Last Friday night I did dinner a little differently—I set my computer up in my kitchen and logged into Zoom for a live theatre cooking lesson. The Cultch was presenting a new play, “Farm to Fable”, written and directed by Amiel Gladstone. The main character, Nadine, is hosting her first live-streamed cooking class while other characters weave in and out of the scene.
The story moved along quickly, as the show was only an hour long. Participants were given a recipe for tomato tortilla soup in advance so we could have all the ingredients on-hand. It started out much like any tv cooking show, upbeat, with Nadine (Meaghan Chenosky) playing the part of host and teacher in a clean white kitchen with film lighting and multiple cameras.
My small kitchen was a disaster zone as I frantically tried to chop, measure, watch and take notes all at the same time. Simply watching was an option, but I wanted the full experience. The chaos at home matched the chaos on screen. I was relieved when other characters, all played by Chenosky, started interrupting the lesson, calling or showing up at the door off-camera. It gave me time to catch up.
Switching between multiple characters with distinct personalities is a difficult undertaking. Bravo to Chenosky for taking on the challenge! Nadine and her ex, Rick, were the most authentic characters. They were more well rounded and realistic than some others, like the stereotypically meddlesome mother. Slowly we learned more about Nadine and how her life was recently uprooted. The script became less frantic and I was pulled into the story more and more as it unfolded, absorbed by the unexpectedly heartfelt final scenes. I stopped watching my pot. Good thing Gladstone timed the action to correspond with the recipe, and it was just simmering at that point.
Chenosky started off removed from the audience. She would tell a joke, but not know if anyone laughed. Then she started asking audience members to unmute and share personal stories, improvising in character while bringing their experiences to the forefront. People started sharing things in the group chat, and taking sides about who was right in the fictional breakup. This got me reminiscing about people and places that I love. I felt so warm and cozy by the end, ready to curl up on the couch and eat the delicious hearty soup I had made. Farm to Fable used the power of memory and food to take us on a journey from chaos to connection.
Visit the Cultch’s website to find out about more exciting shows like “Farm to Fable”!
– Kristen Lawson