Frances Mckenzie likes to work alone. Coming from the British Columbia interior, there are some clear influences of solitary living in her new performance/mask/puppetry piece Tucked Up in the Mountains. That’s not to say that she doesn’t also like working in a creative collective. For this work she has brought together some of her creative companions from Teen Sleuth and the Freed Cyborg Choir, Ellen Smallwood’s hit musical play from last year’s Fringe Festival.

Hailing as she does from Hundred Mile House in very rural BC, one of Frances’ inspirations for Tucked is an unusual and gruesome story from her hometown. “A woman was killed by a Bengal tiger there,” Frances says while sipping a Perrier at the Café Olympico. “The story has stayed with me.”

What she has created is a performance/installation consisting of several interactive stories exploring themes of captivity, ritual and disintegration. She describes her work as “experiential” and fun for the audience. “We want to encourage the spectators to interact with the masks and other pieces. If something gets broken… well, then that’s okay.”

The installation blends music, dance, poetry and mask, and although there are a number of folks involved, Frances finds herself often working alone. “I don’t get out much,” she says, referring to her creation of the masks and other bits and pieces on display in Tucked. “There’s a lot of grunt work … all materials are recycled. I love the thrill of turning nothings into somethings – of turning ideas into objects, and then to make those objects move.”

Her lonesome artistic work is certainly reflected in the stories which, collectively, ask the question of how much our past continues to influence who we are. Frances refers to the voices of archetypal characters within her. When asked if these relate to the genesis of Tucked she answers, very artfully, “I need them to come out.”

Drawing obvious parallels with her hometown, Frances describes her fascination with the sacred grove: a Germanic, pseudo-fictional place where people indulged in Bacchanalian delights and the re-enacting of ritual. “Basically, it’s making out and drinking beer,” she says with a smile.

Tucked itself is an atmospheric re-enacting of celebration and ritual within the sacred grove. “The audience gets to play,” she says with enthusiasm, “and we encourage them to participate, but there is also space if you just want to observe.”

In the midst of a play-world full of fascinating objects, creatures and masks, it seems likely that spectators will get physically involved with the piece. “It’s not like a gallery where the spectators aren’t allowed to touch anything,” she says. “Here they can get their hands on the art!”

Tucked Up in the Mountains plays for two nights only: Thursday April 29 and Friday April 30 with vernissage at 7:30 and performance at 8:30. The location is Gallery Ethecae, 2131 St Catherine E. (Métro Papineau).

Adam Kelly is a Montreal writer, performance artist and acting teacher.