Foxfinder: Hunting for a Cause
From October 5th to October 15th, “Montréal, arts interculturels” (MAI) presented Foxinder, a play written by Dawn King in collaboration with IMAGO theatre. After a long production period due to the pandemic, director Cristina Cugliandro finally brings to life the dystopian world of Foxfinder where the forces of nature are believed to disguise themselves as foxes, causing downpours, floods, and crop failure wherever they go.
Since the death of their son, Samuel and Judith Covey have had difficulty running their farm and meeting their yearly production quota. To add to their problems, a Foxfinder (a government official sent to search for fox infestations) named William Bloor is investigating their land. Trained to resist all temptations of life, Bloor might not be the most experienced Foxfinder, but he is committed to his investigation. Bird movements, a rabbit skull, and a cat disappearance all become clues pointing to the presence of sly and mischievous foxes. As the search progresses, Bloor lusts for Judith Covey and has dreams about her. Attributing these desires to the foxes’ influence, the young Foxfinder is convinced that there is a fox infestation on the Covey farm or in the woods. Meanwhile, guilt-driven Samuel Covey, convinced by Bloor that it was the foxes that caused his son’s death, decides to put all aside to team up with the Foxfinder in order to hunt down and kill his son’s murderers. With time, Samuel’s obsession leads him to imagine voices while Bloor is slowly losing faith in the existence of foxes as, despite his rigorous and meticulous search for traces of them, nothing shows up.
Foxfinder is presented on a small stage with little room for set pieces. Instead of tables, beds and chairs, actors use different-sized boxes to emulate the environment, whether a living room or the woods. However, instead of a curtain separating the backstage and the stage itself, the set design team created three impressive walls made up of boxes containing different items behind frosted glass. Each box lights up at different times during the play to suggest changes in setting. For example, boxes containing branches light up when the characters are in the woods, while boxes containing kitchen knives light up when the characters are in a kitchen. Due to the frosted glass, locations always feel unclear and muddied, as if reality itself, with uncertainty looming behind every corner, was behind frosted glass. Was it the foxes that were the cause of the world’s banes? Or was it all but a lie fabricated by the government in order to reassure the population? Did Samuel actually see foxes? Or did his guilt lead him into delusion?
Throughout the play, different sound effects are played in order to immerse the audience in the world of Foxfinder. Sounds of rain help contextualise the floodings described by the characters, thunder is used as a catalyst for the characters’ actions and gunshots give impact to their desperate search for a scapegoat.
Actors have different props and costumes to express their characters’ personalities and beliefs. For example, Bloor is dressed in all black, similar to a shady and secretive government official and carries his journal with him everywhere to note down the slightest detail that catches his eyes, showing his determination in completing the task he was trained for. Samuel Covey carries his hunting rifle with him at all times after teaming up with Bloor, showing his relentlessness in enacting what he believes to be righteous revenge against the foxes.
One major theme present in Foxfinder is that finding scapegoats for one’s problems always leads to devastating consequences. For example, Samuel Covey blames himself for falling asleep when his son drowned and feels overwhelming guilt. After Bloor told him that the foxes were the root of his misfortunes, Samuel is offered a way of escaping his guilt and takes it. This parallels with how, in Foxfinder, the government blames foxes for the perversion of man, the changing climate and the country’s problems. While Samuel’s obsession with finding the foxes leads him to neglect his farm and his wife, the government in Foxfinder chases and exterminates a fictional threat instead of facing and solving the current issues at hand. In both cases, Samuel and the government are worsening the problems by blaming the foxes. In the end, the real beasts to blame are humans themselves, chasing an illusion instead of facing reality. Other subjects discussed in Foxfinder include the damages of climate denial, the consequences of shattering one’s beliefs, and the value of trust versus the desire for survival.
Dawn King’s Foxfinder is a fascinating play that explores how people react in moments of crisis and what unflinching belief leads them to do. Imago Theater and MAI have done a fantastic job at interpreting this work through the creative usage of limited set pieces while also accurately conveying the message of the play. The characters’ conversations may feel a little stiff in some moments, but, overall, the actors are convincing and performed with confidence. They are able to interpret the different facets of their characters while adding personality to the dialogues by contrasting a controlled dose of humour in a dark less-than-ideal world. The set design team was also able to make the most out of a small venue, causing the piece to be memorable and enjoyable through a creative and interactive background that is well used and designed. Foxfinder is a complex play that remains serious with its darker themes all while adding touches of humour that relieve the tension. Throughout the performance, director Cristina Cugliandro maintained this delicate balance with care and was thus able to successfully present Foxfinder alongside its unique atmosphere.
