Raising the volume on Unmute

Sunday, April 11^th marked the end of the season for Theatre of the Beat cast members and their latest production, Unmute. After 26 performances for audiences across Canada, sparking critical reflection and discussions about domestic violence and the role played by bystanders, Theatre of the Beat co-founder Kimberlee Walker is thrilled to announce that this is only the beginning for Unmute.

In 2011, University of Waterloo alumni Johnny Wideman founded Theatre of the Beat (TOTB) with support from Ben Wert and Grebel Alumni Kimberlee Walker and Rebecca Steiner to create space for holding difficult conversations. This social justice theatre company participated in the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement’s Peace Incubator program from September 2015 to April 2016 and maintains close ties with Conrad Grebel University College to this day. Unmute was created with funding from the Domestic Assault Response Team of Waterloo Region (DART), Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council. The 2021 spring tour was made possible with generous donations from the Kindred Credit Union and Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region (WCSWR).

Since the first performance of Unmute premiered in November 2020, audience members in over 1,000 households have seen the show and engaged in constructive discussions about the rise of domestic violence and gender-based assault during COVID-19. The Centre’s winter 2021 co-op students, Vicky Hou and Katie Fry were thrilled to attend the show this April alongside attendees between 14 and 65 years old.

For Hou, “Unmute is intrinsically different from the musicals and school performances that have permeated my expectations of what a play should be. The experience is so much more personal because I am no longer one of many in a sea of shadowed faces. The screen is the only divide between the actors and the audience, and it makes the experience that much more evocative.”

While the platform Unmute is hosted on may differ from a traditional stage, the production fits right in with TOTB’s style and content. TOTB specializes in encouraging audience participation in challenging topics. As the company’s second forum-style production, Unmute’s successdemonstrates that not only is engaging the audience in the narrative possible, but it can be equally effective from a distance because participants reflect on the situations portrayed on stage like they might as bystanders in real life.

Homes have become sanctuaries during COVID-19, but for many people, home is the least safe place to be. The fact that Unmute happens virtually benefits the audience. By tuning in through the same screen they likely use for work or amusement, viewers bring the topic of the play into their homes, reflecting the way that domestic violence could permeate anyone’s life. Audience members who feel inspired to participate not only have the opportunity to change the narrative of the play; they get to practice conflict management skills and reflect on their own biases and experiences.

Unmute was built around audience engagement and creating dialogue, but what does that mean when the actors move on to other projects and live showings end? Fortunately for fans of the show and those who missed it this season, TOTB has plans to raise the volume on domestic violence yet again. If you missed the final shows in April, stay tuned for the soon to be released Unmute Podcast.

The good news does not end there, though: Theatre of the Beat is reconnecting with its roots in restorative and social justice to expand on conversations started by the play. Audiences will be able to more deeply engage in Unmute’s material with additional support in the form of an interactive youth workshop that accompanies the podcast.