SPINDLE COLLECTIVE: EMBRACING THE SPOOKY SIDE OF THEATRE

All photos provided by Natalia Bushnik

Founded in 2021, Spindle Collective are a company of emerging female-identifying and non-binary artists of varying disciplines, who share a passion for creating telling dark, original theatre works. Based in what is colonially known as Toronto, the company believes in working collaboratively in spaces to create cohesive worlds by interweaving storytelling devices (song, dance, choral work and more) and site-specific creation.

Hamilton theatre goers may recognize founding member Natalia Bushnik (she/her) from previous Hamilton Fringe Festivals, most notably from her work in the horror folktale SAMCA (which won Best New Play in 2022) and the psychological thriller The Bathtub Girls (under Karios Theatre in 2016). Since the 2022 production, SAMCA was presented as a sold-out, site-specific roaming experience at the 2023 In the Soil Festival in Saint Catherines, Ontario, touring audiences through a nighttime, spine-tingling event in Burgoyne Woods.

Steel City Reviews had the great pleasure of a virtual interview with Natalia Bushnik as we discuss the impact of horror theatre and their revamping of SAMCA which plans to return to the natural stage of Black Creek Pioneer Village in September.

What is it about horror and psychological thrillers that inspires your company to create this type of theatre?

Horror-theatre is exciting because it's rare, and often far more political than it's been given credit for - and, frankly, really hard to pull off. I was lucky enough to attend and perform in the Twin Cities Horror Festival in Minneapolis in 2018, and it was fascinating watching the amount of theatre magic and ingenuity happening onstage, pulling out all the tricks so that the audience could actually be surprised. It's hard to pull off because as soon as you slap the 'horror' label on a show, there is a certain expectation that comes with it, and people may think it 'cheapens' the art form. We are looking to shift and surprise perspectives on the genre; it isn’t about abrupt sounds or jump scares. We believe true horror comes from truthful relationships and characters that commit monstrous acts, and are incredibly human. By combining different theatrical and artistic elements to create a unique, cohesive world, we will be transporting audiences to another realm where they have no choice but to confront the modern tragedy we have created.

What have been some of your favourite moments from the original version of SAMCA from the Fringe Festival experience and how has the show changed/developed since then?

We pulled the Hamilton Fringe version of the show together in 5 days, which was a borderline-insane choice, but when you have no funds, you make it scrappy! I was so proud of what we were able to pull off, and we learned so much about the show and how we work together as a team. My favourite part was seeing unfamiliar faces in the audience, people who had come because they were genuinely curious and interested in seeing horror-theatre. We're heading into a three-week rehearsal period for this version of SAMCA, and it feels like such a GIFT. There's never enough time, and there's always ways of diving deeper, but given that we pulled off the fringe version in 5 days, I can't wait to see what we come up with for SAMCA 2024! 

Also, our team has tripled in size. A big change is our choreographer, Skye Rogers, joining the team. Her work is stunning, and we can't wait to continue working with her this rehearsal period to stage something both beautiful and jarring.

What have been some challenges the company has faced while bringing this production to the stage (outdoor or indoor) and how have you overcome them?

Kathleen and I wrote SAMCA with the intention of it being performed outdoors. When we presented it at Hamilton Fringe, our director Brendan Kinnon had the brilliant idea of bringing the outdoors with us, using projection design and literal mulch on the ground. I have no idea how we mastered cleaning it up in 10 minutes after every show - witchcraft? 

Then, when we toured SAMCA to the In the Soil Festival in St. Catherines, we got our dream of performing it in a forest! Which... presented new challenges, especially in regards to technical elements in rainy weather. But hey, we're nothing if not adaptable! It was an invaluable learning experience. For our upcoming production, we're essentially building our own theatre outdoors, and since it travels, it's going to be a lot of work. Thankfully we have incredible team members, like our Stage Manager Alex Verge and our Production Manager Franco Pang, to help make it all happen!

Are there any plans for this company to return to the Hamilton theatre scene to showcase your creative endeavours? How can the theatre community support you best?

We would LOVE to tour SAMCA to Hamilton! Our co-playwright Kathleen recently bought a home there, and our choreographer Skye lives there too! Our next hope for SAMCA is to bring it to new forests and transport new communities to Hoia Baicu. The best way to support this happening is following our socials and reaching out with any contacts that may support this idea. It definitely takes a village!

DETAILS ABOUT SAMCA

Spindle Collective and Riot King are bringing THEIR award-winning outdoor, dark folklore production, SAMCA, to Toronto this fall!

SAMCA is a dark, immersive folktale play with original music. Set in the late 1800's in Hoia Baicu Forest, the most haunted forest in the world, we meet two sisters, Mihaela and Prava; and the Zâne, fertility forest spirits that guide us through pockets of memories found in the forest. It is said that the Romanian mythological figure, 'Samca', attacked pregnant women and their unborn babies. SAMCA is an interdisciplinary experience that includes conversations and themes of fertility, abortion, and fear of the 'feminine' body.

Written by: Natalia Bushnik and Kathleen Welch

Directed by: Brendan Kinnon

PERFORMANCE DATES:

Wednesday to Sunday, September 25th to September 29th at 7:30PM

Wednesday to Saturday, October 2nd to October 5th at 7:30PM

ALL PERFORMANCES HELD AT:

North Property of Black Creek Pioneer Village - 7060 Jane Street, Vaughan, ON

CONTENT WARNINGS: Sexual assault, harsh language, sexual content.