The pandemic support group is Zooming. Tensions are growing. The virus is writing their stories. But this session seems more like a play than a meeting. Welcome to MURMUReS!

Tintamarre, Mount Allison University’s award-winning bilingual theatre troupe, has created what director-author Alex Fancy calls “a dramatic comedy for 2021.” MURMUReS will be staged remotely March 18, 19, and 20 at 7:30 p.m. (AST).

History and philosophy student Benjamin Hébert of Saint John, NB says, “We miss being together in the theatre and hope to be back there soon, but we have found some advantages in remote theatre, and we are using them.” He plays Georges, a family cat unlike any other.

Associate-Director and psychology and drama student Caitlin O’Connor of Atholville, NB, says “This is my fifth Tintamarre production, and never has a story seemed more real and more urgent.” She plays Athena, the host who has lost a loved one and channels her grief into helping others.

As usual, the script emerged from the troupe’s brainstorming method. Associate-Director and psychology and drama student Noémie Chiasson from Sainte-Marie-de-Kent, NB says “I am excited to be playing a character who grew out of a story about being a student during a pandemic, which I shared in one of our first meetings.”

“Theatre, like the virus, exposes human behaviour,” explains the Fancy. “The talking cat, a locked-down actor who can no longer play Lady MacBeth, a child whose approach to loss inspires everyone who meets her: these and nearly a dozen others discover how much stronger they will be together.”

Set design and technical coordination: John Briand. Costumes and makeup: Sabrina Stace. Sound: Rowan White. The school version of MURMUReS will tour remotely in May, supported by the J. E. A. Crake Foundation, Mount Allison alumni and Maritime schools.

Admission free, but tickets are required: motyerfancytheatre@mta.ca