Bone Cage

Nathan Bitton as Jamie in Hart House Theatre's production of Bone Cage. Photo by Scott Gorman.

Small-town life is a prison for the young inhabitants of Catherine Banks' 2008 Governor General’s Award-winning drama Bone Cage, now enjoying its Toronto premiere at Hart House Theatre.

Set in rural Nova Scotia, in a community where everyone knows everyone, the story follows a group of family/friends who long to escape their unfulfilling and dysfunctional lives: Jamie (Nathan Bitton) is disillusioned with his destructive job working the tree processor for the local forestry company but can’t afford to pursue his dream of flying a logging helicopter in British Columbia; his girlfriend Krista (Lindsey Middleton) is still in high school and obsessed with planning a wedding they can’t afford; Jamie’s half-sister Chicky (Samantha Coyle) is worn down from working on the sod field (managed by her married lover) while also caring for her siblings and mentally unstable father Clarence (Layne Coleman); meanwhile, Krista’s brother Kevin (Kyle Purcell) struggles with his sexual identity in the face of a vicious group of local men. The play also features two minor characters: the slow but kind-hearted Robbie (played brilliantly by Tim Walker) and his naive sister Lissa (Jennie Egerdie). Their innocence contrasts greatly with Jamie and Chicky's jaded worldview.

Hart House’s production of Bone Cage boasts a beautiful wooden set by designer Elizabeth Kantor, moody lighting design by David DeGrow and contemporary costumes by Ming Wong. Director Matt White gets fine performances out of the cast, but unfortunately Banks’ narrative is difficult to follow. Most of the play involves characters telling the audience stories about events that happen offstage, we don’t actually see much of the action. We hear that these people are angry, hurting, and hopelessly doomed to their fate, but we can’t smell or taste their circumstances, so to speak—the language of the story is poetic but lacks context on stage. 

Nevertheless, Bone Cage is an interesting exploration of youth culture in small-town Canada. Kudos to Hart House for introducing the work to Toronto audiences.

Bone Cage runs until October 5 at Hart House Theatre. Visit harthousetheatre.ca for more information and to buy tickets. 

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