February 2016
The Sound STC • Vol.2 Issue 02
What’s a Woman To Do? Act Poor.
By Zoe Adams
“Rehearsals start on Tuesday, and I’m very excited,” enthused Monica
Dufault, star of the Essential Collective Theatre’s presentation of POOR.
“The show is set in present-day Vancouver. The main character,
Schelly Cormorant, is extremely wealthy. She impulsively decides to
find out what it’s like to be poor!” she continued, “So, Schelly pretends
she’s homeless in a very Vivienne Westwood fashion. She goes out and
encounters people in the poorest part of Vancouver. She gets robbed and
beaten and falls in love.”
Dufault commented on the interesting challenge that director, Karen
Wood, faced while working on POOR.
“POOR is a one-woman show. But, I impersonate more than 25 characters in the presentation of this story. I’m on stage the whole time!
There’s no point in leaving it,” laughed Monica.
Dufault also addressed the challenges of presenting so many characters
on stage.
“A one-woman show with 25 plus characters could become overwhelming. But, from my perspective as the actor, I’m really just playing
Schelly. It’s she who tells the audience what happened – sometimes with
the perspective of the people she meets. You kind of adopt that character
for a moment or two. Otherwise it would be extremely hard to follow
along with the changes,” she said.
That’s not to say there haven’t been some comical roadblocks along
the way.
“We have a couple of fight scene...” Monica paused for some time, then
smiled. “Without giving it away, I’ll be fighting with myself.”
POOR is a dark comedy that focuses on homelessness, mental health,
and domestic abuse.
“Ultimately, Schelly’s journey turns her life upside down. We approach
her with a kind of in-your-face humour. Schelly has lived with a great
deal of ignorance. She is sheltered and privileged. It will be interesting to
see how the audience reacts,” she said.
“We have already started working on design concepts. Peter Dillman
designed with the Shaw Festival, and we are very lucky to have him on
our team. Roberta Doyle is working on the costuming, which is another
important aspect of this production.”
The Essential Collective Thea