classrooms. Other professors should follow suite. Furthermore, McGill students must play an active role in combating religious discrimination and ethnocentrism on campus. Islamophobia threatens the potential for diversity and multiculturalism at McGill, and, more importantly, it violates the freedom and dignity of Muslim students.

In the face of recent violent threats against Muslims in Quebec and ignorant government legislation, now more than ever, all members of the McGill community must take steps to educate themselves on these issues, and promote respect. The McGill community, and especially the administration, cannot remain silent. Speaking out against this bill and the discriminatory attitudes underlying it is imperative to ensure that Muslim students—and all students, for that matter—know that McGill is a place where all students can express themselves freely. Ignorance breeds fear, but knowledge helps to promote cross-cultural understanding and respect. The stakes are high. We must all take a stand.

 

The McGill Tribune welcomes anyone who has been affected by Bill 62 and would like their voice to be heard to email [email protected].

 

@mcgilltribop | [email protected]

 

 
News, SSMU

SSMU Gendered and Sexual Violence Open Forum tackles lack of change and trust

by Julia Metraux on

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The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) hosted a Gendered and Sexual Violence Open Forum on Oct. 16 to receive feedback and answer questions from members of the McGill community on campus discourse surrounding sexual violence and the development of a SSMU Gendered and Sexualized Violence Policy (GSVP). SSMU Vice-President (VP) External Connor Spencer moderated the forum, which was livestreamed in order to increase its accessibility to the general public.

According to Spencer, SSMU is in the process of creating a GSVP after allegations that 2016-17 SSMU president Ben Ger and former 2016-17 SSMU VP External David Aird committed gendered and sexual violence, respectively.

“Some allegations were made against two students in [SSMU], which resulted in two executive resignations,” Spencer said. “One of these executives had anonymous disclosures, over 12, made against him. A group called the Community Disclosure Network [CDN] brought them forward to SSMU [….] Part of the work they did was a recommendation to look into creating a policy that specifically addresses gendered and sexualized violence.”

The purpose of the open forum was to collect a diverse set of student opinions on the forthcoming GSVP.

“With membership, we’re hoping to get general [feedback] on how students are feeling about conversations on campus, conversations at the admin level, conversations at the grassroots level,” Spencer said. “There are rooms and spaces on this campus that are working on these themes, […] but it’s often just specific student representatives.”

Spencer mentioned that the feedback from forums will be factored into the GSVP. She also confirmed that SSMU does not have sufficient resources for responding to disclosures or reports of gendered and sexualized violence. According to Spencer, SSMU’s only current avenue for addressing gendered and sexualized violence is its equity policy, which she says is insufficient.

“The equity policy explicitly states that it does not deal with sexual assault and sexual violence,” Spencer said. “That is why we got into the situation we were in last year. There is a SSMU employee manual that deals with sexual harassment and psychological harassment, and that is the closest thing.”

Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) Equity Commissioner Ana Paula Sanchéz, who attended the forum, criticized SSMU for not publicizing any recent changes in their approach to gendered and sexualized violence.

“I believe on the SSMU website, there’s no information on where to get resources [that address gendered and sexualized violence],” Sanchéz said. “Are we only going to have Facebook events and forums?”

One forum attendee posed a question about how discussions of triggering topics can prevent people from attending forums and other events centered around the discussion of gendered and sexualized violence. Dorothy Apedaile, U4 Science, pointed out that physically attending events is not the only way to contribute to the creation of the GSVP.

“Mobilization isn’t always about getting people into a room,” Apedaile said. “Mobilization is also about getting people to think about issues.”

Though the forum was a step towards developing SSMU’s GSVP, Spencer believes that the policy will take years to finalize.

“I have problems with some of the narratives that were mobilized when the current executive took office [about] how it’s a fresh slate,” Spencer said. “We have a flawed system [and] a flawed institution, and it is going to take many years of many good people before we can get students to talk about work that is being done [about gendered and sexualized violence].”

Out on the Town, Student Life

Ponton Costumes, est. 1865 takes a unique approach to vintage Halloween outfits

by Shanell Fan on

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When it comes to dressing up for Halloween, many students experience annual anxieties over finding a last minute costume that isn’t the run-of-the-mill cat ears or devil horns. Ponton Costumes stands in stark contrast to commercial costume stores, with its large array of high quality vintage costumes. Located in the Old Port, the store’s history dates back to 1865, when Joseph Ponton, theatre enthusiast and founder of the shop, worked as a barber on St-Laurent boulevard.

“Next to the barber shop, there was a costume store,” Carmelle Gagné, current owner of the store, said. “But he was not the owner for very long. Joseph Ponton died young, so the store was sold to Monsieur Phillipe who worked there for 20 years [….] Then it was sold to another [man] who worked there for 25 years, and then another one, until I bought it.”

Following Ponton’s death, the store continued to thrive as it passed on from successor to successor. It is now known as the oldest and largest costume shop in Montreal.

“Before [becoming the owner] I worked here for 30 years,” Gagné said. “I bought the store because I loved it, and it’s been an adventure.”

Gagné started working at Ponton Costumes in 1987, and continued to work as a saleswoman until she was presented with the opportunity to buy the shop. She currently owns the store with Dominique Broussard. Three years ago, the pair relocated the store to St. Catherine street East in the Old Port, away from their previous location near the Notre Dame church. Although the new location is smaller than the old space, Gagné believes it is easier for customers to walk through and for employees to maintain.

“The old one was much bigger,” Gagné said. “It was too big. Four floors. We had two floors for costumes, one floor for accessories, and one floor for [dressmaking]. It was hard to clean everything everyday, and there was so much [stuff] it was hard to [navigate].”

Despite its smaller location, the store didn’t lose any of its charm in the move. With giant purple velvet curtains framing its entrance, and a quaint, antique interior, the vibe at Ponton’s instantly puts shoppers in the Halloween spirit. The store offers a wide selection of costume paraphernalia from all decades, including antique masks, wigs, and accessories. Broussard also has her own station in the shop where she makes and mends the costumes on site. The wide variety of garments are organized neatly by era as to make one feel like they are travelling backward through time while walking through the store, from the 1990s to Ancient Rome.

Not only are the costumes handmade and the accessories antique, but the passion the owners have for the store comes through in every aspect of the shop. No other Halloween outlet in Montreal can trace its history back to the late 19th century, and rarely do they offer over 15,000 costumes spanning more than 20 themes. Since 1865, Ponton Costumes has remained one of Montreal’s greatest shops.

McGill, News, SSMU

Closure plans leave SSMU building tenants uncertain

by Ari Charles on

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In the aftermath of the announcement of the SSMU building scheduled closure on March 17, 2018, over 50 clubs and services that use the building are struggling with plans to find new offices. Clubs whose relocation plans are finalized include the Peer Support Centre, the Legal Information Clinic, and MSERT. The complete shutdown, planned to continue through the Winter 2019 semester, is necessary to construct a rooftop mechanical room, among other renovations. While the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) must relocate all of the building’s tenants, many group leaders say this assistance has come too late to be helpful.

Lower-profile groups, such as the Alegria Contemporary Ballet Company, are especially concerned about slipping through the cracks in the closure. The company’s president, Zoë Goldstein, understands that SSMU is in a difficult position, yet was dismayed by the fact that her group only found out about the closure through word of mouth.

Although Alegria does not perform in the SSMU building, it uses the building to rehearse for free. According to Goldstein, the group has already spent roughly $3,000 to rent a theatre next spring, and may now lack the necessary resources to obtain practice space.

“I expect that [SSMU] should have reached out to us right away,” Goldstein said. “The closure will cost us a lot a lot of money, and we’re on a tight budget. It’s difficult to find studio space, especially on weeknights [….] It’s a tremendous source of anxiety for me.”

A more visible tenant experiencing relocation pains is the Midnight Kitchen (MK) collective, a free vegan lunch service that operates from the third floor of the SSMU building. Although MK was notified of the closure in advance, Wade Walker, a paid employee of MK, would have preferred additional outreach from SSMU General Manager Ryan Hughes.

“[SSMU] did initially, in late August, say they had found us a space in a building on Peel [Street] that a lot of other services are going into,” Walker said. “But we brought up concerns that it wasn’t a commercial kitchen. Can we move our [food service] permit there? What happens with the equipment there because it’s not industrial?”

According to Walker, it was for these reasons that Hughes later ruled out moving MK to the Peel Street location, effectively bringing the collective back to square one.

“We don’t have any strong leads right now,” Walker said. “I guess we’re getting a little bit worried. It would have been nice if they had not offered us a space that was not going to work […] because it cut out a month’s worth of time that we thought we had it, and weren’t actively looking for other spaces.”

Although Walker expects that MK’s operations will return to normal after the SSMU building reopens, if the collective is unable to find an interim kitchen space, they may have to provide fewer meals or only offer cold foods. Walker also noted that some of the collective’s paid staff might have to search for new employment.

Other students facing temporary job loss are the employees of Gerts Bar, which will temporarily close.

An employee of the bar, who wished to remain anonymous to avoid retribution from management, alleged that Gerts knew of the impending closure in March, when it re-hired staff for this year. The student explained that they were not told that their employment would be cut short, and only learned of the closure along with the rest of the student body in September.

“My initial reaction [to the closure] was shock and disbelief,” the employee said. “We had signed contracts that were supposed to go until the end of April [2018] We have received no notice as to what is going to happen to those contracts after the building closes.”

Features

“Please read the policy”

by Ariella Garmaise on

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This past week, The McGill Tribune spoke to Angela Campbell, associate provost (Policies, Procedures  and Equity), and a pioneer of McGill’s new Policy against Sexual Violence. In this correspondence, the Tribune asked specifically about Our Turn—a third party inter-university action plan that grades Canadian universities on these types of policies­—pointing out that McGill scored zero for failing to process “faculty and staff […] under the same SVP (Sexual Violence Policy) as students.” Her response was rather curt.

                “This is false,” Campbell wrote. “The Policy applies to all members of the McGill community. Please read the Policy.”

                How is it possible that Campbell had such a different interpretation from Our Turn’s report on McGill’s Policy against Sexual Violence? The answer is that Campbell’s claim isn’t entirely unfounded, but it’s not entirely right either.

                Technically, Campbell is correct. As outlined in Section 1, “this policy applies to all Members of the University Community,” and faculty and staff members fall under the ‘University Community.’ However, when it comes to methods of recourse, students and faculty are held to different standards. Marc-Antoine Séguin, the director of Student Advocacy and University Affairs for the Legal Information Clinic at McGill (LICM), a not-for-profit organization that helps students navigate McGill policy, explained what exactly this difference entails.  

Commentary, Opinion

#MeToo comes at a cost

by Muhan Zhang on

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On Oct. 15, I scrolled past the first of the now viral “Me too” posts. Since then, I have tried to articulate my mixed feelings toward the “Me too” campaign in dozens of conversations with friends and fellow survivors. As much as I admire the thousands of women who have spoken up through this campaign, I cannot help but feel uneasy about the emotional and affective labour that the “Me too” movement demands of survivors.

Affective labour, in this instance, comes in the form of calling upon survivors to post in order to prove their personal and collective experiences of sexual assault and harassment. The viral visibility of the campaign itself forces survivors to relive intensely difficult emotions and experiences with every post they see. To call this upsetting is to put the feeling—and its magnitude—lightly.

As I debated whether I should post a "Me too" myself, I also considered the positive and empowering aspects of this hashtag. Indeed, #MeToo speaks to the shared experience among over half the population, and moreover, a type of experience that is otherwise taboo in regular conversation or public forums. No one wants to bring up difficult personal stories of sexual assault or harassment in spaces or moments not meant for them—such as a Facebook newsfeed—and these designated spaces are almost always few and inaccessible. As such, to be able to say "Me too" via social media can be a rare moment of catharsis. "Me too" gives survivors a platform to be brave and outspoken. In return, they are validated and heard.

 

The drive of this movement rests wholly on the backs of the survivors.

And yet, in our celebration of the bravery and resilience of these individuals, we must not forget that the effectiveness of “Me too” is wholly predicated on every participant’s acute and mostly involuntary affective labour. Actress Alyssa Milano, one of the purported initiators of the viral movement, tweeted in her original post: “If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote ‘Me too.’ as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.” Those who post are thus called upon and even pressured to come forward with their own testimonies. In many ways, this campaign therefore replicates pre-existing patterns in which we demand survivors to convince us of their truth from a position of fundamental disbelief. Meanwhile, those who see the posts are forced to not only recall their experiences of assault and harassment, but also relive the trauma of systemic disbelief, inaction, and general helplessness that so frequently follows these experiences.

And so, over the past few days, as the momentum of “Me too” wore thin through attrition, and criticisms emerged alongside sentiments of solidarity, it was the survivors who came under fire.

In other words, while the intent of "Me too" might be to expose the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment against predominantly women to predominantly men, the drive of this movement rests wholly on the backs of the survivors. While the effectiveness of such a strategy remains up for debate, we absolutely cannot forget the affective labour we are demanding—and have always demanded—of survivors.

Likewise, we cannot forget that overwhelming statistics and testimonies regarding sexual assault already exist, and have proven ineffectual in prompting significant change. Performative allyship online will be the first result of this movement, but it is not enough. What remains to be seen is whether meaningful action will follow, or if we are merely retracing well-worn paths of demanding affective labour of survivors from a standpoint of systemic disbelief.

If you feel frustrated and fed up,

Me too.

 

 

 

Muhan Zhang is a fourth-year joint honours Art History and East Asian Studies student. Her thesis pertains to contemporary Asian diasporic and transnational art, and she likes making lists and rearranging her furniture.

 

@mcgilltribop | [email protected]

 

 

Science & Technology

Why reducing emissions isn’t enough to change our climate trajectory

by Jade Prévost-Manuel on

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Audience members at the Living Soils Symposium’s climate talk on Oct. 15 fell silent when the conference’s final speaker, President and Co-Founder of The Carbon Underground Larry Kopald, spoke out on the bleak future of climate change mitigation.

“I’d like to start by saying we’re not going to save the world,” Kopald said.

The symposium was hosted from Oct. 13 to 15 by Concordia University, and featured a team of interdisciplinary speakers discussing how soils play a role in many of our most pressing social and environmental issues. Food producers, government delegates, journalists, and NGOs joined the league of speakers to pitch in their two cents.

Among them was Kopald, a branding professional of 25 years, whose advertising portfolio includes some of the biggest names in consumerism; from American Express to Huggies diapers, all the way down to chicken McNuggets. But behind his savvy business sense is his passion for environmentalism. Kopald expresses the need for a world-wide wake up call on climate change.

“We don’t have 50 years,” Kopald said. “And so far nothing we’ve done has gotten the world to come together and say ‘this is a crisis.’”

The last 250 years have witnessed the industrialization of both energy and food. In terms of energy, incredible progress has been made in re-industrializing cleaner, more efficient forms. Thirty-five per cent of Germany’s power production for the first half of 2017 was renewable energy, and in August, Orlando became the 40th American city to pledge to reach 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030.

“[Clean energy is] less expensive, it’s reducing emissions, it’s producing millions and millions of new jobs around the world and it’s never going to save the planet,” Kopald said.

This statement seems terribly inaccurate considering the scale of ‘green’ energy operations over the last 40 or so years. But Kopald argues that we can’t save the world, because creating renewable sources of energy and reducing emissions is only one half of the equation to which a bigger picture exists.

Carbon stays permanently in the atmosphere until it’s removed, and though the time lag between when carbon enters the atmosphere and when its effects are visible is debated, the upper limit is centuries long. If every country were to reduce their carbon emissions to 0, global warming would still continue. Kopald thus brings the other half of this equation to light—and why soil is one of the variables.

“What if we look at food the same way we look at energy,” Kopald said. “What we’re looking at is renewable foods, and ultimately, renewable soils.”

Renewable foods is the second half of the equation. Soil’s capacity for carbon sequestration–the removal of atmospheric carbon dioxide from the atmosphere–is astounding, but the intensive agricultural methods that have been used since the industrial revolution have not only degraded the soil to the point where it no longer is arable, but have inhibited its ability to sequester atmospheric carbon.

As a result, a new demand for regenerative agriculture grows: A system designed to maintain healthy soils that can absorb atmospheric carbon. Science is capable of restoring soils; according to Kopald, it’s now a matter of creating incentive for food producers to practice regenerative agriculture and for corporations to invest in it.

“Ninety-three per cent of the Fortune 100 companies have made investments in renewable power,” Kopald said. “What if we’re offering food companies renewable food? What we’re doing is offering healthier supply chains.”

He argued that, fundamentally, the situation demands a better business model. Science has the means to regenerate soils but it’s a matter of big corporations and governments initiating the shift. The solution to the world’s carbon problems isn’t just a matter of reducing our emissions–it’s understanding what we can do to reverse the damage that’s already done.

“And when you put renewable food together with renewable energy, you get a very promising future,” Kopald said.

Commentary, Opinion

McGill students need a Fall reading week to maintain mental health

by Johanna Cline on

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Taking a break is beneficial and often necessary for maintaining mental health. A rising number of Canadian universities are acknowledging this in their academic calendars by implementing a Fall reading week. With strenuous midterms, shorter days, and overburdened on-campus support services, McGill students need a Fall break to improve their well-being and academic success.

In November 2015, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) proposed a Fall reading week, but failed to implement it because of administrative concerns, including, according to former Vice-President (VP) University Affairs Chloe Rourke, “aversion to change” and apprehension about student benefits from the break. Further, outdated tradition has placed constraints on how the McGill calendar is set. Currently, the calendar follows Senate guidelines that are still based off of year-long courses, meaning they’re not structured with Fall midterms in mind. In April 2015, an Enrolment Services survey of 5,000 students found that 71.5 per cent of respondents were in favour of having a Fall reading break. Later that year, SSMU passed a motion in support of the break.

Although efforts have been made to find a way to accommodate a Fall break through calendar restructuring, administrative barriers are not a sufficient excuse. The momentum behind creating another break must continue to grow, in order to give students the aid they require as immediately as possible—ideally by next year. For every bureaucratic speed bump blocking the path to implementing a Fall reading week, there are countless students whose participation in their education is diminished by burnout.

Students would benefit massively from an additional break. As one of Canada’s top schools, McGill is known for its rigorous academic programmes. This hard-working atmosphere is intense year-round, but reaches alarming peaks during midterm season—when stress and exhaustion can ignite mental health challenges for students. McGill Health Services has even reported an increased demand for mental health support in October and November. Unfortunately, the spiking demand means longer waitlists and delayed assistance for those who need it most. Despite these critical issues and evident student support for an additional break, the university has yet to update the calendar.

For every bureaucratic speed bump blocking the path to implementing a Fall reading week, there are countless students whose participation in their education is diminished by burnout.

With rising demand for mental health services, other Canadian universities have moved to adopt Fall breaks for their weary students. Today, 61 per cent of universities nation-wide incorporate rest days into Fall semester. At the University of Alberta, for example, officials implemented a post-midterm break to alleviate pressure on students whose mental wellness had been strained during the arduous assessments. Mount Royal University in Calgary—another school that has recently designated a Fall break—believes the time off offers students experiencing challenges in their studies the opportunity to seek academic aid at a time that’s early enough in the semester to course correct—a reassurance that lessens students’ mental burdens.

At Western University, implementation of a first-semester break arose from more than just student petitioning and a concern for mental health on campus—it was a response to crises. After two high-profile suicides, the Senate finally heard what students had been saying for years—that they needed a break—and added a week off in October.

Tragedy cannot be the only way to incite a response. McGill’s mission to advance learning and offer the best possible education is not obtainable for students when they are unable to manage their studies alongside their mental health. Administrators must recognize concerns about overwhelming student stress and face facts about deteriorating wellness during midterms. This means working through bureaucratic barriers to implement a restructured academic calendar with a Fall reading week sooner, rather than later.

McGill needs to support students during stressful periods; not just through on-campus support, but through thoughtful restructuring of their academic experience to allow students time to catch up on work and rest. McGill cannot wait for tragedy to occur—it should take action now.

 

Johanna is a U1 student majoring in Philosophy with a double minor in Political Science and Gender Studies.

 

@mcgilltribop | [email protected]

 

Arts & Entertainment, Theatre

‘Nightfall’ explores the intersection of art and insanity

by Avery Warkentin on

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Players’ Theatre is an independent group at McGill, run entirely by undergraduate students. Nightfall, their first production of the 2017-2018 season is a theatrical adaptation of four tales by Edgar Allan Poe: The Raven, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum, and The Tell-Tale Heart. The play takes us into the mind of Poe and, through a continuous, vignette-style adaptation, explores the meaning and meeting of madness and genius. An engaging and ambitious revisioning of Poe’s works, Nightfall provides strong performances, and—although suffering from somewhat unpolished audio production—serves as a haunting tour of Poe’s fraught inner workings. 

Director Kenzia Dalie’s adaptation is one continuous act with no intermission and only small set changes separating the four storylines. The first story, The Raven, depicts Edgar Allen Poe as he sits in his study, trying to forget his lost love, Lenore. The appearance of a raven at his window drives Poe mad as he repeatedly asks the raven painful and personal questions—questions to which the raven only responds, “Nevermore.” In The Fall of the House of Usher, an unnamed man returns to the home of a boyhood friend, Roderick Usher, only to find that the house and its inhabitants are hiding sinister secrets. The Pit and the Pendulum is a first-person narration of a man who finds himself trapped in a prison and has to escape a series of torturous devices. Finally,  The Tell-Tale Heart provides a story of paranoia and mental deterioration as Poe himself tells the story of how he murdered an old man.

Luke Horton delivers a haunting performance as Poe in the opening and closing stories. Matthew Milton, Oliver Epstein, Esme Thompson, Emma Barbisan, and Stanley Myers O’Mulloy round out the dynamic cast. The actors play multiple roles, giving the production an intimate feel and allowing each actor to develop a more prominent presence on stage. This directorial decision to keep the cast small pays off, as Nightfall’s strength lies primarily in its actors’ performances. 

The opening tale, The Raven, serves as an introductory piece into the mind of Poe. The dialogue is split between cast members, creating a seamless shared narrative. Horton’s Poe captivatingly delivers some of the most poignant lines in the poem. With sunken eyes and lifeless stares, he dominates the stage and convincingly captures the poet’s mania. Perfectly rehearsed dialogue from Epstein, Thompson, and Milton, who all play unnamed characters, create a fluid narrative that is wonderfully eerie to watch. 

Interestingly, the raven of the poem is played by an actor (Emma Barbisan). Although the avine personification is initially intriguing, its presence at times distracts from the rest of the characters on stage. The raven only repeats a single word of dialogue a handful of times, rendering its large physical presence on stage somewhat at odds with its limited vocabulary.

The subsequent three tales provide a similar combination of horror and suspense. However, tense moments were periodically interrupted by technical shortcomings. Set changes, although necessary, felt unpolished and lighting and sound cues were not always precise. Sound effects were also an issue, most notably in the third piece, The Pit and the Pendulum. Nightfall chooses to use voice over in its adaptation of the story, rather than a live performance of the dialogue—a technical choice which doesn’t quite live up to its potential. Myers O’Mulloy gives a strong speechless performance as the prisoner, yet the unpolished and uneven recording feels like a jarring modern insertion in an otherwise antique world.

Sarah Alevy’s set is well utilized and appropriately versatile, with a singular old-fashioned living space serving as the setting for three out of the four pieces (The Pit and Pendulum is set downstage and uses only a single chair). Costume designer Allie McGowan also stands out with her use of old-fashioned formal wear, invoking a distinctly Victorian aura. 

Nightfall, despite a few technical  shortcomings, is a unique adaptation of literary classics. With compelling performances and haunting characters, it presents an appropriately disturbing examination of a poet’s descent into madness—a fitting performance for the Halloween season.

 

Nightfall runs from Oct. 18-28 at Players’ Theatre, 3rd floor SSMU. Tickets are $6 for students and $10 for general admission. Tickets can be reserved online or purchased at the door.

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