The Upstage Interview: Keith Turnbull

The Upstage Interview is a weekly feature at CharPo and is a result of The Charlebois Post's partnership with Upstage: Theatre on Radio on CKUT.

CKUT Upstage contributor Stephanie Breton conducted an interview with Director Keith Turnbull. Below is an abridged version of the interview transcribed by Estelle Rosen, CharPo Editor-in-Chief.

“It’s a mad one” Keith Turnbull responds to a question about this very exciting project.

The mad project Turnbull refers to is Concordia Theatre Department’s presentation  of Darwin: Endless Forms Most Beautiful. This piece explores the life and developing ideas of Charles Darwin, his theory of evolution, and the conflict between science and belief. Specifically, it examines where Darwin’s theory may be leading us in terms of bio- and cyber-technology.

Artificial intelligence is starting to re-program and repair and reformulate itself without our programming.

Two stories are put together. One is cyborgism and the fact that artificial intelligence will start its own self developing generation of trans-mutation.

The other story  refers back to the biography of  Darwin who started this whole idea of  evolution.

We are trying to move a projection forward to  see where electronic non-human evolution  might be going.

The whole question of artificial intelligence is starting to evolve on its own—without us. The beginnings of it are happening and projecting that more will happen—about 10 years down the line.

Artificial intelligence is starting to re-program and repair and reformulate itself without our programming.

This piece is being developed with seven singer/actors, a six-member instrumental ensemble, and a scenography including video projection that weaves together the multiple strands that tell its story.

The idea has been in development for 3 years.  Music theatre is a very complex form; takes a very long time. Like film, could take 7-10 years before getting produced.

Composed by  Concordia grad student Ralph Denzer and librettist Ryan Earl, together they created the show. Turnbull dramaturged, is  directing and was also involved in development of idea.

The idea has been in development for 3 years.  Music theatre is a very complex form; takes a very long time. Like film, could take 7-10 years before getting produced.

Difference beween musical and music theatre is that it can be called a spoken play with song. Music theatre tends to have tougher themes and less technicolor presentation.

As with most stories, part of Darwin’s story is a somewhat traditional love story  that just happens to be in the middle of Darwin exploring his theories – as if cyborgism is trying to figure out what problems artificial evolution is going to hit.

Part of Darwin’s story is like any  other; young love and adventure. Off he goes and returns with the most revolutionary influential theories of science in the last 500 years.

It’s as if cyborgism is trying to figure out what problems artificial intelligence evolution is going to hit. The hope is that  going  back  into history memory banks might allow us to see where the original idea of evolution came from so that there might be some idea of where it might be going in the future.

Many times great theories come forward which we don’t see until later; hindsight is 2020,

Here we have Darwin in cloistered contained controlled British society, taking off on a boat around the world for 5 years, seeing universes he never saw or imagined before. It changed his life and ours.

Darwin: Endless Forms Most Beautiful 

Feb. 17-20 Concordia Oscar Peterson Concert Hall