Walden

“Simplify, simplify.” It is with this mantra that Magnetic North’s production of Walden echoes in our minds.

Adapted from the non-fiction book by Henry David Thoreau, Walden is not so much a story as it is a demonstration of a philosophy. For nearly two years, Thoreau inhabited a small hut on the edge of Walden Pond in Massachusetts, testing himself to discover the effect of solitude on human spirit. Magnetic North transforms this book into a one-man show, provoking us into sharing Thoreau’s experience.

The Stills art gallery provides an ideal space; audience and actor share intimacy without encroachment. The open seating mimics the feel of Thoreau’s empty cabin and just as the narrator describes the rumbling of a distant train we hear trucks barrel down cobblestone road. The minimalist stage, combined with a noticeable lack of lighting and make-up, creates a sense of naturalism which permeates our experience.

With the ambiguous Performer, however, the audience struggles to find a personal connection. Ewan Donald perfectly projects the attitude of someone proud to be on the edge of society, but Thoreau’s subtle humour is all but lost in his declamatory tone. There is an innate tension between inviting the audience into his mind and adequately distancing us to hear his message.

Walden elegantly reproduces the spirit of the book and reminds us that theatre is more than just spectacle and fanfare. The message – that we all must take time to stop, breathe, and think – is especially fitting in our technological world. The philosophy is as true today as it was over a century ago.