Sala XVIII: A Timeless and Ingenious Play

A journey between three time periods. Only 14 performances!

Hide the dirty bits away, and keep them hidden, somebody somewhere is going to find them. There I was, 6-years old, hunched over the Playboy magazine I found buried amongst my father’s stuff. I still remember the cover. It was from August, 1973, with Playmate Phyllis Coleman on the cover. I dug it up.
The people of Pompeii were buried alive in A.D. 79, when Mt. Vesuvius belched up a millennium’s worth of ash, and literally petrified into instant, human sculpture. Death-turned-art. What lay beneath provides the backdrop for Canis Tempus' new play, Sala XVIII.

Canis Tempus (meaning Dog Time) has been around since 2005. They are an interdisciplinary company combining text (story and raw sound), movement, visual design, and mask work. The play’s title refers to a secret room in a museum in Naples, the real-life Naples National Archaeological Museum, where “highly erotic artifacts” had been stored, hidden away from public view. Until now. And now that we live in a PG-13 world, Canis Tempus has decided, the public is ready for what lies beneath.

Sala XVIII is an original play, written by Canis Tempus Artistic Director Andrew Cuk, who also stars and directs. The theatre professor says he’s always been fascinated by antiquity in general, by Pompeii in particular, and by erotic images. He explains that what we might shy away from as sexual was at one time part of the culture of Pompeii; phalluses, for example, were an important symbol, and would have adorned the ancient city.

The plot of Sala XVIII involves a contemporary Canadian opera singer’s search for his ancestors, which no doubt involves some more digging and, according to Canis Tempus’ website, “some surprising discoveries.” The action covers three time periods: the 1st century A.D., when Vesuvius’ most famous eruption destroyed Pompeii, along with Herculaneum, through to World War II, when she last erupted, to now.

“Nothing stays buried forever,” reads the poster for the play. And as the story strips away layers of history, so the actors strip away bits of clothing. A press release warns that “the show contains some nudity and explicit dialogue.” But, like my father’s hidden Playboy, that warning only makes me want to see it more. The play promises to “reveal the erotic that is locked away in our minds and hearts.”

Sala XVIII runs from January 13-22 at Theatre Ste-Catherine, 264 Ste-Catherine St. East. Tickets: $20.00. $18.00 for students and seniors. And there’s pay-what-you-can matinee on January 16. For more information: 514-578-2302 or theatre@canis-tempus.org.

SALA XVIII

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