The show ‘Woman in Black’ just closed at Vertigo Theatre. I mention it because I was assistant director to Kelly Reay (also the artistic director of Sage Theatre). That may seem like a strange project for me to work on but it actually really is not. I am including my Assistant Director notes here that explains why i chose to work on the project. It was a really wonderful project and everyone who worked on it and everyone at Vertigo was really open, welcoming and generous.
Assistant Director Notes – Woman in Black
by Charles Netto
On first glance it may seem strange that I am assistant directing Woman in Black at Vertigo Mystery Theatre. After all as the co-artistic director of theatre company Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre, a company dedicated to innovative and often inter-disciplinary new work, I have found myself creating and directing theatre in many diverse locations such as art galleries, boiler rooms, bars and church basements.
However while the locations may seem strange and the content I create may be different than a lot of traditional theatre, it is still theatre that I am dedicated to and passionate about. The fundamentals of what I am doing, working with actors, designers, and writers to tell stories does not change. Therefore I am incredibly honoured to have this mentorship oppourtunity at Vertigo Mystery Theatre to expand and hone my directing skills.
I have huge admiration for the work of director Kelly Reay. I love watching his shows. His use of space is masterful and the work is always clean, precise and engaging. It is therefore invaluable for me to be able to watch Kelly and the talented creative team of Woman in Black create a haunting ghost story here at Vertigo Mystery Thetare. It is exciting to watch them take the simplest of objects and create layers of tension and mystery, create an atmosphere that makes me shiver in my seat. There is something beautiful about creating stories with the simple objects we have around us. After all one of theatre’s gifts to us is the chance to engage our imaginations.
My sincerest thanks to Vertigo Mystery Theatre, Mark Bellamy and Kelly Reay for having me on board.
