What is faith?
Is truth absolute?
What happens to faith when beliefs and truths are contested?
Factory Theatre’s world-premiere play acts of faith is sure to inspire questions like these about religion, disillusion and crises of faith – especially during this time of forcibly digitized human contact.
acts of faith was created by Dora-Award nominee David Yee to be performed on a digital platform, and is directed by Factory Theatre’s multi-award winning Artistic Director Nina Lee Aquino. The play spans the backwoods of Muskoka to the African copperbelt, and stars Natasha Mumba in the solo role of Faith. The production runs for 6 nights only from November 19 to 28, and is free to stream. With the pandemic’s second wave rising, this production is an ambitious, adaptive and prescient way to offer audiences the now-rare chance to watch live theatre “live”, while enabling those in the industry to continue working in a safe way.
Mumba joined the project by invitation from Aquino, who approached Yee about writing a virtual play for Mumba in the upcoming season. “Thankfully, he said yes,” smiles Mumba. And so far, it has all been “quite amazing”. Yee wrote the play with a quick turnaround, and the team read the play for the first time on the first day of rehearsal. The creative team is rounded out by Joanna Yu (Set & Costume Design), Michelle Ramsay (Lighting Design), Miquelon Rodriguez (Sound Design & Broadcast Technician) and Stage Manager, Kai-Yueh Chen. “It’s such an incredible team,” Mumba enthuses. “It’s been so collaborative and exciting to put this play together in this new format.”
acts of faith tells a story about the power of belief, the disillusionment of youth and the struggle between good and evil. What should audiences expect to experience at the play’s world premiere? “It’s interesting to try to describe because we are still in the thick of figuring it out ourselves,” offers Mumba. “Essentially, we have built a set in the Factory rehearsal hall, and we have cameras in the space that we utilize throughout the piece.” The story centres on Faith, a young woman who gets mistaken for a prophet. After a religious leader tries to take advantage of her, she uses her “gift” to punish the wicked and right wrongs. As her spiritual notoriety grows, her faith erodes, driving her away from her home, the church, and the secrets held in both places.
Faith’s quest for truth, mired in overlapping facts and faiths, is a timely rumination on the ways our realities are constructed. Without giving away any spoilers, Mumba describes Faith as “sharp, funny and smart”. The character’s “boldness and her apparent flaws” were major draws in taking the role, and Mumba followed her usual process to get into character: “I take my time and listen to what the character is saying, pay attention to their actions, then let them lead.” . Mumba has come to realize that the play is about pursuing truth – both “within others and within ourselves, and how far we will go to get it”. Given everything happening around us today, we crave truth more than ever, and we desperately want to believe in something good. “This is the journey Faith is on with us.”
Born in Kalulushi, Zambia and based in Toronto, Mumba is a graduate of the prestigious National Theatre School. A sought-after actor, she has worked in major production houses across Canada, including Factory Theatre, Canadian Stage, Shaw Festival, Obsidian Theatre, and The Citadel. Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic brought her career and the whole live arts industry to a near-standstill. As the shutdown wears on, many artists have come to see the abrupt halt as an imperative to downshift their formerly frenetic pace. At moments, Mumba finds herself almost grateful: “The hustle of the city and this business can be so overwhelming at times, and I was in desperate need for a break.” The pandemic has also helped her to understand the necessity of self care: “I’m grateful to have had that wake-up call and the time to rest. I needed to take a breath.”
On the cusp of the play’s opening, a reflective Mumba finds herself marveling at “humans’ ability to adapt”. Certainly, the Factory Theatre is both intrepid and ingenious for embracing our new normal and creating accessible programming by adapting their art to the world. Seeing her industry navigate this devastating time has been deeply inspiring to Mumba, as she hopes it will be to audiences who tune into acts of faith: “I’m so glad I get to be a part of an offering like this play. I miss theatre and being able to share it again is something I do not take for granted.”
Nor do we. For its six performances, let’s share acts of faith together – through our devices. It can be our act of faith that the return to live, in-person theatre is just a matter of time.
© Arpita Ghosal, SesayArts Magazine, 2020
