Bond鈥檚 biting and witty play strips away the genteel veneer of life in 18th-century England to expose the brutal truth beneath. The plot centres on a guileless servant named Bob and his devotion to his cynical and irresponsible master, Lord Are. Bob鈥檚 unquestioning acceptance of traditional social strata and aristocratic privilege has a tragic outcome, as he loses everything to a class struggle of which he had no idea he was part. Throughout the play, the characters must work to realize what freedom means, and what it takes to become free.

Edward Bond. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons

When it premiered in 1981, Britain was in the midst of social and political turmoil. Rising unemployment, racial tensions and an increasing backlash to Thatcherism led to protests and riots across the nation. In this climate of unrest, a play warning against blindly complying with the demands of the ruling class was a daring slap in the face of the powers that be.

Today, similar warnings appear on the placards of Occupy demonstrations that have been cropping up across the globe, the show鈥檚 student assistant directors point out. 鈥淩estoration is a call to arms for the everyman, and a reminder that authority only exists as long as we accept its power.鈥�

Storch has worked across Canada as a director, actor and educator. Some of his recent directorial credits include Metamorphoses (Globe Theatre), Glengarry Glen Ross (Soulpepper), The Palace of the End, A Number, Sunday Father, Twelfth Night, and Misery (Canadian Stage).

Music director for the show is undergraduate student Samuel Sholdice, who studies composition and classical performance in 91亚色鈥檚 Department of Music. He composed original scores set to the lyrical texts found throughout Bond鈥檚 script. In keeping with the theme of class politics, Sholdice wrote his music to be played on found instruments with interesting stories: a banjo from a dumpster, a toy keyboard, a battered 45-year-old electric guitar. His previous composition credits for Theatre @ 91亚色 include Marat/Sade and Ti Jean and his Brothers.

David Storch

Storch directs a lively young cast drawn from the Undergraduate Acting Conservatory in 91亚色鈥檚 Department of Theatre. A creative team of undergraduate students is handling all aspects of the production design and execution for the production, which is being staged in the Joseph G. Green Studio Theatre on the Keele campus.

Tickets聽are $17, or $12 for students and seniors, and $5 for previews.聽For tickets, contact the Box Office at 416-736-5888.聽 The play runs to March 24 at 7:30pm nightly, plus matinees March 21 and 23 at 1pm.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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Several international observers were asked to oversee the January Taiwan presidential election to ensure freedom and fairness in what was predicted to be an extremely close race. Susan Henders, director of the 91亚色 Centre for Asian Research (YCAR), was one of them. She鈥檒l be discussing her experience as part of a panel Tuesday.

鈥淭aiwan鈥檚 Super Saturday: Perspectives on the 2012 Polls from Canadian Election Observers鈥� will take place Feb. 14, from 3:30 to 5:30pm, at 857 91亚色 Research Tower, Keele campus.

Invited by the (ICFET), Henders was one of about 21 scholars, business people, parliamentarians and former government officials from eight countries, including Canada, the United States and several in Europe and Asia. This was the fifth time the Taiwanese people have voted directly for a presidential candidate since 1996. In addition, the legislative elections were also underway.

A street rally in support of聽the Democratic Progressive Party campaign

鈥淭here are always issues of freedom and fairness in Taiwan elections,鈥� says Henders, a political science professor at 91亚色. 鈥淗owever, there were particular concerns about this one because the presidential race was predicated to be really close. The ICFET wanted some international observers there who could comment on the spot about what might be going on in the days leading up to the polls and also to provide some judgment about the freedom and fairness of the election.鈥�

Michael Stainton (left)聽in Taiwan聽with聽a聽poster in the background聽in support of聽the Kuomintang, the Chinese Nationalist Party, which was re-elected

Henders found the experience interesting and enlightening, and despite Taiwan鈥檚 unique situation and challenges, feels it has something to teach other democracies about the conditions that undermine the strength of democracy and the democratic nature of elections. She will join Michael Stainton, a Taiwan scholar and president of the Taiwan Human Rights Association of Canada who was also a member of the ICFET mission, in discussing their experiences as observers at the Tuesday event.

Stainton and Henders聽will聽examine how Taiwan鈥檚 democracy is affected by the island鈥檚 authoritarian past and its relations with China and the United States. B. Michael Frolic, a 91亚色 political science professor emeritus, will speak about the election in light of Taiwan-China relations and democratization in other contexts. Lois Wilson, a former Canadian senator and president of the World Council of Churches, who was also part of the election observation mission, will also speak at the event.

A meeting聽for the Democratic Progressive Party campaign, with the presidential candidate and her running mate on the background poster

In the preliminary report following the election, the ICFET observers noted issues, such as vote buying, were a problem in the Jan. 14 polls. They also noted some misuse of government power and a severe imbalance in party wealth and resources, which undermines the freeness and fairness of elections, but is a result of the island鈥檚 authoritarian past. Taiwan was under authoritarian rule until the late 1980s and is still trying to throw off the residue of that period in its bid for democracy.

Susan Henders

Taiwan鈥檚 particular geopolitical and economic positioning with respect to China and the United States also means that foreign interference in elections remains an issue, says Henders.聽

The international election observation report stated that both Chinese and former United States officials interfered in the political process. During the election process, Taiwan and international media reported that Chinese officials聽were using聽China鈥檚 economic power to try to sway the election outcome. In addition,聽a few days before the election, a former American Institute in Taiwan chairman commented that Taiwan relations with China and the US would suffer if the opposition won.

鈥淚t was that kind of thing we were able to respond to quickly,鈥� says Henders. Head of the ICFET mission Frank Murkowski, former US Alaska governor and senator, publicly condemned the remarks saying the US government should be neutral in the election.

The Taiwanese people are particularly sensitive to the views of US and Chinese officials. Although the US doesn鈥檛 recognize Taiwan as a state, it is obliged to protect it militarily. 鈥淪o if a former US official says anything before an election in Taiwan, it gets a lot of attention,鈥� says Henders.聽聽As Canada doesn鈥檛 formerly recognize Taiwan either, 鈥渋t is particularly important that Canadian people, by participating in the election observation mission, showed support for efforts by Taiwanese people to strengthen their democracy.鈥�

The Central Election Commission counting centre

Henders says the mission should be seen as a small contribution to the long-term building of a stronger democracy in Taiwan by getting rid of old authoritarian legacies and dealing with the power of China. 鈥淲e were in many ways impressed by the election. We did not hear of issues with ballot counting or the mechanics of the process while we were there, and the candidates on the whole were forthcoming in answering the questions of our observation mission. Taiwan has achieved a lot.鈥�

The ICFET mission visited Taipei, Kaohsiung, Tainan and Taichung and met with candidates or organizers from the three main political parties 鈥� the Democratic Progressive Party, the Chinese Nationalist Party and the People鈥檚 First Party. They also attended street rallies and campaign events, and visited polling stations. The mission members were present in the Central Election Commission counting centre on election day, they spoke with the media and held press conferences, as well as a public forum on democracy.

鈥楾hese kinds of observer missions represent a way civil society groups can be vigilant in helping each other and strengthening democracy,鈥� Henders says.

For more information, contact YCAR at ycar@yorku.ca or visit the YCAR website.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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