Internationally renowned playwright Judith Thompson has collaborated with a diverse group of women on an unconventional project - a new play called Body and Soul, sponsored by Dove, about the relationship women have with their bodies. Opening this Saturday May 10th at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, Body and Soul has been in development for over a year, developed under the moniker of The Dove Project. This short interview with Judith Thompson was originally published one year ago in ThreeSixty Magazine. In it, Thompson discusses how she feels about theatre, and what Body and Soul is striving for.

Why do you write for the theatre?

I write for the theatre because I am electrified by the human voice, in all its musicality and particularity, and the corporal presence of the actor; drama is freeing in all its constraints, like a fourteen line sonnet, or a haiku. I also love the challenges of finding new structures to explore human interaction.

What is the Dove project? (Body and Soul)

Body & Soul is a collaboration between twelve non performer women between the ages of forty-five and seventy-eight, and myself, my designer, Sue Lepage, and my producer, Iris Nemani, exploring themes around beauty and aging. We are in our first workshop now, and will perform the finished play next spring. This is all funded by Dove, for the campaign for real beauty.

What was the most surprising thing you have you learned so far in this collaboration?

The most surprising thing I have learned is that Dove has been willing to fully and generously support this project, with no expectation of a return.

For more information about tickets and performance times, visit: http://www.youngcentre.ca/Tickets/Production.aspx?perf=2275

And for a more in-depth look at the project, visit: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080508.wdove08/BNStory/Entertainment/home