Renata Zablotney's theatre students at Pemberton Secondary School (PSS) have a nickname they refer to her as: "Drama Mama," which speaks to the lasting impact she has had on her pupils even after Graduation Day.
"It's absolutely phenomenal," she says of the connection with her former students, at least four of whom have gone on to pursue theatre at the post-secondary level.
The trust Zablotney has forged with her students means there is a steady stream of familiar faces at the ready whenever she's in need of performers. The five-person cast of her latest production for Bard in the Barn is made up almost entirely of Zablotney's former students, with another, Dallan Brodowski, serving as assistant director.
"We've grown such a camaraderie through our drama program at PSS. But then, it's amplified even more by the fact that I see these people outside of school and they still connect with me and they still reach out and want to be a part of this art form. That means the world to me," Zablotney adds.
The PSS teacher is going back to the Shakespeare well this year at Bard in the Barn, a fundraiser for the Pemberton Farmers' Market, with several lighthearted scenes inspired by his historical play, Julius Caesar. The production takes a distinctly contemporary view on the Bard's political tragedy, featuring, for example, a scene performed entirely in a film noir style, while another, written by Zablotney, strikes a meta tone by transplanting the political machinations of the original play into the, er, cutthroat world of a theatre company.
"[In that scene] Shakespeare has two actors and one of them is terrible, so he's trying to get rid of him, but then that actor gets everybody on his side ... so Shakespeare has to sway the company to get rid of this actor," Zablotney explains. "He plays the Mark Antony to his Brutus."
Shakespeare's plays are no stranger to modernization, and Zablotney uses humour to deliver the writer's layered messaging and themes. Similarly, last year's Bard in the Barn adapted Shakespeare's plays—all 37 of them—into one breakneck, knee-slapping comedy, with each actor playing a flurry of roles (that trend continues this year, although most of the cast maxes out at just a handful of characters). It's by adapting the Bard's work for a modern audience that its timelessness becomes all the more apparent, Zablotney believes.
"We're still so familiar with all of Shakespeare's works already that I think when you mention a play by him, you know a rough outline of what you're getting yourself into. So I think to actually reflect on it in a modern context, you get to see how relevant the works still are," she says. "I think Julius Caesar is incredibly relevant in the sense of how it is about friends and about political mob swaying and about imagery. I think it's really relevant today and I think taking those themes and twisting them and making them funny or making them a satire is important."
After producing last year's inaugural Bard in the Barn event, Zablotney says it's clear that Pemberton is "starved for arts and culture" and could be primed for a small theatre scene to develop there. "I just want to see it getting bigger and bigger. I think a lot of people really strive for these opportunities to have this kind of fun arts and culture in their backyard," she says.
Bard in the Barn is set for the Pemberton and District Community Centre on Saturday, Aug. 3 at 4 p.m. It will feature live music and fresh-made treats from farmers' market vendors. Tickets are $20, available at www.eventbrite.ca/e/bard-in-the-barn-tickets-65080525604.
