ShAIDS of Grey
Andy Magazine (1/4/2010)
Andy’s Trevor Roach looks at the annual production dealing with the realities of HIV/AIDS.
After six months, of hard work and campus wide hype, it all came down to two nights. On March 26 and 27, a crew of McMaster students, and a even few high school recruits, devoted themselves to something that surpassed the duty of books and lectures. The product of their devotion amounted to the creation of this year’s version of the HIV/AIDS benefit show known as ShAIDS of Grey. Producer and director, Micheal Pett, has worked hard to lead this team of actors, singers, dancers, technicians and musicians to shed light on the ever elusive issue of AIDS in the third year of this charitable production. As Pett tells it, “This year was different from the last two years as we wanted to take a more professional approach and so decided to stage the production at Hamilton Place. With the cast increasing from 15 to 25 and only six returning cast members, this was a great opportunity to expand with new material for one of the best performances yet.”
The performance immediately demanded the audience’s attention with a chilling and eye-opening monologue by main character Kofi (Simba Sithole), as he recalled his mother’s debilitating struggle with HIV/AIDS. As Sithole finished taking the audience on an emotional journey through Kofi’s recollection of the ruthless mark left behind by the virus, the pure and powerful vocals of Ndinda Msiska’s character Makena pierced the air with the African hymn known as “Siyahumba”. With red paint dripping down their forearms and letters in hand two other women, Mia (Jasmine Oducado) and Mueni (Samantha Walkes) one by one join Msiska on stage eerily humming the tune to this beautifully passionate lament. The raw and intense vocals of these three women quickly revealed the stripped down acappella musicality that undoubtedly make up some of the greatest and most moving moments of this performance.
Throughout the show the vibrant red paint can be seen to symbolize the touch of HIV/AIDS contrasting well with the white and black outfits worn by the many different performers. Pett explained the white shirts bearing the words “Name:” followed by the character name as “a way of showing the faces behind the figures and the stories behind the statistics because all too often when people talk about AIDS they throw around numbers. Numbers don’t evoke the response that you need. Whether its 20 million or 30 million, people end up just being numbers. When it’s the singular of the name, you realize the magnitude of personal stories behind the impersonal statistics.” Another effective use of imagery was seen in the well-choreographed dance scenes that transitioned evenly from scene to scene. These provided an interesting way of showing the transfer of the virus in the dramatic application of red paint. In addition, minimal props and simple setting allowed for the audience to focus on the emotions of many powerful monologues. Throughout the performance, each character shows a different perspective on how HIV/AIDS affect themselves and the people around them. From abusive endings to oblivious courses of action upon receiving the disease, each character provides room for questioning, “How did I think of AIDS before?”
Making for a great first act, the cocky charisma of Drew (Marten Kaas) lightened up the heavy emotions and intense ravings of Sebastian Miller’s chilling performance of the severely addicted drug user Ben. The hard to swallow traumatized innocence of Zoe Godfrey-Davies’ performance of Emma left the audience with a bitter honesty of HIV/AIDS as there was a break for intermission. The second act started off with a simply stunning acoustic song with Casey Park strumming some emotionally inspired chords and backing up vocals to Sarah Kehler’s pure and uplifting singing. While some un-compelling monologues filled up some space between the riveting performances by Carleigh Carter as Heather and Joanne Aswanni as Escendi, the second half of ShAIDS of Grey provided some memorable and fascinating choreography backing up Mia’s vivacious in your face acceptance of AIDS and her story. The final collective scene showcasing the best lines from every monologue is a nice way to tie together the diverse perspectives that make up ShAIDS of Grey.
Expect no warm and fuzzy feelings when you leave the theatre. The stories are raw and honest, as they advocate for a humanitarian resolve to cure the misguided myths behind HIV/AIDS. Most commonly, assumptions are made that the disease is transmitted through sex with dirty people, but this naïve thinking neglects the human quality that deserves the attention of people affected by HIV/AIDS. It is a worldwide pandemic that is rapidly growing in places such as Kenya with an estimated 1.5-2 million infected persons, of which a significant portion children. But with its raw and intense honesty ShAIDS of Grey effectively puts faces to the figures in an emotional and memorable way that may surprise you. The experience of this production shows that the profound impact of being HIV-positive deserves no black or white outlook. ShAIDS of Grey takes the audience on a journey from our home grounds to an international level to Africa, appealing with one unifying message: people need people.
