2b Theatre’s smash success Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story comes home to Halifax (where it premiered at The Waiting Room on Almon Street in May, 2017), and plays at Neptune’s Scotiabank Studio Theatre until November 17th, 2019. Written by Hannah Moscovitch, Christian Barry, and Ben Caplan, this “Klezmer-folk music-theatre hybrid” has toured around the world, including playing Off-Broadway in New York City where it was nominated for six Drama Desk Awards. Here at home the show won the 2018 Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterworks Arts Award.
I had the opportunity to chat with Mary Fay Coady, who has been with the play as an actor and musician since its initial run in Halifax in 2017. She plays Chaya, a character based on playwright Hannah Moscovitch’s great-grandmother.
“Chaya is a Romanian Jewish woman who has moved to the New World, Canada, reluctantly, and has a deep love and appreciation for the Old World, for her life in Romania,” explains Coady, “She was married to the man of her dreams, and she had a baby, and she had a whole a life there that she felt that she had to leave behind in order to assimilate into the New World of Canada. So, her story is about coming to terms with how she can live and exist in the New World with all of the hardships that come with having to leave all the things that she loved behind. Also, [she questions] what parts of herself does she keep, the parts of herself that have been made up of the Old World, how much can she bring of that to her new life?”
We speak about one in scene in particular where Chaya and her husband Chaim (played by Eric DaCosta) discuss prospective names for their newborn son and we see Chaya learning for the first time about Chaim’s tragic past. “How did they not know about each other’s traumas?” asks Coady, “But, that’s what’s so crazy. In 1908, the marriage process [here] was that you meet someone, you have a small meeting with them, and then off you go… so you really do find that the journey of being together is finding out more about one another after you’ve been married, which is totally opposite of how we work today.” Coady laughs.
We discuss how beautifully Moscovitch has written this scene, which says so much with very few words. “[Hannah’s] writing is the best,” says Coady, “Period. Especially in this play, her writing is really lean. There isn’t a whole lot of dialogue. It’s the first time as an actor that I feel like I have room to use movement, or gesture, or non-verbal communication to really build the character. It shouldn’t say it’s the first time, but it’s certainly the most prominent time, because usually there is so much text, so much talking- you’re talking about your feelings, but here there is real room to not say what’s going on, and so it’s totally chock-a-block full of subtext and behavioural communications.” That comes down to how strongly Moscovitch is trusting her actors and director, Christian Barry to communicate what isn’t necessary implicit on the page. “This is exactly how I feel. I’ve never felt so much trust from a writer,” says Coady.
It has been an adventure for the cast to perform Old Stock around the world, over 220 times so far. “I’ll tell you the greatest thing about doing 220 shows… I’ve never had the opportunity to do that many shows, so I really feel like I’ve had quite an evolution in my relationship to the show and my relationship with Chaya,” explains Coady, “Usually, in Nova Scotia, you’re lucky if you’re doing a run of two to four weeks; maybe here at Neptune it’s a little bit longer, but this is like just so, so much data. [There is an element of] just getting comfortable with it evolving in ways I’ve never experienced before. Having the relationship with it where you really feel “in it”, you feel like you’re hearing what you’re saying, and you’re responding to your scene partner, and then having nights where, on the 170th show, I don’t “feel” like I’m in it, which is just code for: I’m relating to this differently then I had before. I’d never really had the opportunity to get to that point before. Usually, there’s not enough time, so you’re trying to dig really deep really quickly, but here you have tons of time, so you’re trying to figure out how you can [keep on relating] to it to still put on the best show possible. So, I feel like that has been a great adventure for me.”
Audiences continually respond to the show by speaking to the universality of the story about refugees and immigrants trying to make a new life for themselves in a world often vastly different from the one they had known. Coady references a recent news story about Quebec making immigrants pass a provincial “values test” saying that the themes of this play are, “still so much a part of our lives.” The play begins at Pier 21, so although the story has resonated with people all over the world (and will likely continue to do so), there is a special connection for the creators and their characters right here in Halifax.
Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story plays at Neptune Theatre’s Scotiabank Studio (1593 Argyle Street, Halifax) Tuesdays-Sundays at 7:30pm, with 2:00pm shows on Saturdays and Sundays until November 17th, 2019. Ticket availability is limited. You can book tickets in person at the Box Office at 1593 Argyle Street, by phone 902.429.7070 or ONLINE HERE. Tonight (November 5th) is Industry Night, tomorrow (November 6th) is Talk Back Night. This show will sell out, so buy your tickets soon!
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