When the Chameleon Village Theatre Collective premieres “FREIGHT” Thursday, the performance won’t be in a theater. Rather, the stage for the organization’s latest production will be the freight elevator at Summit Artspace.
Josy Jones, founder of Chameleon Village, spends a lot of time thinking about space when working on a new production. And while “FREIGHT” isn’t the first time she’s utilized an unusual space — she’s also staged shows in a tattoo parlor, an art gallery and a house in her neighborhood — it might be the most unique venue yet for the nine-year-old company.
“I’ve just kind of fallen in love with both the process of encouraging people to see space differently and see the possibility of what it could become just with a couple lights and some performers,” Jones said. “And then also what it does for the artists.”
Much like its setting, the story of “FREIGHT” is unusual, and at times perplexing.
“Through the show, we are exploring memories. We are asking questions about life and how we go through it,” said dancer Morgan Ashley, who stars in “FREIGHT” along with actor Marina Gordon.
The premise, as Jones explained, involves an unnamed woman played by Gordon, who has died. When she wakes up, she meets Ashley’s character.
“It’s kind of hinted at that I’m like the light that you see after death. I am an ethereal being that is there to guide,” Ashley said of their character. “I’m just there to observe and to ask questions and lead.”
Together, the two unnamed characters go through some of the woman’s memories and reflect on them. The woman cannot take her memories to her next life, Jones said — only the essence of them.
When working on “FREIGHT,” Jones thought about the concept of reincarnation and the life lessons people must return to time and time again.
“It is human to learn a lesson and be like, ‘I’m never going to do that again,’ and then have it come back to you in a different form, in a different person, in a different life season, in a different life chapter and then have to relearn that lesson and understand that that process is a very human experience,” Jones said.
Collaboration fuels new production
The creation of “FREIGHT” was a collaborative process between Jones, Ashley and Gordon, with each of them offering suggestions, insights and questions.
The idea for the show came from an unexpected collaboration. On separate occasions, Jones and Ashley each mentioned the freight elevator to Summit Artspace Executive Director Heather Meeker. (Something about it being a “nice freight elevator,” Ashley recalled.) Meeker suggested the two meet. Last October, over beers at Akronym Brewing, the two shared ideas and laid the groundwork for what would become “FREIGHT.” In April, they brought in Gordon, who Jones had worked with before.
“I enjoy this process a lot because first off, we get to create together, as opposed to, like, a play that has already been written, you know, ages ago,” Gordon said. “I can actually put in my thought, and it will be there, and I can explore it.”
Exploring and creating “FREIGHT” in a 6-foot-by-7-foot space that is usually meant for carrying large pieces of art or furniture presented some challenges, Gordon said, but it also created opportunities. There’s more action, more drama, she said. As Gordon and Ashley’s characters navigate the space, sometimes they are right on top of each other in conflict. Other times they move in sync, with Gordon sharing her memories and Ashley translating them into movement.
Jones wants audiences to consider the lessons they learn — and relearn — as they move through life. And if they have to start the learning process again, that’s OK.
“I don’t know that it’s something that we need to be ashamed of or afraid of. It is just the reality of being alive,” Jones said. “There’s a line in the show that’s like, ‘Did I waste my time?’ And it’s like, no, you learned the lesson. I mean, it was a lesson that you were supposed to learn, that you were here to learn, because you keep learning it.”
“FREIGHT”
Oct. 17-19, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 20, 2 p.m.
Summit Artspace (140 E. Market St., Akron)
Tickets: Free (suggested donation of $20)
