Affair of Honor offers furious fun in Playthings at PHT, April 8 to 17
The fight- and movement-based theatre and performance company livestreams a daring tale of mortals and gods
The cast of Playthings in a photo collage by April MacKillins Photography
Presentation House Theatre presents Affair of Honor’s Playthings, livestreaming in real-time April 8 to 17
AFFAIR OF HONOUR of Honor is a Vancouver fight- and movement-based company that trains in the art of performance combat, ensemble building, and physical theatre. Currently in residence at Presentation House Theatre, the group cultivates stories with strong femme-identifying leads.
Consider Playthings, which Affair of Honor cofounders, Nathania Bernabe and Jackie T. Hanlin, set amid the onslaught of the Trojan War. As tensions between Greek gods reach a peak, Ares and Athena, two gods of war, vent their frustrations by playing with the lives—and sanities—of two mortal warrior queens.
The work, which ran at the 2019 Edmonton Fringe Festival, has a range of fight styles mixed in with fiery exchanges of words and swords. It’s a structure that called for inventive retooling with the original cast for the pandemic-era livestream.
From distancing in stage combat to blocking choreography to avoid contact, the re-creation led to the development of a new movement vocabulary for the team and the exploration of non-contact storytelling.
For tickets and information, head to Presentation House Theatre .
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