Prepare yourselves for the greatest theological debate that never was. Director Jane Werger presents Mark St. Germain’s Freud’s Last Session at the Peterborough Theatre Guild.
This year’s entry in the Eastern Ontario Drama League (EODL One) Act Play Festival, Freud’s Last Session features a mythical meeting between two of the early 20th century’s most celebrated minds: Sigmund Freud (Wyatt Lamoureux) and C.S. Lewis (Michael Valliant-Saunders).
Although there is no record of Freud and Lewis having ever met during their lifetimes, Freud’s Last Session asks the question of what would the two have them talked about if they had met.
The result is not just a look at their vastly polar views on religion, but a brilliant character study on these two celebrated scholars.
It’s September 3rd, 1939 in London. The Nazis have invaded Poland. Lord Chamberlain is on the radio declaring war on Germany. And in Sigmund Freud’s study a battle of the mind is about to be fought. Freud, dying from cancer of the jaw, has called upon author and scholar C.S. Lewis to come for a talk. His question is why Lewis, noted for his great mind, has converted to Christianity.
Wyatt Lamoureux gives a powerful performance as Sigmund Freud who, despite looking into the face of his own demise, still passionately holds on to his own beliefs. Michael Vallian-Saunders balances out Lamoureux’s intensity in his portrayal of Lewis as a man who is less indignant, but just as passionate and whose own pain lies deeper below the surface. Together they create an intellectual ying and yang, showcasing their conflicting philosophies in a fictional meeting of the minds.
An often-intense character study featuring two accomplished actors, Freud’s Last Session plays in the Gwen Brown Studio at the Peterborough Theatre Guild (364 Rogers St., Peterborough). There are performances at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 23rd and Saturday, October 24th, and at matinee performance at 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 25th.
Seating is limited and performances have been sold out, so come early to make sure you can get a seat. Call the Theatre Guild box office at (705) 745-4211 for tickets, which are $8.25.
Note: A special encore performance will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 5th at The Mount Community Centre (1545 Monaghan Rd., Peterborough).
Tickets are $15, available at the door only, with all proceeds going to the Mount Community Centre Development Project. For more details, visit www.themountpeterborough.com.
