Native Earth proudly presents the Culture Storm production of Cliff Cardinal’s Stitch, a dark and raw look at the life of a porn star desperate to have her story heard. This one-woman tour-de-force performance is on now in Aki Studio, closing this Sunday June 14th.
“the story of a woman claiming agency in a system that denies her any power”
Georgina Beaty, Toronto-based actor, Co-Artistic Director of Architect Theatre, and graduate of both the University of Alberta and Studio 58, is at the centre of it all. In Stitch, Beaty plays the role of Kylie Grandview, a single mother and porn star whose plight takes center stage. Stitch is “the story of a woman claiming agency in a system that denies her any power,” describes Beaty. “Kylie is a warped ingénue for dark times.”
But Beaty takes on more than just the ingénue. Demonstrating her incredible versatility, Beaty also brings life a multitude of other characters in Kylie’s world – mother, daughter, agent, laywer – just to name a few. “Cliff has written a piece that is a rare gift for a female performer. Every character is particular, funny (in a dark way), and a delight to inhabit,” says Beaty.
At the helm of this production has been director, and once Stitch dramaturge, Jovanni Sy, who is joined by award-winning Production Designer Andy Moro, and new Composer Luca Caruso-Moro, who makes his debut with the production.
“I love this team. It’s felt like a really collaborative room,” says Beaty. “Because there is only one performer, Andy Moro’s sound and lights are a complete character within the piece, so it feels like I am very much in dialogue with other elements.”
Though Stitch deals with one woman’s experiences in a particular industry, Beaty believes there is more to take from Cardinal’s script than just the story of a porn star.
“It’s a highly specific story about one woman and her journey through the adult film industry, but it also implicates the audience in their appetite to watch the events onstage,” says Beaty. “As a woman in an industry that is male-dominated, for all of the dark humour of the piece, the ride of the story, and theatrical play, there is a relevant conversation about a society that is deeply inequitable and how that broader system can have devastating effects on an individual.”
Audiences who want a chance to hear more from Georgina Beaty can stay after the 8pm performance on Saturday June 13th for a formal post-show Q & A discussion. Tickets are available online.
UnStitched with Georgina Beaty
What are you reading right now?
The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano and
Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit
Where is your favorite place to be?
In the mountains hiking. The coast.
What’s next for you?
Like There’s No Tomorrow at SummerWorks. It is a piece I am creating with my company, Architect Theatre, inspired by interviews along the route of the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline in Northwestern BC. Our team includes Anita Rochon, Paula-Jean Prudat, Jonathan Seinen and myself and we are re-imagining an environmental consultation process for a pipeline, but this one includes a talking fish, sunsets, and maybe even a dance party.
Audiences have until Sunday June 14th to see Beaty’s remarkable performance in Cliff Cardinal’s Stitch. Tickets are available online.