Despite being about real-life wartime espionage, playwright Trina Davies says that at its core her play The Romeo Initiative is extremely relatable.
That’s because ultimately, it’s about people in love, she says.
“Anyone who has been through a relationship that didn’t live up to its initial promise will ask themselves, what didn’t I see? How were things different from the other persons’ perspective?” she said. “These are very real things. Everyone wants love.”
The play’s debut at the Persephone Theatre comes at a fitting time, running Feb. 4-15 with two shows on Valentine’s Day.
The Romeo Initiative is, as Davies describes it, a mix of a romantic comedy and a spy thriller. The play is based on the real-life initiative during the Cold War for East German men to be trained specifically to woo West German women in order to obtain information and spy on the West.
Davies said the idea for the play came to her while she was watching a documentary about the Cold War spy program on the History Channel with her father.
“In this documentary, there was a woman who was very emotional, and it was this Romeo Initiative that she had been a target of. And the only thing she wanted to know was whether the man loved her,” she said. “She didn’t care that she had been manipulated. She just wanted to know if she had been loved, and if it was real … and I sort of understood where she was coming from.
“For her, this was everything that she had hoped and dreamed of, and that’s what started me on this idea.”
The show focuses on Karin, a West German secretary, and Markus, the “perfect man” spy sent from East Germany — and the uncertainty they feel toward each other.
The show is small in terms of casting, with only three characters on the stage. This time around, the production will feature performers all from Saskatchewan: Kristi Frank (Karin), Mackenzie Dawsom (Markus) and Jenna “JB” Berenbaum (Lena).
The Romeo Initiative first opened almost 15 years ago and gained significant critical acclaim, including being a finalist for the Canadian Governor General’s Award for English-language drama in 2012.
As a playwright, Davies said the most joy she gets comes from sharing her stories with the audience—this time, she gets to share those stories with her hometown.
Born and raised in Saskatoon, Davies left in her teens when her family moved to Edmonton.
The Romeo Initiative is her theatrical return to the city, and despite not living in Saskatoon for many years, Davies considers it a homecoming.
She still has friends and family around the city, many of whom will be there to experience the show for the first time.
Davies is more than a little excited to bring her work to the Saskatoon stage.
“For writers, there’s a wish list of places you want to have productions. Persephone Theatre has always been on that list,” she said. “For me, there’s nothing like being in that room on opening night and being able to feel and listen to the artists and the audience. That’s the dream.”
The Romeo Initiative runs until Feb. 15 at Persephone Theatre. Tickets can be purchased online at persephonetheatre.org.
