Shaking Up Shakespeare

Trevor Copp and Alma Sarai are the dynamic duo behind Tottering Biped Theatre (TBT) and the company’s annual summer Shakespeare by the Castle festival that takes place in August at Dundurn Castle.

TREVOR COPP and ALMA SARAI have worked together for nine years with a mission to redefine how Hamilton artists and audiences create and experience theatre. Tottering Biped Theatre was founded in 2009 as a social justice-inspired theatre company. Copp has a lengthy history as an award-winning professional theatre creator and the artistic director of Tottering Biped while Sarai has built an impressive career as a performer, educator and arts advocate working with such companies as Hamilton Children's Choir and Theatre Aquarius. Together, they share a deep love for theatre, along with a keen understanding of the challenges facing artists right now.

What is Tottering Biped Theatre’s approach to theatre?
TC: We focus on allowing the work to evolve, and embracing the messiness that comes as the work moves forward (and sometimes backwards). But we’re always reaching for a more honest expression. Evolution is actually the concept of the company’s name; an anthropologist’s book called Man: The Tottering Biped was the company name inspiration. It talks about how we’re not entirely bipedal, from an evolutionary standpoint, and that we’re still somewhat “on all fours.” The idea that it takes constant, conscious effort to keep upright on two feet inspires us – and this is the kind of work that puts in that effort. 

AS: For our company, the work is never really finished and can continuously evolve. Personally, I love a kinetic approach but I’m also a big reader so I try to balance the brainy and the physical side of myself to create and collaborate. 

What makes your company different from others in Hamilton?
AS: I’ve always felt that each company in the city, be it longstanding or Equity or on another part of the spectrum has something different to offer. At each turn, there’s hopefully something for everyone and if not, there’s someone thinking of how to do the thing that’s missing. Tottering Biped fits in the puzzle-scape as a small but mighty, social-justice themed company with physical elements. As an actor with the company, specifically in our Shakespeare shows, it’s been a highlight hearing: “I am not sure what that was … but I enjoyed it.”

TC: Practically, our company is trying to address a huge gap in Hamilton’s theatre scene: we have no middle. On one end, Aquarius does amazing, high-budget Equity work. On the other, we have top-notch community companies and the Hamilton Fringe. Tottering Biped offers Hamilton artists a paid opportunity, and a chance for emerging performing artists (like I once was) to really get in there, work with some amazing professional mentors, and get a taste of the professional theatre life. 

How did Shakespeare by the Castle come about?
TC: My first gig out of theatre school was a show with the Oakville Festival of Classics, and it changed my life. I was up there with actors from Stratford that I’d grown up watching. Here I was, actually learning from them from the inside and not from the audience. I absorbed more by doing than I’d ever learned in a classroom. I wanted to take that experience and give it back to the place I now call home. In 2016, I saw that there was nothing like that happening in our area – and stunning spots like Dundurn Castle to do it in – so we set to work on making a local, professional Shakespearean production a reality.

AS: I was always a bit of a Shakespeare nerd, and I was first introduced to Trevor while in my third year of theatre school with U of T Mississauga and Sheridan. I had the opportunity to audition to do a professional level show near my own home. It was thrilling, it was Shakespeare and it was so much fun! It’s been a great joy and a great challenge. Once I came on as associate producer, I felt a great responsibility to continue the project, not only because I wanted to continue to perform but also because I felt so strongly that it was something Hamilton needed for the cultural landscape. 

What does the audience experience at your Shakespeare festival?
TC: We love to create “Trojan Horse” style Shakespeare. The audience thinks they’re going to get bodkins and tunics. But when they show up we surprise them with broad, accessible, and fun interpretations of the work that bring it much closer to our times. We keep it accessible using two keys: 1) Edit. We trim to about 90 minutes and make sure there are lots of interesting or musical passages. 2) We get physical. By leaning into images and movement, we can replace obscure text with visual sequences that communicate much more clearly to an audience. This year, we’re creating an all-female identifying version of As You Like It, which we are renaming As She Likes It.

AS: The idea is our audience is coming at it going, “I understand outdoor summer Shakespeare. I've done it before. I know what that is. It's safe. I'll go back to that.” Or, conversely, “I've only seen it at Stratford and Shaw. I've never seen it in my own backyard, outside.” 

Why is Shakespeare still relevant?
TC: Shakespeare has this double-edged sword. We know what it is. We're familiar with it. We're comfortable with it. We're also intimidated as hell by it. So, it's got this cultural presence that’s also entwined with colonialism and a lot of problematic history. Inside of that, though, there’s this breadth of possibility. That all comes from interpretation. Because Shakespeare is completely open text, it really belongs to the world.

AS: It’s about finding a new resonance in an old play, based on whatever interpretation we, at this moment in our lived experience, come up with because it's being done all over the world with different interpretations all of the time. Now, the audiences who show up, who are prepared for anything to happen, are the ideal audience. But there's also space for people that prefer to show up, know what they're in for, and then say, yeah! That's the whole point of performance; there has to be something for everyone at some point.

Is there a hidden story about the festival that makes it stand out?
TC: We perform on the grounds of Dundurn Castle, a space which we’ve since learned was the longstanding site of outdoor performances through the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s known as the Cockpit Theatre. The number of older folks who have told us that they remember attending shows there in the past has been incredible, including that it was the site of Theatre Aquarius’ second or third ever production. We’re proud to be renewing a performing arts tradition in Hamilton.

AS: It’s also worth noting that the grounds we perform on are and were traditional burial grounds. Dundurn Park has a lot of history, and is a modern home base for a lot of the city’s wanderers and outdoor enthusiasts. It turns out that Sir Allan Napier MacNab had something like 12 copies of the complete works of Shakespeare in his library. Take the tour, they’ll tell you! 

What makes you passionate about making art in Hamilton?
AS: If I’m being completely honest, I am passionate about making theatre everywhere. I’d perform on the moon. The sky's the limit! However, I often wonder if I would have been lost in the scenery as an artist elsewhere because Hamilton has such empathetic creators and community in the effort to make every artist feel seen and valued.

TC: I like being something of a pioneer. We do work that is smart, passionate, and on the edge in ways that some of the other kinds of theatre might not be. The sheer amount of: “I’ve never seen anything like that” coming from our audiences makes my heart tick. 

What is your greatest pride in the work you do?
TC: In 2010, the company’s second season, we mounted My Name is Rachel Corrie, a piece about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. Hannah Schafer, a Jewish Holocaust survivor, loved the piece so much she had attended pretty much everything we ever did since. I’m proud of that. 

AS: For me, pride comes from a responsive audience and satisfaction comes from the process of creating and playing. I love playing and connecting with people and material.

What are you most looking forward to about this year’s event?
TC: The picnics! Last year, we partnered with local grocers Mrktbox to bring incredible picnics to the events. For $45 you get your contribution to the show plus an unbeatable picnic to eat on the grounds. It just helps folks make a night of it, enjoy the weather, and really get into the spirit of the event. 

AS: The relief of opening night when people hopefully show up. I always find myself at that precipice until that very moment where I can finally say, “Phew, we did it.” And the inevitability of me falling down over something at some point. And the sound of my voice echoing through the natural amphitheatre and … well, I just love the job. 

Who inspires you?
TC: Sara Jama, my MP. She has stood up, over and over again, against so many injustices at the cost of being kicked out and silenced. She just keeps going. She impresses the hell out of me. 

AS: My parents and every person that has the courage and means to follow their creative dreams. Without my parents setting me up for success, I wouldn’t have been able to do what I do and I’m always so proud of anyone that loves their work. 

Where were you each born and raised?
TC: Born in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. Raised along Oakville/Burlington/Hamilton stretch.

AS: Born at McMaster in Hamilton and raised in Aldershot, Burlington. 

What’s the best meal you’ve eaten in the city?
TC: Chicago Style Deep Dish on the Mountain packs a punch. The whole King William restaurant strip by Jackson Square is where I wander when hungry.

AS: Well, the bougie answer is the French on King William but, honestly, Nabil’s is a favourite. 

What is Hamilton’s best-kept secret?
AS: Chillis and Chimneys (on King Street East). They are delish!

TC: Salsa at the waterfront all summer, and salsa at Studio G all year round.

How do you like to spend a lazy summer day?
TC: Learning how to sew. OK, it's more aspirational, but I did a workshop at Empire Make Space on Ottawa Street in the spring so I just might get a good start there.

AS: Bike ride and ice cream at Hutch’s On the Beach.