Devised theatre is a risk for practitioners and their audience alike, but people who enjoy something a little different can go to Thread Theatre's remarkable debut production with their minds at rest.
These devisers - who've worked with acclaimed Red Leap Theatre - know what they're doing, and they do it well: they gracefully, lightly play with theatre possibilities and conventions in intelligent, entertaining ways.
Depending on how you choose to interpret the rich, ambiguous images, they present the relationship between two women, or between binary aspects of one person's subconscious.
The mumbling, scratchy, grumpy lighthouse keeper (Veronica Brady) is named Margaret after Marguerite Duras, who wrote Hiroshima Mon Amour; the open, curious, relaxed woman she saves from the waves (Julia Croft) is named Nina after her fellow French writer, Anais Nin.
One is self-flagellating, the other self-pleasuring - but their thoughtfully chosen rituals and interactions are satisfyingly unpredictable, and fanciful and poignant by turn. There are few conversations; lines are drawn in lipstick and mouths are traced in salt.
But the real theatrical innovations are built up around the entirely wordless third woman placed centre stage: musician Claire Cowan as Luna.
Luna's status is intriguing - perhaps our guide, perhaps helper or hinderer, she arranges bodies and affects the action rather than being inside it.
She also supplies the aural force of the piece. Cowan's music is among the best theatre scores I've heard, and her theatrical yet unobtrusive performance is a pleasure to watch.
She plays live cello, and live spoons, in echoing duets with recordings; she plucks at her violin, holding it like a ukelele. She uses the cello body as a percussion instrument, and then literally dances with it.
The vaguely Victorian garb suggests a limited costume budget, but lighting designer and technician Calvin Hudson displays quick reflexes and creates visual interest with sudden set-up changes.
The hour-long piece has a rather abrupt ending but is otherwise well-paced. A happy revelation, at $20. Hopefully Thread Theatre are playing for keeps.
What: The Keepers.
Where: Basement, Greys Ave, until Saturday.
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