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"W "The t9tunning", the newest pro- duction of Waterloo region's Theatre and Company, takes us down dusty Manitoba reeds to the heart of e1950e Mennonite oominunity. More than be. _inottttttasteoftNrrixrion,tto-r,it ls e long drink from the sometimes oppressive currents of Mennonite soci- ety. Written by Manitoba poet/playwright Patrick Frieun. the play examines the shunning which takes place in Menno- nite society when one of its members slides beyond the established bounda- ries of doctrine and lifestyle. pySteven Fraser The Shunning succeeds despite technical flaws Director Stuart 8cadmn-wattisa, founder and artistic director of Theatre and Company, has adapted the com- pany's flexible space in the King Value Centre to provide for an intimate experi- ence of theatre. Interchangeable set pieces mftscting the shadowed images of difterent members within the com- munity are used as an effective back, drop and contrast to the anguished and tearful, always reel voices we hear from Tttfactiontahespaasonttwmot www.mmmunm dPsticiuthrfrrsmtuttoctrmai%iitiii of community toward the unspoken umlngeothisownheart, left in the field. For though Friesen' poetic sensitivities shine in his use of language ("I can kiss the hands and feet of Jesus but I cannot taste his bloodl") it is too often affected, on scored somewhat by an uneasy dem- ery from the cast. Scott Holt's Peter Neuteid is young, strong and growing distant from his iogues on the state of Peter‘s soul. Eloquent, sometimes staccato dialogue is spoken in a heavily Gamay“. canted English which is may best From'the tppt stoop ot the farm. rage. has av compel'hng 'eJng'y‘EhE sham about him, though seems to lag In a mechanical effort In between church and community. His wiie Helen (Heien J. Butiin) and brother Johann (J Brendan Schaefer), though knowing Peter's honesty and integrity. stand in mute contradiction to the community s perception of him as a proud man unwilling to give up his own vuewoomt Despite the use, as mentioned above, of an inconsistent accent and a some- times unnaturainess ot movement, Hon delivers a oeneraiiy strong pertor. menus as Neufeid He's good in the extremes of quiet despair and personal (Commuod on page 23)