Water People

Edmonton Journal
by Justin Bell
4 Stars (out of 5)
Water People
“Mother remembers being eight years old and having Scarlet Fever in Kindersley. But she can’t remember what she had for breakfast,” says Beth, the primary caregiver for her ailing mother, a once-proud woman who has difficulty with short-term memories and mobility. Beth struggles as she navigates an emotional minefield of self-doubt made worse by nosy family members and a system that fails at every turn. She talks about the difficulties of maintaining friendships and finding time for activities with her husband, balancing self-care with being a caregiver. Water People is not an easy show to watch, especially for those who have first-hand experience caregiving for a family member. But it’s also an important show, one that pulls back the curtain on the realities of what happens to us all as we age. Ellen Arrand has a slow and steady pace, a powerful juxtaposition to the emotional tale she weaves. It’s a solid show, one with a big heart for all of the caregivers of the world.

Check the Program (Victoria)
by Johan Threlfall
Water People
4 Stars (out of 5)
Local playwright and actor Ellen Arrand (“Trutch Street Women”) has crafted a wonderfully delicate monologue here that’s as engaging and compelling as it is lovingly layered. While it will likely most resonate with anyone familiar with the struggle to balance aging parents, creative aspirations and tightening finances, you really don’t have to fit into any of those categories to enjoy this show. Directed with minimal but effective staging by local veteran Clayton Jevne, “Water People” dips into Dylan Thomas-like territory thanks to its strong mix of memory, home, family, community, physical details, interior reflections and cadenced delivery. While Arrand does little more than stand centre-stage and tell us a story, it’s hard not to be captivated by the simplest details as we (to quote her script) “listen with the third ear, the ear of the heart”. The complete antithesis to all those stereotypically “kooky” Fringe tropes, “Water People” eschews any naked angsty improv dancing for a simple tale beautifully told.

Victoria News
by Sheila Martindalle
Water People
The ‘good’ daughter takes her very elderly and disabled mother in and looks after her, giving up her own career to do so; the ‘bad’ daughter has not communicated with her family for 25 years, but puts in place a system of accusing her sister of elder abuse. Ellen Arrand has written this play and performs it single-handedly and compassionately. Using just a stool as a prop, she takes us through her day, her week and her year. With her we enjoy the weekly few hours respite, provided by a kind and talented friend. None of this is done in any kind of complaining tone, as she attempts to balance the chequebook and her life. Water People is directed by Theatre Inconnu’s Clayton Jevne – put it at the top of your Fringe list!

Content warnings: None.

Sensory warnings: None.

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