When entering the Black Box Theatre, you are startled by the emptiness of the stage and the white lighting bouncing back off the black walls.
Ilkay Silk, director of Black Box Production’s first show, A Number, fills the somber theatre with wisdom and passion-driven stories.
Opening the season at STU with A Number, Silk delves into the science of cloning and the challenge of keeping up with all the sciences and advanced technology. A young student will be the protagonist and play three distinct roles throughout the play, each role adding a new layer to the narrative.
Though this play only needs two actors, Silk believes the learning process will benefit everyone in the team.
“Rehearsing and directing a show is a process. It can’t be rushed,” she said. “It’s more than just learning your lines … it’s more about working as a team, trusting each other.”
Silk has watched the Fine Arts department grow into what it is today, as STU offered more drama and theatre courses throughout the years. She also helped in the final design of the Black Box Theatre.
She said her job as a director is to give young people the experience of being in a play and let them appreciate the complexity and effort involved in creating a performance.
“There have to be props, sets, lights, sound … I’m teaching people to appreciate the performing arts,” said Silk.
Silk was the drama director at STU for 36 years before retiring in 2013. Before the Black Box existed, she taught a drama production class at the Ted Daigle Auditorium within the English department.
“It wasn’t about training people for the theatre … It’s just giving an opportunity for students taking a liberal arts degree to have a stab at performing,” said Silk. “I believe in education.”
Silk shared that her love for performance began with ballet. She auditioned for the Royal Ballet School, but decided to pursue theatre by completing her post-secondary studies at the College of Speech and Drama in London. Then, she moved to Fredericton and worked at Theatre New Brunswick.
“I’m a born teacher … my instinct is always to teach and direct.”
When Silk applied for the professor position at STU, Monsignor George Martin, the university’s president at the time, interviewed her.
“I said, ‘Well, what do you expect me to do?’ And I was trying to get some information about the job and he said to me, ‘I don’t care what you do, as long as you do something.’”
Silk said the former president came to see every play and wrote a congratulatory note to everybody. She then said that she felt lucky to have so much freedom to direct and never felt censored.
Silk also shared how, at school, her teachers always modelled their passion for teaching, especially her biology teacher, who took her and other classmates youth hosteling around London.
Silk admires the courage of students who audition for roles and encourages them to participate, highlighting the nurturing environment fostered by instructors like Tania Breen and Lisa Anne Ross.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of because they realize they’ve walked in your shoes.”
With only three weeks until opening night, Silk is steadfast in her passion for directing and working with young artists who share her drive.
Although she officially retired, her innate talent to inspire and her commitment to giving people the opportunity to connect with live theatre will make this opening season special. Even if you have never seen what a dressing room looks like, Silk will pave the way to a Narnia-like world and tell you a story for every framed photo on the wall.
