Theatre review: útszan's simple storytelling carries powerful emotional impact
Lil’wat theatre artist Yvonne Wallace’s solo speaks to the preciousness of language
útszan. Photo by Emily Cooper
The Cultch presents Ruby Slippers Theatre’s útszan (to make better) to May 13 at the Vancity Culture Lab as part of the 2023 Femme Festival
ÚTSZAN (TO MAKE BETTER) opens with Auntie Celia, an elder, lying on a hospital bed and making a radical decision. She is one of the few living speakers of ucwalmícwts, the language of the Lil’wat First Nation, and in the twilight of her life, she decides to reclaim her ancestral tongue by refusing to speak English. The woman encourages her niece, Margaret, to learn the language and carry on its lineage. Knowing her life has taken on a new purpose, Margaret struggles with the responsibility that has been bestowed upon her: can she succeed in honouring her aunt’s wishes while she learns to let go?
Written and performed by Lil’wat theatre artist Yvonne Wallace, this one-woman play tells an earnest and engaging tale that examines the complicated dynamics of a Lil’wat family as they prepare for the passing of their beloved elder and begin to trust that they will carry forward the legacy she leaves behind. Soul-stirring and tender, útszan reveals the preciousness of language: its power to shape thought, bring communities together, and connect to the wisdom of a millennia of generations.
Wallace wins viewers’ hearts with her immersive storytelling and complex characters, whom she embodies with equal parts humour and vulnerability. Kimira Reddy’s stage design is minimal, with only a twin-size bed weighted down by a Hudson’s Bay blanket and a chair surrounded by driftwood. Behind the stage hangs a circular projection screen, reminiscent of a buckskin drum, also adorned with pieces of washed-up wood (designed by Wallace and Andie Lloyd); throughout the show, images of gently rippling water and ucwalmícwts phrases are projected upon it. Itai Erdal’s lighting design bathes Wallace in a warm white light, lending a calm that’s deepened by the ambience of crashing waves in Rick Colhoun and Russell Wallace’s sound design, which builds to a crescendo of voices calling out to her as she finds her purpose. útszan soars in its simplicity; there’s no need for frivolous theatrics. Wallace is a masterful storyteller who elicits laughter and tears in her audience.
Humble in its presentation, útszan is a captivating and intimate experience that speaks to the importance of language revitalization and the journey of healing that comes with it. Although Wallace’s characters face many obstacles on their paths, this is a story of coming home that is grounded in love and hope.
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