Graphic novel comes to life onstage in visually spectacular new sci-fi play Red Earth

It's a rare — and adventurous —  theatrical production that tries to depict astronauts struggling in a Martian sandstorm.

Which is why it's impressive that as much of Red Earth — a made-in-Manitoba play seeing its premiere through indie company One Trunk Theatre — works as well as it does.

It's a bold theatrical experiment that mashes up illustration, animation, video projection and live performance to essentially bring a graphic novel to life on stage — and a rare example of science fiction (mostly) working as live performance.

The artistic endeavour goes beyond the stage, too.

Co-created by One Trunk's Andraea Sartison (who directs the stage production) and award-winning graphic novelist GMB Chomichuk, Red Earth is both a play (Theatre Projects Manitoba is presenting the One Trunk production, in collaboration with Prairie Theatre Exchange) and a companion graphic novel (theatregoers will get a free copy with their ticket).

The story revolves around three astronauts in the late 21st century who leave a struggling Earth on a mission to colonize Mars — and hopefully give humanity a second chance.

But before long, dedicated scientist Dr. Irving (Gwendolyn Collins) discovers that tough-as-nails mission commander Glory (Alicia Johnston) has another mission — and the third crew member, Piper (Dutchess Cayetano) makes a surprising discovery on the surface of the Red Planet that changes everything.

Like the best sci-fi, Red Earth — which is scripted by Governor General's Award-nominated Winnipeg playwright Rick Chafe and Kristian Jordan — tackles big questions. It reflects as much on our present as our future, and asks how we live (or don't) here on Earth, how we value a life, and what we want our planet — whether Earth or Mars — to look like.

Though it sometimes meanders over its two hours (with intermission), Red Earth isn't space opera — it's thoughtful, often quite moving, and it comes to a poignant conclusion.

It also has some of the flaws common to a lot of sci-fi, though. The characters feel too thin, and the dialogue (especially in the first act) is sometimes over-earnest.

The four-member cast (rounded out by Toby Hughes, who plays the artificial intelligence of a spaceship and another character whose surprise I won't spoil) perform with commitment. They often don't quite succeed in lifting the dialogue off the page, though — or create characters we really connect with.

What does lift Red Earth off the page — literally, and with vivid results — is the production's stunningly inventive design.

Based on Chomichuk's illustrations (with Laura Anzola credited for illustration and Matthew Waddell as projection technologist), spectacular drawings and animations projected onto a scrim let Sartison's production take us through the corridors and compartments of a spaceship and into the Martian landscape.

Sometimes performing behind the scrim, the performers are able to interact, with remarkable precision, with those illustrations — creating a sort of "virtual set" through which Red Earth is able to transcend the boundaries of more conventional theatre.

It really does feel, at points, like watching a graphic novel performed live — and that's a feat that will impress comic book fans and theatregoers alike.

One Trunk Theatre's Red Earth, presented by Theatre Projects Manitoba, runs at Prairie Theatre Exchange until May 18.