Dominic Renaud finds himself in a story that shares echoes and reflections of his own world.
Perhaps, it’s what makes the Pitt Meadows actor uniquely suited to bring the title character of the Langley Little Theatre’s festival entry “Corker” – by Wendy Lill – to the stage this month.
“Corker” is a play about the struggles of a man with developmental disabilities and his interaction with the family charged to look after him.
The family’s “normal” function is up ended with Corker’s arrival and must find a way to navigate the challenges as the government institutions fumble their responsibility for his care.
Renaud readily admitted that Corker is a different kind of role.
“I am the ball,” he said, as he describes the way the other characters pass around the responsibility of looking after Corker.
“This is a role that exists in service of the story, he’s treated like an animate prop, which feels weird, but honestly I’m a MacGuffin. (A plot device that pushes a story forward without intrinsic significance.)
“I am just someone who has things happen to them. It is not my story but I’m being acted upon so others can have their stories happen,” said Renaud, who feels this might be a clever commentary from the playwright on how people with developmental disabilities are treated en masse.
The role has come with a learning curve. Renaud mentions that the early rehearsals featured traditional character and scene study, as well as a refresher on acting basics. He also has had to develop new ways of character expression as Corker’s dialogue is limited in both volume and variance.
Physicality is key and an avenue he has spent much of rehearsal crafting. In addition, he has had to find ways to tell Corker’s story using precious few words.
The aspect of the role he thrives in are the moments when Corker is trying to be understood despite his limited communication. The struggle is the dramatic throughline for the character and the opportunity for the actor to showcase his skill.
The script also calls for Renaud to play the piano for some scenes, so on top of the character work, he has been rehearsing some music selections to compliment his performance.
The character reminds Renaud of his cousin, who is much like Corker in terms of their place on the autism spectrum. The role has given him a glimpse into the reality of the world that his cousin and people like Corker live in day to day.
Renaud himself is autistic, though comparatively milder than his character by his own judgment.
The role has been a bit of a personal discovery about how his own experience relates and contrasts from others at differing points of the spectrum.
“It’s hard when you are talking about developmental disabilities, especially invisible ones. There is a sense that they are different, which is demonized in our society. But then you have your paragon examples. People look at me, and say, you are smart and capable, this is what it should be. I’m me, but I got lucky to the extent I have this disability. It’s minor and I have other strengths that compensate. Not everyone has that, but those people are still people,” Renaud shared.
He hopes that the audience for the show will come away will a better understanding that those on the autism spectrum don’t “come in a box.” They might be struggling to talk or even sit still, but they are still whole people and deserve the same kindness that everyone does.
Renaud is grateful for the chance to show off his range as a performer.
He hopes that the Langley Little Theatre faithful will fill the 79 seats on a nightly basis throughout the run, and reminds everyone that should they get shutout for tickets at the theatre (as some nights are already sold out) they should come support the show and club at their zone festival performance in White Rock on May 20, at the Oceana Parc Playhouse.
While Renaud is the only local actor in this production, he’s joined by Surrey’s Terry Ford playing Merit, Judy Grant playing Florence, and Chuck Mayne playing Leonard. Langley’s Rowan Froese plays Galahad, and Abbotsford’s Patricia Braun is Glenny.
“Corker” runs April 30 to May 16 at the Langley Little Theatre. Tickets are available at www.langleylittletheatre.org.
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