ruined | responses

A TOP PICK in Colin Thomas' newsletter: "Of the shows I’ve already seen, Ruined is the one to catch. It’s about the violence perpetrated against women in the ongoing Congolese conflict. That content is harrowing. But honesty and urgency turn the script into an elevating experience. Many of the cast members in this Dark Glass Theatre production contribute exquisite work."

"The women and their tales grab us first in our throats but ultimately in our hearts. Because as poet songstress Buffy Ste. Marie put it, "God is alive / Magic is afoot" whenever souls reach across the abyss to touch one another... this is almost must-viewing to put the subjugation, victimization and violence-against-women incidents of recent history in a particularly raw, non-Western way despite the script's American authorship. Quite astonishing its effect." | Baird Blackstone, Broken Leg Reviews

"This is without a shadow of a doubt the most important piece of theatre I have witnessed in recent years... You will leave this experience a little more enlightened, a little more educated, reeling from the talent and possibly wishing that you had been left in the dark." | Liz Gloucester, Two Cents and Two Pence

"From her first, halting entrance, Makambe K. Simamba ripped my heart out as Sophie. It doesn’t feel like she’s acting... Shayna Jones, who plays Salima, is every bit as credible. Salima has a long speech in which she relives her abduction and the loss of her baby, Beatrice. Without ever resorting to melodrama or sentimentality, Jones makes it real. It’s clear that the actors in this production by Dark Glass Theatre know that they’re working on something important, something that’s bigger than they are. Those are the only circumstances in which you get performances that are this deep and humble." | Colin Thomas

"I want to reiterate how good the acting is across the board, but particularly by Mutombo, Jones and Simamba as the three damaged women who represent all the innocent female victims Nottage is honouring here. Nice work, too, by onstage musicians Mikaela Fuqua and Jacky Yenga... Ruined is an important story well-told by this brave company and well worth seeing." | Jerry Wasserman, Vancouver Plays

"GO SEE IT!!! I thought it would be much harder to take but it was not...you're lulled into the rhythms of the place...of people coming and going and then suddenly you jump out of your skin when some sensational thing happens… I am seriously contemplating a return...it filled up my soul." | Joy Rudder, Audience Email

"This is a challenging play for the commanding role of Mama Nadi (played unforgettably by Mariam Barry)... The set design by Carolyn Rapanos is a simple rustic bar with cheap tables and aluminum siding. The space feels vulnerable, open and unprotected, which reflects the danger that is constantly threatening Mama Nadi and her girls. The live music performed at Mama’s establishment is lovely, honest and pure, sung shyly at first by new girl Sophie (played by a formidable Makambe K Simamba)." | Erin Jane, Review Vancouver

"Overall this production of Ruined was an extremely brave." | Jessica Kim, UBC Players Club