An Interview with Playwright Dale Lee Kwong: Ai Yah! Sweet and Sour Secrets

“It’s been my goal to have a play at Lunchbox Theatre since 1978. I was in grade twelve when the Stage One program first started, and I don’t even know how I ended up going to all the Stage One readings but I did, and I made a mental note to myself that someday I would like to have a play at Lunchbox.” – Dale Lee Kwong

Calgary Playwright Dale Lee Kwong
Calgary Playwright Dale Lee Kwong – Photo by: Tung Bui – illusionistproductions.com

One of the things I love about Lunchbox Theatre is that many of the productions you see on their stage feature local playwrights whose work was developed through the Stage One Festival of New Canadian Work. This season alone features several plays that were developed through the festival including Book Club II: The Next Chapter by Meredith Taylor-Parry, Flight Risk by Meg Braem, and the upcoming and very funny Ai Yah! Sweet and Sour Secrets written by Dale Lee Kwong.  

Dale not only writes plays but also writes poetry, essays, and creative non-fiction. Her essays have been published in Somebody’s Child: Stories of Adoption, A Family By Any Other Name: Exploring Queer Relationships, and the Malahat Review. Her poetry has appeared in Canadian Literature, Modern Morsels, and The Calgary Project: A City Map in Verse and Visual. Dale often performs at local literary events and sometimes speaks at inclusive churches and organizations like PechaKucha, TALES and The Coming Out Monologues.

I spoke to Dale about her dream of having a play performed at Lunchbox and the journey her play, Ai Yah! Sweet and Sour Secrets, took to go from page to stage.

Jamie Matchullis as Jennifer, Chantelle Han as Lilly, Ben Wong as Charlie, and Kelsey Verzotti as Jade in the Lunchbox Theatre production of Ai Yah! Sweet and Sour Secrets – Photograph by Benjamin Laird

JAMES HUTCHISON

When did you get into writing?

DALE LEE KWONG

I’ve always been a writer. I have poems framed in cardboard and typed on Manila paper from 1971 that I gave to my family at Christmas. I wrote a community column for about ten years when I lived in Crescent Heights that was told from the point of view of my dog, Magoo. And in my family I’m always the one that gets called upon to do the toast to the bride or the speech. But my real writing career started about fourteen years ago at the end of a relationship. I went to a writing workshop in Edmonton called Women Who Write and took some introductory writing classes. Classes which didn’t actually critique your material so much as just read it back to you and say what struck them.

JAMES

So, it’s a workshop to encourage the writing process?

DALE

Yes, it’s very much for emerging writers. And I realized I had things I wanted to say and so, the first year after my break up I started enrolling in creative writing courses at the University of Calgary. I took three poetry classes with Tom Wayman, and he’s an awesome professor. During that time I won the CBC Poetry Face Off in Calgary, and that got recorded and aired nationwide, and that got voted on by listeners, where it placed third.

JAMES

What a fabulous boost for the ego.

DALE

It was. At the same time Alberta Theatre Projects and the Alberta Playwrights’ Network ran a 24-hour playwriting competition. I entered, and my first play, which was really just a scene, was called – Is Normie Kwong Your Uncle? And it won a special merit award which gave me a free dramaturgical session with Ken Cameron at the Alberta Playwrights’ Network.

I wasn’t even sure what APN was, but after I met with Ken I sent a proposal for an as-of-yet unwritten play to Rona Waddington at Lunchbox Theatre and she commissioned the play in the fall of 2005. I wrote notes and outlines, but I didn’t actually write the play until February 2006 in another 24-hour playwriting competition, which is so well suited to me because I worked in television as a news editor. In television we don’t start cutting the news for the six o’clock show until around three in the afternoon. And then from three to six you hit the ground running, and it’s intense, and that’s the kind of scenario I love. So my writing is always last minute and rushed. I’ve tried to change that, but it’s just part of my process.

JAMES

So, was that the play that became the play being produced at Lunchbox this season?

Dale Lee Kwong Playwright, Steve Gin, Brenda Finley, Michelle Wong, Francine Wong, Pat Mac, Nicola Zylstra
Dale Lee Kwong, Steve Gin, Brenda Finley, Michelle Wong, Francine Wong, Pat Mac, Nicola Zylstra – at the Glenbow Museum for the Alberta Playwrights’ Network Discovery Prize workshop and reading, November 2006

DALE

Yes, this play has been in development since it was first commissioned in the fall of 2005 and written in February 2006. It’s taken twelve years to get to the stage. And some people think it’s autobiographical, but it’s actually not. There are elements of truth in it, and there are true stories in it.

JAMES

So, what you’ve done is taken personal experience as an inspiration and then created the play out of that. What are some of your thoughts about this twelve-year journey?

DALE

Well, when I started I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. I’d never written a play before. But one thing that worked to my benefit as a playwright was my day job as a news editor. A news editor takes the raw material that a reporter shoots with her photog (cameraman) and helps it become a better product. And one of the things that entails is taking interviews that are five to twenty minutes long and pulling out 20-second sound bites. So in a sense – I’ve been working with dialogue for twenty-six years.

I’d also taken a writing workshop at the Banff Centre from Fred Wah about a form of Japanese poetry called Utanikki. In Utanikki you take two pieces of text and chop them up and then you put them back together in some form, and just by taking two completely different subjects – for example, a recipe for making scrambled eggs and a piece about coming out to your family and mashing them together a relationship is created between these two topics that didn’t previously exist. Many of my writings employ this method. Two types of writing blended together. I have poems where there’s haiku blended with free form.

Jamie Matchullis as Jennifer and Kelsey Verzotti as Jade in the Lunchbox Theatre production of Ai Yah! Sweet and Sour Secrets By Dale Lee Kwong – Photograph by Benjamin Laird

In the play I had this story about a lesbian and her girlfriend, and eventually they decide to move to Vancouver to get away from her family. But in between those scenes I had another entire play. It was a reality game show like Survivor where the lesbian girlfriend was being forced to come out to her family through a competition. There was a character like Jeff Probst, and there was this ancient Chinese sage character named Connie-fucius who would spout out fortune cookie lines.

Over the years I worked with a lot of different directors and dramaturges who encouraged me to remove the Survivor scenes from the play, but it was honestly my favourite part. I loved it! And I loved the character of Connie-fucius.

Lunchbox Theatre – The Early Days – Bow Valley Square

Rona Waddington never scheduled it for a production, and after she left Lunchbox I resubmitted it to Pamela Halstead when she was artistic director, and she was really interested in it, but by then she had already submitted her own resignation. So she set up a meeting between me and Glenda Stirling who was the incoming artistic director. Glenda had already programmed her first season,  but she was interested in it for the following year, but then Glenda left. So I’d submitted the play to three different artistic directors and it had fallen through the cracks each time.

The other thing you need to know is that it’s been my goal to have a play at Lunchbox Theatre since 1978. I was in grade twelve when the Stage One program first started, and I don’t even know how I ended up going to all the Stage One readings but I did, and I made a mental note to myself that someday I would like to have a play at Lunchbox.

JAMES

But isn’t that fascinating – that there’s that connection from thirty years ago – no forty years ago.

DALE

78, 88, 98, 2008 – oh my God, forty years!

JAMES

Four decades.

DALE

That makes me tear up thinking about that. That’s why this play is so special to me. Lunchbox is my favourite theatre company, and I make no bones about saying that. I’ve been donating to them for years, and I’ve been volunteering there, and I think they’re one of the best treasures in Calgary.

Chantelle Han as Lilly and Ben Wong as Charlie in the Lunchbox Theatre production of Ai Yah! Sweet and Sour Secrets by Dale Lee Kwong – Photograph by Benjamin Laird

JAMES

So what happened next?

DALE

After Glenda left, in comes Mark Bellamy. I knew Mark vaguely from Vertigo Theatre – and you’d think I’d show him my script right away, but I was gun shy having experienced several disappointments. So, I got to know Mark better, and he got to know me better, and I finally said to Mark, “You know, I’ve got this script that was workshopped here, and it kind of fell through the cracks.” He asked me what it was about and after I told him he said, “Send it to me.” So then I had this opportunity to send it to him, and do you think I sent it to him? No, because by that time it had been workshopped so much I didn’t know where I was at, and I thought I should get him a clean version. So, it took me a year to revise it and send it to him and he got back to me within a month, and gave me a workshop.

At the workshop Mark gave me the choice of a couple of directors and I chose Trevor Reuger from APN whom I had prior dealings with. He had helped me with another script I had started. I told Trevor my creative process and how I’m late with everything and not to worry because I was a news editor, and I’m used to tight deadlines, but before we started the workshop, Trevor suggested, that for the sake of time, we leave the Survivor bits out for now and he said, “If you can show me how they advance the storyline then we’ll start putting them back in.” I was sort of reluctant to do that.

JAMES

Sounds like a clever strategy from your dramaturge.

DALE

Yeah, so the first day we missed two Survivor scenes, and they were funny, and I was like – how can I justify getting them in?

JAMES

So, for the whole workshop you were trying to push them back in?

DALE

Well by Thursday I knew Survivor wasn’t coming back. The play had changed. Everything was fluid. I was doing rewrites every day. But there was this fight scene between Jade and her mother which I’d always struggled with because I didn’t have that fight with my mother in real life when I came out.

Ben Wong as Charlie, Jamie Matchullis as Jennifer, Kelsey Verzotti as Jade and Chantelle Han as Lilly in the Lunchbox Theatre production of Ai Yah! Sweet and Sour Secrets – Photograph by Benjamin Laird

DALE

When I first came out it was in ’93, and I wrote the play twelve years later. I came out before Ellen Degeneres came out, and that was big news. She came out on the cover of TIME magazine. I came out to my family – all in one day – at my mom’s house. I told my cousins first, and at dinner I told everybody’s parents. The ones who had the most trouble with it were the cousins in the 50 to 70 year range, but everyone over 70 was fine with it. In my experience of coming out – senior citizens don’t care that much – you know – life’s too short – do what you want. I had one relative who was ecstatic to finally have a lesbian in the family – that was surprising too.

So, anyway, I had written the play forward to the fight scene and written the play backwards from the fight, but I couldn’t actually write the fight scene. There was just a blank page.

And we got to Friday, before the public reading, and we were reading the script, like we did every morning, and the actor basically went from the last line before the blank page to the first line after the blank page and I went, “No wait. There’s a fight scene there.” And they all went, “What?” And I said, “Well that’s what the blank space is.” And Trevor said, “Where are the words?”

And I said, “I was hoping we could workshop this and get something out.” And Trevor said, “Dale, there’s an audience coming in an hour and a half to see your play. You have to have some words there.” And I said, “Well yeah, but I’ve struggled all the way forward and all the way back – I just need some help.”

Finally Chantelle Han who was playing the mother said, “I think I would ask them to leave, but I need to say something first.” Then the actor playing Jennifer or Jade said, “Well maybe such and such could happen.” And that gave me a little bit. And I think we all worked it out together. I was scratching out lines and adding lines and telling them things. I have no idea what that page looked like on their scripts, and when they actually read it at the reading it wasn’t typed. It was just hand written notes. That script literally got written an hour before it was read.

JAMES

But the audience didn’t know that, and I saw that reading, and it was a lot of fun. There were a lot of laughs. People loved the play, and I remember mentioning to you how much clarity had come into the play from when I had read it probably a year and a half to two years before that if not more. So now that the play is being produced are you excited about going into the rehearsal process?

DALE

Even though I’m not as much of a green horn as I was twelve years ago I’m still a newbie. This is my first big production. So, there’s a bit of a learning curve, but I’m really lucky because one of my mentors in the theatre community is Sharon Pollock whom I’ve known since 2006, and over the last few years we’ve become really good friends because we walk our dogs together.

Rehearsal for Ai Yah! Sweet and Sour Secrets
Jamie Matchullis, Kelsey Verzotti, Ben Wong, and Chantelle Han rehearse a scene from Ai Yah! Sweet and Sour Secrets

Sharon is wonderful. Last year she had her own new play Blow Wind High Water at Theatre Calgary and she had a revision happening on another play at Stratford and I was going through stuff on my end and so I could ask her questions like, “Should I go to the rehearsals?” And Sharon was the first to say, “It’s your right to go to the rehearsal. Not all playwrights do. In fact, most directors would probably discourage it, but you’re emerging – you’re a rookie – you should go to them all.” She said, “Just take a book, and be there if they need you, and listen once in a while, and see what things they struggle with, and you’ll learn.”

You know I always say to emerging artists, particularly artists in their 20s, I say, “You have age on your side. You can plead complete ignorance. You can say, I don’t know. I’ve never been to a dress rehearsal? Can I come to your dress rehearsal? I’ve never been to a first read. Can I come to your first read?”

Ben Wong as Charlie, Jamie Matchullis as Jennifer, Kelsey Verzotti as Jade, and Chantelle Han as Lilly in the Lunchbox Theatre production of Ai Yah! Sweet and Sour Secrets – Photograph by Benjamin Laird

DALE

The other thing you can do if you’re an emerging writer or artist is volunteer. I have been ushering at Calgary theatres for more than ten years. Almost every theatre company in the city uses ushers, and if you usher you get to see the play for free, and you meet the people behind the scenes. So there are all these people that I’ve met along the way, and I’ve been supporting them for ten years, and I finally have something they can come to.

JAMES

Playwright Dale Lee Kwong at Lunchbox Theatre 2017/18 Season Launch
Dale Lee Kwong at the Lunchbox Theatre 2017/18 Season Announcement with former Lunchbox Artistic Producer Mark Bellamy Photograph by Carol F. Poon

And genuine friends are happy for you.

DALE

Yes, I get that. I feel the love. At the official season announcement last February I just burst into tears. My best friend got a picture of it, and it’s one of my favourite pictures. Like you say it was a forty year journey. I didn’t even do the math. I’m bad at math. I’m not a good Asian.

JAMES

You can say that joke, I can’t.

DALE

You can credit it to me.

***


Dale also wanted to take this opportunity to thank the many people who have contributed to the development of her play over the years. Here is a list of the actors, directors, and dramaturges who have offered their time, talent and support in the creation of Ai Yah! Sweet and Sour Secrets.

Lunchbox Theatre – Stage One workshop, May 2006

  • TV Host/Charlie Wong – Steve Gin
  • Lillian Wong/Connie-fucius – Jacey Ma
  • Jade Wong – Elyn Quan
  • Jennifer Smith – Karen Johnson Diamond
  • Dramaturg/Director – Ken Cameron

Alberta Playwrights’ Network – Writing in the Works excerpt, Oct 2006

  • TV Host – Grant Lunnenburg
  • Lillian Wong/Connie-fucius – Sharon Pollock
  • Jade Wong – Laura Parken
  • Jennifer Smith – Francine Wong
  • Director – Sharon Pollock

Alberta Playwrights’ Network – Discovery Prize workshop and reading, Nov 2006

  • TV Host/Charlie Wong – Steve Gin
  • Lillian Wong/Connie-fucius – Michelle Wong
  • Jade Wong – Francine Wong
  • Jennifer Smith – Nicole Zylstra
  • TV Host/Stage Manager – Patrick MacEachern
  • Dramaturg/Director – Brenda Finley

filling Station Magazine – flywheel reading for Chinese New Year, Feb 2008

  • Charlie Wong– Ben Tsui
  • Lillian Wong– Jasmin Poon
  • Jade Wong – Francine Wong
  • Jennifer Smith – Elan Pratt
  • Connie-fucius – Jade Cooper
  • TV Host – Emiko Muraki
  • Director – Dale Lee Kwong

Lunchbox Theatre – Stage One workshop, June 2016

  • Charlie Wong – Mike Tan
  • Lillian Wong – Chantelle Han
  • Jade Wong – Ali DeRegt
  • Jennifer Smith – Julie Orton
  • Dramaturg/Director – Trevor Rueger
Poster for Ai Yay! Sweet and Sour Secrets at Lunchbox Theatre

Dale Lee Kwong writes poetry, plays, and creative non-fiction. Third-generation Chinese-Canadian, her work explores Chinese-Canadian history, diversity & inclusion, adoption, and LGBTQ issues. Dale is passionate about the importance of Chinatowns across North America, and the fight to save them from gentrification. Dale plans to keep writing about the past and present, in hopes of shaping the future! 

Lunchbox Theatre is one of the most successful noon-hour theatre companies in the world and produces one-act plays that provide patrons with an engaging and entertaining theatre experience. Lunchbox produces seven plays per season, as well as the Stage One Festival of New Canadian Work where many of the plays produced by the company are developed. Lunchbox is one of Calgary’s longest-running professional theatre companies and is located in downtown Calgary at the base of the Calgary Tower.

Tung Bui is a Calgary photographer and videographer that is passionate about visual storytelling. He loves the challenge of trying to shoot outside the lines of the viewfinder. So if you’re looking to capture your memories in a unique way…let his imagination work for your vision.


This interview has been edited for length and condensed for clarity.

DOWNLOAD: James Hutchison Interviews Playwright Dale Lee Kwong – Ai Yah! Sweet and Sour Secrets



A Christmas Carol by James Hutchison premieres at the Carriage House Theatre

I get a very special gift this year because A Christmas Carol by James Hutchison Premieres at the Carriage House Theatre in Cardston Alberta this December. Santa certainly outdid himself this year and so here’s an interview with some of the wonderful people bringing my adaptation of the famous story to life.

“But Uncle I have always thought of Christmas time as a kind, forgiving, charitable time. It is the one time of the year when men and women open their hearts and think of all people as fellow passengers to the grave, and not as another race of creatures bound on different journeys. And therefore, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!”

***

And so do I! That’s Fred talking to his Uncle Scrooge about why he values Christmas so much. Christmas continues to be a time of celebration, reconciliation and compassion. There are so many wonderful and inspiring stories to enjoy this time of year. It’s a Wonderful Life starring Jimmy Stewart and Lionel Barrymore is one of my all-time favourites. And I never miss a chance to catch The Bishop’s Wife starring Cary Grant, David Niven and Loretta Young. And of course, no Christmas would be complete without a telling of Charles Dicken’s classic tale A Christmas Carol.

When I sat down seven years ago, this very Christmas, to write my own adaption of A Christmas Carol, I discovered that I didn’t really have anything new to bring to the story, so I decided to write another play instead called What the Dickens!

What the Dickens! is a play in the tradition of Noises Off by Michael Frayn or Moon Over Buffalo by Ken Ludwig. It’s basically a play within a play and in this case it’s about the Pine Tree Player’s disastrous production of A Christmas Carol.

But as a result of working on that play I had spent a lot of time with the text of A Christmas Carol and I gained a lot of fresh insights into the story and so once I had finished What the Dickens! I was finally ready to begin writing my own adaption of the original story.

 Peter Hauge who plays Scrooge in A Christmas Carol by James Hutchison Premieres
Peter Hague as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol Photograph by Kelsey Pankhurst

One of the things I wanted to do in my version of A Christmas Carol was show how Scrooge was shaped into the man he became. We all live in societies and all societies influence and shape the values and opinions of its members. So, I’ve expanded the role of Jacob Marley, which was Scrooge’s business partner and mentor, and I’ve added another business associate of Scrooge’s named Mr. Bentley in order to illustrate how Scrooge was shaped into the man he became and not alone in his disdain for Christmas.

As Fred, Scrooge’s nephew says, “There are those who see Christmas as a waste of time and energy and my Uncle Scrooge was not only a member of that tribe but in all likelihood their loudest cheerleader and most ardent supporter. He hated Christmas. He hated anything that did not make him richer and so he hated Christmas most of all.”

The production is being directed by Juliann Sommerfeltd who says that A Christmas Carol is a story about hope. “We all have Scrooge-like moments and so that makes him a relatable character whom we pity. His overnight transformation gives us hope that we can alter our own bad habits.”

“The reason I love the story so much and keep coming back to it is because I love the opportunity it shows that people have a second chance. There’s so much depression in the world that being able to realize that there is another day and that you can write on a brand-new page tomorrow and that no matter where you’ve been you can turn things around and start over is an important message.”

“Also, watching Fred’s kindness to his mean Uncle inspires hope that our own kindness can ignite change in the ones we love the most. All that, and a Christmas story as well.”

Over the year’s Scrooge has been played by an assortment of actors including Alistair Sim, George C. Scott and now here in Cardston by Peter Hague. Juliann says she chose Peter because “He has the ability to give Scrooge the edge he needs at the beginning of the play and then end the play with the audience smiling at Scrooge’s bouncing enthusiasm over his changed ways. He goes from bear to teddy bear and you just want to hug this teddy bear of a man.”

Peter says that “There’s some Scrooge in all of us and that’s why this time-honoured character is so compelling. Wealth is very important to Scrooge because he feels it brings him respect and power in his community.”

As Scrooge says to Mr. Harrington who has come to Scrooge’s office on Christmas eve asking for an extension on his loan, “You may find me cold and unfeeling sir, but I would venture to say I am a man of my word; a man whose word carries weight; a man whose word allows him the ability to strike a deal and back it up with his signature. My signature is worth something. Yours it would appear – if you continue to treat your financial obligations and business dealings in this manner – will soon be worthless.”

“Many people in this world, like Scrooge, are too self-absorbed to feel sympathy for others because they evaluate life as the world affects them instead of how they might affect the world.” says Peter. “It’s not until Scrooge sees life from the perspective of others that he has an epiphany that makes him feel that he has missed the mark. The “mark” being people, love and the relationships built in life. As audiences watch the show I hope they will consider what might be amiss in their lives and make changes that will make their lives and the lives of their fellow men more fulfilling.”

“The Carriage House Theatre,” according to Alonna Leavitt, Managing Director of the Carriage House Theatre Foundation, “is an integral part of the Cardston Community.”

Production still - A Christmas Carol by James Hutchison premieres
Michael Holthe as Dick Wilkens and Cassidy Duce as Belle in A Christmas Carol – Photograph by Kelsey Pankhurst

“For some people, it’s the place they go to see their children and grandchildren perform in the school choir concert. For some, the Carriage House Theatre is the place they take their family to attend a movie. And then many people look forward to seeing the next live theater production – whether it’s a Summer Theatre show, a Junior High production or a Community Theatre production. And for many people, the theatre becomes an extension of their home where they feel safe. They involve themselves on the stage or behind the scenes in a production role and feel satisfaction and joy from that experience.”

“When a production such as A Christmas Carol is presented – where the cast and crew are all members of the community, the community spirit and enthusiasm is exciting. The Carriage House Theatre is a happening place for a small community like Cardston. We are so fortunate and feel so blessed to have this facility in our town.”

Dr. Robert Russell says the The Carriage House Theatre is the result of a dream that started thirty years ago when he along with two other business partners bought the local Cardston movie theatre, The Mayfair, in 1990. The Mayfair was completely gutted and renovated and reopened in 1992 as a 333 seat live theatre and movie venue. Dr. Russell’s two partners dropped out early and he’s had the whole thing for the last twenty-eight years. “The theatre is here to serve people and to educate, enrich and enjoy. And when we talk about educate we’re not just talking about the mechanics of theatre production but to educate people to think and think seriously about what they’re seeing.”

A Christmas Carol by James Hutchison Premieres

“In A Christmas Carol you have Scrooge who has wealth and materialism but no spirit. And if I can – with my limited means – present a story about change and the transition to a more Christ like type of attitude maybe people will leave the theatre with some idea of incorporating away from materialism and money, in their own lives, which are the two main things that drive a secular society. That’s what A Christmas Carol is – Scrooge becomes a Christian. He transitions from a miserly old unhappy man and finds joy by extending himself and his resources to other people – which is the very premise of Christianity. To me that’s the biggest thing. My whole premise in my life has been service to other people. I was a physician and my whole attitude of being a physician was to serve my fellow man with skill and expertise to make their lives longer and better.”

Scrooge echos Dr. Russell’s premise when he says, to his nephew Fred, at the end of the play, “You’re right. Christmas is a kind, forgiving, and charitable time. A time when men and women open their hearts and think of their fellow man. A time for mercy, charity, and benevolence. And so, in the memory of your dear mother, I will honour Christmas and keep it all the year – and I say along with you, God bless it!”

And so, this Christmas, might I suggest, you gather up the family and friends and head on over to the Carriage House Theatre and catch this fresh, fun and lively adaptation of A Christmas Carol where you’ll meet Mr. Bentley, learn all about the letters Scrooge wrote to his sister Fan, and find out who Mr. Newbury is. You’ll still find all the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future along with Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit, the Ghost of Jacob Marley, Old Fezziwig, Scrooge’s nephew Fred, and the love of Scrooge’s life, Belle. There are some new scary bits, a few good laughs, a tender moment or two and some surprises! It’s a fresh take on an old tale sure to thrill young and old alike.

The entire cast of A Christmas Carol by James Hutchison Premieres
Cast & Crew of The Carriage House Theatre Production of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Adapted for the stage by James Hutchison – Photograph by Kelsey Pankhurst

***

A CHRISTMAS CAROL BY JAMES HUTCHISON PREMIERES

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Peter Hague as Ebenezer Scrooge
Rob Crawford as Mr. Bentley
Mike Morphis as Bob Cratchit
Grant Comin as Fred
Blake Bevans as Mr. Granger and the Headmaster
Ben DeVuyst as Mr. Harrington and a Business Man
Levi Mason as Mr. Murdock and Old Fezziwig
Luke Credd as a Poor Boy and Cousin Herb
Sawyer Pawlenchuk as Mr. Newbury, Topper and Thomas
Esther Leighton as Mrs. Dilber
Darren Cahoom as Ghost of Jacob Marley
Candace Perry as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Rose and Caroline
Max Bevans as Scrooge as a young boy and Belle & Dick’s Child
Brad Peterson as Scrooge as a young man
Ellandra Leighton as Fan and Fezziwig’s Child
Jennica Williams as Mrs Fezziwig
Madisyn Bevans as Fezziwig Child and Caroler
Emma Schneider as Fezziwig Children and  Belle and Dick’s Child
Mike Devuyst as Jacob Marley and Old Joe
Cassidy Duce as Belle
Michael Holthe as Dick Wilkens and a Business Man
Jack Crawford as Belle and Dick’s Child, Ignorance and a Boy on the Street
Emma Quinton as Belle and Dick’s Child and Want
Emma Bevans as Belle and Dick’s Child
Asa Verdon as the Ghost of Christmas Present and Spirit
Marie Morphis as Mrs Cratchit
Isaac Morphis as Cratchit child and Fezziwig Orchestra
Alexi Morphis as Cratchit child and Fezziwig Orchestra
Josh Morphis as Cratchit child and Fezziwig Orchestra
Julie Anne Morphis as Cratchit child and Fezziwig Orchestra
Adam Morphis as Cratchit child and Fezziwig Orchestra
Nathan Morphis as Tiny Tim
Ashtyn Lybbert as Emma
Dominic Caravaggio as the Ghost of Christmas Future
Anica Baff as a Business Woman
Daniel Atwood as a Spirit
Synevie Wilde as a Spirit
Shelby Robson as a Spirit
Capri Powlesland as a Spirit
Vicky Powlesland as a Caroler
Mika McCarty as a Caroler
Brianne Watson as a Caroler
Savannah Hunter as a Caroler

PRODUCTION STAFF

Producer – Alonna Leavitt
Director – Juliann Sommerfeldt
Musical Director – Alonna Leavitt
Stage Managers – Samantha Atwood & Eden Atwood
Lighting Design – Jim Fletcher
Costumes – Val Jensen & Alonna Leavitt
Costume Construction – Doreen Card, Marina Leavitt, Sheila Hague, Janet Crapo, Darren Cahoon
Set Construction – Don Pierson
Set Painting – Janet Mein, Esther Leighton, Josh Creason, Paige DeVuyst, Levi Mason, Anica Baff
Box Office – Norma Reeves
Lighting Technician – Evy Schnoor
Make-up & Hair Design – Dalys Fletcher
Make-up & Hair Assistants – Kim Schneider, Tonnia Watson, Lacey Quinton, Teagan Perry, Ivy Schnoor, Katia Van Dysse, Beth Holthe, Krystin Bevans, Emma DeVuyst
House Manager – Debbie Fletcher

The Carriage House Theatre: The Carriage House Theatre has been providing the town of Cardston and Southern Alberta with live family-oriented entertainment for more than twenty-five years. The Theatre produces a regular season of plays as well as its popular summer musical festival while providing opportunities for talented local youth to participate in live theatre productions.

The Alberta Playwrights Network:  The Alberta Playwrights’ Network exists to nurture Alberta playwrights and provide support for the development of their plays. APN promotes Alberta playwrights and plays to the theatre community, while building and fostering a network of playwrights through education, advocacy and outreach. A Christmas Carol was partly developed and workshopped through the Alberta Playwrights Network Wordshed Program in 2015 with the participation of Trevor Rueger, Laura Parken, Roberta Mauer-Phillips and Julie Orton.

  • Interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.
  • Background information for this post included the article, Yesterday Once More, by James Frey in the summer 2005 edition of Lethbridge Living magazine.

Link to A Christmas Carol by James Hutchison

Link to What the Dickens by James Hutchison

An Interview With Playwright Maria Crooks: The Mary Mink Story

Photograph of Playwright Maria Crooks
Playwright Maria Crooks – Photograph by James Hutchison

“Frankly as human beings we all have a tendency to be more wary and distrustful of anyone who is not like ourselves. Also there has recently been a lot of discussion about who has the right to tell other cultures’ stories and my play touches on that topic. As our society becomes more diverse it is important to talk about this and to understand how to respectfully approach the telling of stories about other cultures. I don’t think it is wrong to write stories or make movies about others but one should always think about how to do so in a respectful and mindful manner.” – Playwright Maria Crooks


Maria Crooks is an emerging Calgary playwright who began writing plays after retiring from a corporate job in the oil industry in 2011. She describes her most recent play, The Mary Mink Story, as a play about untrammeled ambition, ruthlessness and deceit and one man’s relentless efforts for the truth to be told.

JAMES HUTCHISON

Maria, what attracted you to playwriting as opposed to novels, short stories, poems or other forms of writing?

MARIA CROOKS

I’ve always had a passion for writing and in the past I’ve taken a number of writing courses including poetry and short story writing. I decided to try playwriting because it was a new kind of writing for me and because I don’t like doing research and I mistakenly thought that writing plays wouldn’t require doing much research. Despite discovering that I was wrong about the amount of work it takes to write a play, I was hooked when at the end of the first course, the instructor brought in two professional actors to read scenes from the plays we had written in class. It was so thrilling to have the characters I had created, in my head, come to life before me that I’ve been writing plays ever since.

JAMES

You know I find it inspiring that you’ve come to playwriting later in life and I think that’s a great thing. I think people should go after their dreams no matter what their age. What motivated you to go after this dream?

MARIA

I love the theatre and I love acting and in fact after retiring I started taking acting courses and I’ve acted in a couple of plays since then. I also love words and writing and so the acting led to the writing of plays and somehow the writing has taken centre stage as it were, at least for the time being.

JAMES

A few years ago, I went to When Words Collide, an annual writers and readers conference here in Calgary, and heard American fantasy and science fiction author Brandon Sanderson talk about writers being either gardeners or architects. Gardeners are writers who plant seeds and see what grows. In other words, they just sit down and start writing. Architects are writers that like to make a blueprint before they start writing. Which are you?

MARIA

I believe I’m naturally a gardener. Even at university when I had to write papers I had difficulty following structure and pattern. I find following a blueprint a bit confining. However, over the years, I’ve discovered the usefulness of having a blueprint. It’s particularly important when writing a play where you have to know everything about the background of the characters you’re writing about before you start writing because it grounds them and informs their choices and will make your play and the characters more realistic and believable.

JAMES

Okay I have to ask, one of your earlier plays is a play called Age of Love – and it’s about a romantic relationship between a younger man and a much older woman – where did that story come from?

MARIA

I was listening to the program As It Happens on CBC radio about two years ago when they were rebroadcasting episodes from their archives. I heard an interview with a young man who in 1976 was 21 years old, and had fallen in love with his 76 year-old step-grandmother who had recently been widowed and he was determined to marry her despite his parents’ protests. At the time I was looking to write a play examining sexuality and I thought the story of love between two people with such a huge age difference would be intriguing to explore and write about.

JAMES

As you were writing that play what did you discover about your own thoughts and society’s thoughts concerning love, sex and age.

MARIA

I wrote the play as a comedy: I thought it was very funny and odd for a young man to fall in love with wrinkles and false teeth, but as I wrote it, I fell in love with my characters and I realized that romantic love comes in different forms and the usual pattern of boy meets girl who is young and beautiful is only just one of many ways for people to fall in love.

Ryan Gray as Ash and Diana-Marie Stolz as Olivia in the Urban Stories 2015 Production of The Age of Love

JAMES

It was produced so I’m curious what the audience’s reaction to the play was.

MARIA

I was very pleased with the reaction of the public, in fact it got good reviews* and elicited a lot of laughs. To this day, I will be at a dinner party or be at some other social function and friends or other people who have seen the play will approach me and want to talk about it. This happens way more often than with any other play I’ve written. Many wonder if perhaps I had been in a relationship with a younger man and that is the reason I wrote the play.

I also did research on gerontophilia, which is a little-known sexual preference for the elderly, and I printed an article to post at the theatre for the audience to read so they would know that this sort of love is possible and that I didn’t just write it out of wishful thinking.

JAMES

You mentioned that people thought the story for Age of Love came from personal experience but even though the specifics of that story aren’t about your life how much of your own life experience do you find you put into your writing?

MARIA

I think it’s inevitable that my own experiences will seep into my writing consciously or unconsciously.

When I was a child we moved from Cuba to Jamaica and after the move my parents couldn’t find an item, it’s been so long now I can’t remember what it was, but they immediately assumed it had been stolen by the woman who had been helping with the packing. This woman had been a family friend and my parents never responded to her letters because of the assumption that she had stolen from them. Many years later they found the missing item but by then it was too late, the friendship had been broken.

That story became the basis of my first play, The Servant, which is a story about a servant who is accused of having stolen a valuable ring which was subsequently found. I wanted to examine the nature of trust and how quickly it can be eroded when we jump to conclusions. In that same play I included a scene from a revival church meeting I witnessed as a child with a woman getting into the spirit and whirling around while speaking in tongues.

So yes, my experiences do enter my plays from time to time.

JAMES

Your current play is The Mary Mink Story. What is that play about?

MARIA

The Mary Mink Story is about a black woman who lived in Toronto in the mid-19th century. Her father, James Mink, was a prosperous businessman who owned a hotel and livery stables and had several lucrative government contracts delivering mail and so forth. According to several historical accounts, which I found online and in books, James Mink placed an ad in the Toronto papers offering $10,000 for a white man to marry his daughter. A white man married her and promptly took her across the border to the US where she was sold into slavery. The story was so intriguing that I felt compelled to write a play about it, however my research led me to a researcher from York University in Toronto who has done extensive work on James Mink and his family and she provided me with information which disproved the story.

JAMES

After doing your research and finding out the real story – how did that impact your play?

MARIA

I found myself in a dilemma. I felt the story was so dramatic that I wanted to tell it, but at the same time I didn’t wish to perpetuate the myth which is based on racism and bigotry and I didn’t want to be a part of that. I, therefore, decided to tell the myth while at the same time debunking it. This has been my most difficult play to write and my hope is that I have succeeded in exposing the myth while at the same time telling an interesting Canadian story.

JAMES

Why do you think this story needs to be told?

MARIA

I felt this was a story about a black family that needed to be told and I had a responsibility to set the record straight. A TV movie about the Minks was made in the 1990s and it too recounted the myth as if it were true. Wikipedia has an account of James Mink and that account does not say that it is a myth either so anyone coming across the movie or reading the Wikipedia account will come away believing it to be true.

JAMES

Why do you want to set the record straight? To tell the truth about what really happened?

MARIA

I feel a responsibility to James Mink and to his daughter to set the record straight because both were real people who were respectable and hard-working intelligent folk who do not deserve this continued insult to their memory. James despite his humble beginnings rose to become a prominent citizen of his community both he and Mary were proud of their African heritage and it is inconceivable that he would have made the offer he was purported to have made in order to get his daughter married.

JAMES

You’ve been able to work with Urban Stories a local theatre company here in Calgary on the development and production of your plays. What’s that been like?

MARIA

As an emerging playwright, collaborating with Urban Stories Theatre has been really advantageous. I met the founder and Artistic Director, Helen Young at an actors studio a few years ago and she encouraged me to expand a short play I had written into a full-length play which she then produced and presented as a main stage play. Urban Stories has a mandate to promote and support local playwrights and to that end they put on playwriting workshops, help budding writers through the dramaturgical and workshop process and will produce works which they feel fulfill their mandate of examining social justice issues.

Urban Stories has produced two of my full-length and two of my short one-act plays and we’re planning to produce the The Mary Mink Story at some point in the future. I originally had no intentions of offering this play to Urban Stories or anyone else for that matter because I had reached an impasse with the play and didn’t know how to move forward with it. I knew I wanted to expose the myth but I didn’t know how to do it, so I had put it away. Then I happened to mention to Helen that I had this play that I had more or less discarded and she asked to read it. She did and next thing I knew she said she wanted to produce it. So now I’m working with Urban Stories as well as dramaturge Caroline Russell-King, so that the play can be produced.

JAMES

Speaking of Urban Stories’ mandate to examine social justice issues what are you hoping audiences will get out of your telling of The Mary Mink Story?

MARIA

First of all, I hope they will find it entertaining and enjoyable but I also want people to see how easily lies can be created and perpetuated. This myth was born out of jealousy and dislike of the “other” and it persists even today.

JAMES

I assume you’re referring to the “other” as in immigrants or people of different race or nationality.

MARIA

Yes, I’m referring to immigrants and minorities but frankly as human beings we all have a tendency to be more wary and distrustful of anyone who is not like ourselves. Also there has recently been a lot of discussion about who has the right to tell other cultures’ stories and my play touches on that topic. As our society becomes more diverse it is important to talk about this and to understand how to respectfully approach the telling of stories about other cultures. I don’t think it is wrong to write stories or make movies about others but one should always think about how to do so in a respectful and mindful manner.

JAMES

Anything else you’d like to add about the play or writing or art or who you think is going to win the Grey Cup this year?

MARIA

I think theatre is important and it’s very pleasing how much good theatre there is to see in Calgary. We live so close to the US and their plays and playwrights tend to dominate so I think it’s very, very important to foster our own Canadian playwrights and their work. As for who will win the Grey Cup, I’m afraid I know nothing about football so, I won’t even hazard a guess.

***

Maria Crooks is a Calgary playwright whose plays are often inspired by real events which she uses as a starting point for her fictional work. You can contact Maria by at catalinaver13@gmail.com if you’d like more information or if you’d like to obtain copies of her plays.

FULL-LENGTH PLAYS

  • The Servant is a play set in early 1960s Jamaica and Canada. It’s about a poor servant woman and her desperate efforts to achieve a better life for herself and her children despite the many forces arranged against her.
  • The Age of Love is a wacky comedy about an inheritance, a free-spirited step-grandma, a libidinous young man, his jealous mama, a weirdly eccentric German doctor and a ruthlessly ambitious talk show host. Non-stop hilarity ensues when these unlikely characters come together on a tabloid TV show.
  • The Mary Mink Story is a play about untrammelled ambition, ruthlessness and deceit and one man’s relentless efforts for the truth to be told.

SHORT PLAYS

  • Dreamboat is a 15 minute play about a plain young woman’s dreams of finding true love
  • La Mère, La Mer is a short play about a young mother’s descent into insanity and the unfathomable act she commits after the birth of her child.

* Review: The Age of Love Turns the Taboo Into Something Sweet by Rodrigo Flores

***

Urban Stories Theatre is focused on supporting local playwrights writing about social justice issues by nurturing their ideas from first draft to finished production. The company is made up of a core group of local artists who oversee all productions and workshops. Budding actors, directors, stage managers and designers are encouraged to share their ideas by becoming part of the team on a show by show basis.

Vision: To give local artists a voice in creating theatre that tells real stories about real life.

***

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.



An Interview with Playwright Meredith Taylor-Parry: Book Club II

Playwright Meredith Taylor-Parry – Photograph James Hutchison

“I enjoy writing humour and I like the challenge. At the same time, if the story doesn’t have heart, if nothing serious is going on underneath the humour….what’s the point really? I want my plays to address some aspect of the human struggle that hopefully people can relate to. That’s what I want to see when I go to a play so naturally I aspire to that in my writing.” Meredith Taylor Parry interview Book Club II

***

Meredith Taylor-Parry is a Calgary-based actor and playwright whose fun and insightful comedy Book Club was a runaway hit for Lunchbox Theatre back in 2016. At that time I did a two-part interview with Meredith. In Part One we talked about Meredith’s play Survival Skills which won the New Works of Merit Playwriting Contest in 2013 and was produced Off Off Broadway by the 13 Street Repertory Company. In Part Two we talked about Meredith’s play Book Club which was a funny and insightful look at motherhood and the joys and disappointments of life. Now in this third interview, Meredith and I talk about her very funny and moving sequel to Book Club – Book Club II: The Next Chapter, which premieres at Lunchbox Theatre and runs from September 18th to October 7th.

***

JAMES HUTCHISON

The first Book Club was a big hit for Lunchbox Theatre and ended up having an extended and sold-out run. Audiences loved it! Why do you think the play resonated so well with audiences? And did you notice any difference in how men and women reacted to the play?

MEREDITH TAYLOR-PARRY

I knew I had a dream team as far as our director, actors, production and design team, but I never once imagined it would do so well! I can’t even tell you how much fun it was sitting in the audience listening to the laughs and waiting for the responses to my favourite moments. That was so exciting for me and unexpected.

I really think the reason the play resonated so well with people was because of the chemistry we had together as a group of artists. Everyone contributed so much to that script in the Stage One workshop process. There wasn’t one person in that room who didn’t add value to the script because everyone was brave enough to share themselves with me. I think that process and the generosity of the artists I was working with allowed me to find authenticity in the script along with the humour.

And, I think, the audiences liked it because they could relate to human beings, regardless of gender.  One of the best comments I got was from a man who said, “good comedy is good comedy.”

Anna Cummer, Cheryl Hutton, Kira Bradley, Arielle Rombough and Kathryn Kerbes in the 2016 Lunchbox Theatre Production of Book Club

JAMES

How soon after Book Club did you start thinking about a sequel?

MEREDITH

I was watching performances of Book Club sell out and I was thinking, better strike while the iron is hot Meredith! I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to approach Mark Bellamy, Lunchbox Theatre’s Artistic Producer, when things were going well, and I had already been working on an idea for a sequel based on a weekend I had spent in Banff with my girlfriends.

I have the BEST group of girlfriends. We’re all moms and we have a lot of laughs together, and I’m constantly writing down ideas when I’m with them. They don’t mind either, they’re very supportive of my writing.

So, I took my idea and managed to scrape together 20 pages of Book Club II and a rough outline and I submitted it to Mark pretty much as soon as Book Club closed.

He was thrilled and considered it for the 2016 Stage One workshop but, due to scheduling issues, we couldn’t get the same team together to work on it. So, he scheduled me in for the 2017 Stage One series AND programmed it for the beginning of this season. He let me know at the beginning of this year and it was very exciting and of course a bit terrifying because I didn’t have a full script yet.

JAMES

What is Book Club II about?

MEREDITH

I wanted to further explore the nature of really good female friendships and examine how that works within one’s marriage.

There’s a special kind of intimacy I share with my girlfriend’s and I’ve questioned how that affects my relationship with my husband. Does he feel left out because I rely on them so much? What about my girlfriend’s spouses? How do they feel?

The first play was all about good girlfriends supporting each other through the messy business that is motherhood. I wanted Book Club II to explore the toll parenthood takes on a marriage and examine where the character’s husbands fit into the complicated lives of these women.

Anna Cummer, Cheryl Hutton, Kira Bradley and Arielle Rombough in a scene from the Lunchbox Theatre production of Book Club II: The Next Chapter – Playwright Meredith Taylor Parry Book Club II

JAMES

Even a good marriage has rough patches and, I think, unfortunately, our society places a lot of unrealistic expectations on our relationships. For example, there’s the idea that our romantic partners should know what we want and feel and think without us actually having to tell them. That’s a romantic notion that doesn’t reflect the reality of marriage or relationships. To make any relationship work, romantic or otherwise, you have to communicate. You have to tell your partner – when you’re hurting – what you need – what’s going on in your life – otherwise they won’t know. So, I guess what I’m asking is whether or not you think that some of the problems people face in their marriages are because the reality of marriage doesn’t live up to the romantic fantasy of marriage? And maybe – now that I think of it – men and women have different expectations of what marriage is?

MEREDITH

Yes, and yes! We are raised on a certain brand of romance. Cinderella has been around for a long, long time! I think we are both unrealistic in our expectations and I think men and women have different expectations for their romantic relationships. I also agree that communication is key. Humans are terrible mind readers yet we easily make assumptions about our partner’s thoughts and behaviours and communicate our needs in cryptic ways.

In the workshop, we did discuss the typical “husband on the couch while wife slams dishes into the dishwasher” scenario. Why doesn’t she just ask for help? Why doesn’t he pitch in without being asked? We also talked about the different expectations for men and women when it comes to emotional vulnerability in communication. I think we’re improving but there’s still a culture of emotional toughness when it comes to boys.

JAMES

Where did the actual story for Book Club II come from?

MEREDITH

It started with the original idea of the characters getting away for the weekend and talking about their marital woes. I talked with lots of girlfriends and a few male friends about their marriages and I also did a lot of reading. There’s a lot of material out there about marriage and relationships! I went back as far as Men Are From Mars and Women Are From Venus, remember that one?

One of my favourites was “How Not to Hate Your Husband After You Have Kids” by Jancee Dunn. So, the story of Book Club II contains bits and pieces of all the research I did and of course it evolved greatly in the Stage One workshop this past June. Curt Mckinstry was extremely helpful with developing the husband character. Once again, I was blessed with a generous artist who was willing to share himself. And, of course, I got the rest of my dream team back as well.

Cast of Book Club II – Anna Cummer, Cheryl Hutton, Kira Bradley, Arielle Rombough and Curt Mckinstry Playwright – Meredith Taylor Parry Book Club II

JAMES

Did you feel any pressure writing the sequel? Were you able to focus on the writing without worrying about it being as big a success?

MEREDITH

The pressure made me sick to my stomach to tell you the truth.  What if number two sucks? But the great thing about a deadline is, you have no choice. I wasn’t going to walk into the workshop empty handed. It was a very intense week, the script was rough and I spent a lot of late nights writing so that I could address the issues that had come up during the day. That kind of intense writing leaves no room for your inner critic to get in the way. I did breathe a sigh of relief at the reading however when the audience seemed to like it. I also completely trust Shari Wattling, my dramaturg/director. She keeps me truthful and she keeps me focused and tells me when I’m drifting off course.

JAMES

I think one of the things that worked so well in the first play was the mix of humour and drama all brought to life by a wonderful cast and a terrific production. And I’d say based on the reading for Book Club II, which I saw back in June, I think you’ve managed to capture that same mix of humour and drama. So, I’m curious when you’re writing is the mix between humour and drama something you do intentionally or is it more of an intuitive process?

MEREDITH

I guess when I’m working I’m always looking for ways to work in funny or quirky bits. I enjoy writing humour and I like the challenge. At the same time, if the story doesn’t have heart, if nothing serious is going on underneath the humour….what’s the point really? I want my plays to address some aspect of the human struggle that hopefully people can relate to. That’s what I want to see when I go to a play so naturally I aspire to that in my writing.

Arielle Rombough, Cheryl Hutton, Kira Bradley, Curt Mckinstry and Anna Cummer in a scene from the Lunchbox Theatre production of Book Club II: The Next Chapter – Meredith Taylor Parry Book Club II

JAMES

It’s been a couple of years since you wrote the original Book Club. In what ways do you think you’ve evolved as a playwright?

MEREDITH

I’m learning more about structure and I’m learning more about the practice of writing. I was an on again off again kind of writer, creating in fits and starts and then buckling down when I had a deadline. But now, I write every day. A play is kind of like a lover, you need to give it attention so that it will give something back. If I give a play attention every day it seeps into my unconscious mind and feeds me new ideas constantly, even when I am not sitting at the computer. And hopefully on opening night, your lover doesn’t screw you over. Ha ha!

JAMES

If you loved Book Club you’re definitely going to love the sequel, but the great thing is you don’t need to have seen the first play in order to enjoy the second play. Both plays stand as full stories on their own. What do you want audiences to take away after they see the new story.

MEREDITH

My hope is that the audience will see a story they can relate to and enjoy a great night of theatre. I hope they will leave with a desire to see more theatre! There are so many spectacular offerings this season in Calgary!

JAMES

Are the girl’s stories going to continue? Is there a full-length play in the works?  A book maybe? A possible television series?

MEREDITH

Good lord, you’re getting way ahead of me. Let’s see how this one goes first, shall we?

***

Book Club II: The Next Chapter runs from September 18th until October 7th at Lunchbox Theatre. Performance times are Monday to Saturday at 12:00 noon plus a 6:00 pm show on Thursdays and Fridays. Tickets are $26.00 for adults and $21.00 for students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased on-line at Lunchbox Theatre or by calling the box office at 403-265-4292 x 0.

Lunchbox Theatre 2017/2018 Season

Book Club II: The Next Chapter by Meredith Taylor-Parry
Book Club is back. Get ready for another page turner.
September 18 – October 7, 2017

During a weekend getaway where the girls talk about creating a Mommy Commune and Lisa runs into an old boyfriend, the girls of Book Club have to examine what marriage and sisterhood truly means to them.

CAST

Kira Bradley – Kathy
Anna Cummer – Ellen
Cheryl Hutton – Lisa
Arielle Rombough – Jenny
Curt Mckinstry – Barry / Bartender / Colin

CREATIVE TEAM

Meredith Taylor-Parry – Playwright Book Club II
Shari Wattling – Director
Chris Stockton – RBC Emerging Director
Terry Gunvordahl – Scenic & Lighting Design
Rebecca Toon – Costume Design
Allison Lynch – Sound Design
Ailsa Birnie – Stage Manager
Ava Bishop – Production Assistant

Flight Risk by Meg Braem
One man’s heroic journey to find peace.
October 23 – November 11, 2017

World War II veteran Hank Dunfield is about to celebrate his 100th birthday, but painful memories of his time as a tail gunner during the war don’t make him feel much like celebrating. Only his new nurse Sarah is finally able to get to the heart of Hank’s pain and sorrow and help Hank find peace with the past.

The Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris, adapted by Joe Mantello
The is one elf that won’t make the nice list.
November 27 – December 23, 2017

An out-of-work actor in New York city takes a job as an elf in Macy’s Santaland Village and reveals all the crazy and hilarious behind-the-scenes shenanigans of the holiday season. A Christmas comedy for the little bit of humbug in all of us.

Inner Elder created and performed by Michelle Thrush
One woman show for all people.
Co-Presented with the High Performance Rodeo
January 15 – 27, 2018

Using real memories about her Grandmother’s impact on her life, award winning Calgary actress, Michelle Thrush takes audiences on a journey of discovery. A journey where we see the transformation from child to elder and learn that for everyone laughter is the best medicine.

Ai Yah! Sweet & Sour Secrets by Dale Lee Kwong
Dinner is served. So are juicy family secrets.
February 19 – March 10, 2018

When her father invites a surprise guest to celebrate Chinese New Years more than one family secret comes out of the closet and Chinese-Canadian Jade Wong is caught between being true to herself and living up to her family’s cultural expectations. A funny heart-warming story for anyone who has ever faced an awkward family dinner.

Miss Caledonia by Melody Johnson
This story will be over in an hour. Her Hollywood dreams may be too.
April 2 – 21, 2018

Peggy Ann Douglas dreams of becoming a Hollywood movie star and leaving behind all the stall cleaning, hay-baling drudgery of her 1950’s life on Rural Route 2. Step one is to sing, twirl and pivot her way to being crowned Miss Caledonia in the local pageant!

***

Playwright Meredith Taylor-Parry

Meredith Taylor-Parry is a playwright based in Calgary, Alberta. Her plays include So Long, a TYA play which toured Calgary and area schools in 2012 with Sandbox Children’s Theatre, Survival Skills (Winner New Works of Merit Playwriting Contest 2013) which was produced Off Off Broadway in 2014 by the 13 Street Repertory Company NYC and Devices which was produced as part of the 27th annual New Ideas Festival presented by Alumnae Theatre in Toronto. Her one act comedy, Book Club, received its world premiere at Lunchbox Theatre in Calgary in 2016, performing for a majority of sold-out audiences and held over due to the play’s popularity. She is looking forward to returning to Lunchbox with the sequel this September: Book Club II: The Next Chapter. Meredith is a co-founder of Bigs and Littles Theatre Society and a stay-at-home mom to 11 and 12-year-old girls. She is currently pursuing her MFA in Playwriting at the University of Calgary.

Lunchbox Theatre

Bartley and Margaret Bard and Betty Gibb founded Lunchbox Theatre in Calgary in 1975. Lunchbox delivers a fun and unique experience to its audience – upbeat performances in an intimate and comfortable atmosphere. Patrons are encouraged to eat their lunch while they enjoy the show. Lunchbox Theatre focuses on the development and production of original one-act plays; many of which are written by local Calgarians.



Montparnasse with Kathy Zaborksy and Carolyn Ruether is Must See Theatre

Carolyn Ruether & Kathy Zaborsky in Montparnasse – Photo: Jaime Vedres Photography

We go to the theatre to experience something about the complexity, beauty, heartache, joy and tragedy of life. So when you see a play that delivers…that has a wonderful script, mesmerizing performances and takes you along for a ride, where you completely forget about the time, you have to tell others. You have to share the news. You have to let people know they need to go and see this show before it closes.

So, before you do another thing go see Montparnasse by Lethbridge’s Theatre Outré at the Motel Theatre in the Arts Commons.  The play runs 75 minutes without an intermission and does contain nudity, strong language and mature themes – so it’s for an adult audience. But it’s also for an audience that loves theatre. An audience that wants to see a play that dives into ideas about the creation of art with complex characters presented in a wonderfully theatrical way.

The play takes place in the Paris of the 1920s. A Paris that has survived the death and devastation of the First Great War and the ravages of the Spanish flu. Millions have died and Paris is being reborn – it’s an era of Jazz where writers like Hemingway and Fitzgerald mingle with painters such as Picasso and Matisse. 

Nicolas Bohle & Carolyn Ruether in Montparnasse Photo: Jaime Vedres Photography

The story focuses on Margaret (Mag) and Amelia two Canadian girls who find themselves part of this hedonistic and artistic world. Mag has been living in Paris and earning her living as a model. Amelia arrives from Canada intent on pursuing her dream of becoming a painter. Eventually, Amelia also ends up modelling, but both women see themselves as more than simply models. Instead, they see themselves as collaborators in the creation of art. Eventually, Amelia gets an opportunity to present a painting at an exhibition but she struggles to find inspiration and subject matter for her painting until Mag says, “paint me.” And while the play is about the creation of art it’s also about the complicated relationship between Mag and Amelia and their feelings of love and friendship towards each other.

Both Kathy Zaborsky as Mag and Carolyn Ruether as Amelia give rich and emotionally true performances.  The play is wonderfully staged making use of four main acting areas that divide the audience into four sections. The Motel is a small theatre and that simply works to make the experience of the play even more intimate.  The script is rich and layered and filled with humour and passion. Plus, there’s music! Live music. From the moment we enter the theatre and throughout the play, Nicolas Bohle, who also plays a number of characters, has composed a beautiful score that enhances the overall experience of the play. This is a great ensemble production and director Jay Whitehead has brought all the elements together to create a memorable and moving piece of theatre.

So, if want to see a great show at a fantastic price hurry down to The Motel Theatre at the Arts Commons and catch Montparnasse. The show runs until September 2nd at 8:00 pm nightly with a Saturday matinee at 2:00 pm. Tickets are just $25.00 for adults and $20.00 for students – cash only.

MONTPARNASSE

Created by Maev Beaty and Erin Shields with Andrea Donaldson

CAST: Katharine Zaborsky as Margaret/Sylvia – Carolyn Ruether as Amelia/Queen – Nicolas Bohle as Artists & Writers

CREW: Director Jay Whitehead – Designer Deonie Hudson – Sound Designer Nicolas Bohle – Technical Support Conner Christmas – Dialect Coaching Douglas MacArthur



QUOTA Gets a London Production in the British Theatre Challenge

Quota gets a London production and wins the Audience Choice Award as part of the British Theatre Challenge.

“All societies are based on codes of behaviour and when someone deviates from that code there has to be a way to handle the situation otherwise chaos would reign supreme, and we don’t want that now do we. We want everything nice and tidy. All the socks in the sock drawer and all the undies in the undie drawer.”

That’s a line from my play QUOTA. It’s what Dave Dixon gets told by Kathie, the Civic Census taker, after he gets flagged for corrective action.

I wrote QUOTA while I was doing a little research for another play about the internment camps that the Canadian government ran during World War One and World War Two.* It’s always bothered me that we were fighting dictatorships that put people in camps while we were doing the same thing. Of course our camps weren’t concentration camps but once you have a different set of laws and rules applied to one group in your society – how do you keep it from going to the extreme?

Maybe you keep it from going to the extreme by making sure the rule of law applies to everyone equally regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity.

Of course that’s only if you believe that everyone is equal. Not everyone believes this. And if you’ve seen Avenue Q you know that we’re all a little bit racist. We’re all human and we make assumptions and have distorted beliefs about people and sometimes we’re not even aware of our own prejudice. But that’s a lot different than laws being enforced by a government that are intended to limit the rights and freedoms of a particular group simply because of of that group’s differences.

But governments are not composed of robots. Governments and Prime Ministers and Presidents and Kings and Dictators are all people. And so I have to wonder what kind of people are they? Are they good leaders? I think not if they allow such laws to be passed and enforced.

But what makes a good leader? I think good leaders don’t seek power for themselves but instead seek to empower others. Bad leaders are afraid of diversity. They’re afraid of others having power. They see the cup as half full and they want what’s in the cup all for themselves. And while I know there are lots of different definitions of leadership I think great leaders enlarge the world they don’t limit it. They share.

You know one of the purposes of theatre and story is to provoke discussion. Discussion about politics, morality, relationships, love, religion, and power. And comedy allows us to shine a light on attitudes and behaviours in a way that drama doesn’t. That’s why I wrote QUOTA. I wanted to take a look at how individuals go from being a member of society to becoming an identified minority and having their rights violated.

So, I’m excited to announce that QUOTA gets a London production and is being produced by Sky Blue Theatre as part of The British Theatre Challenge – Act II.  The British Theatre Challenge is an annual international playwriting contest run by the Sky Blue Theatre Company and this year, in addition to the ten winning plays produced in December 2016, an additional six plays will be produced on Friday April 7, 2017 at the Lost Theatre in London, England.  If you happen to be in London check it out.

Quota by James Hutchison

QUOTA is the story of Dave Dixon who – while looking for a job on-line – is interrupted by the Metro City Census Taker. This is unlike any census Dixon has ever taken and when he’s asked whether or not he was spanked as a child he refuses to answer. That causes the Census taker to call for police back up and Dixon finds himself being targeted for corrective action because of his unemployment and the fact that he’s left handed. When a 2 kilo bag of white sugar is found on the premises and Dixon is facing jail time for trafficking he has to make a moral choice between naming names and protecting himself.

QUOTA gets a London Production

Guilty by Pete Barrett: Guilty takes Alice Golding one step through the looking glass into a bizarre courtroom scene, peopled by men, where she is tried for her many failures: her failure to get on with her own mother, her neglect of her children, her failure to find a job and contribute to the family budget, her failure to maintain her looks and figure and the consumption of an entire cheesecake in one go, thereby robbing her family of a Sunday treat and leaving them bereft. Of course, there can only be one sentence: life.

About Michael by Peter Anthony Fields: A first-year high school English teacher meets with the school’s administrators for what he believes is his mid-term job evaluation. However, as the meeting progresses, he soon discovers that the evaluation is actually an interrogation…

Threatened Panda Fights Back by Rex McGregor : As the World Wildlife Fund’s poster boy for endangered animals, Ling enjoys a comfortable life full of adulation and all the bamboo he can eat. But when a rival species challenges him for the role, he risks losing everything.

Mother’s Ruin by Michelle McCormick: As new parents, life for Esther and Tom has become a continuous cycle of miscommunication and long waits for invitations that never arrive. Then one simple question threatens to change everything. ‘Where’s the baby?’

The Waiting Room by Steve Shapiro: This is the place where you wait between lives. Barbara and Helmut arrive separately and must be assessed to see if they have fulfilled their pre-incarnation pledges, and while The Girl and Dinesh negotiate a better life next time. One of them is destined to make a mark in history.

Sky Blue Theatre strives to produce diverse and relevant works as well as being a hub of creativity and professional development for emerging artists. Lost Theatre is dedicated to promoting and developing young and emerging talent through regular productions, festivals, training, workshops and showcases in addition to year-round education and outreach activities.

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* Internment in Canada – World War I & World War II

At the beginning of World War I, the Government of Canada enacted the War Measures Act which gave it the power to suspend and limit civil liberties as well as the right to incarcerate “enemy aliens”. Enemy Aliens were citizens of states at war with Canada and who were living in Canada during the war. The camps were operated from 1914 to 1920. Twenty-four camps housed 8,579 men which included 5,000 Ukrainians and 2009 Germans. The camps provided forced labour which was used to build infrastructure as well as some of Canada’s best-known landmarks such as Banff National Park.

During the Second World War 40 camps held an estimated 30,000 to 35,000 prisoners. This included Germans and Italians and after Pearl Harbor approximately 20,000 Japanese Canadians were taken from their homes on Canada’s West Coast without any charge or due process and placed in remote areas of eastern British Columbia. The Canadian Government stripped them of their property and pressured them to accept mass deportation after the war ended. Most of the Japanese Canadians that were placed in camps were Canadian Citizens.

Links & Sources:



6 Guitars by Chase Padgett is a Fun and Uplifting Tribute to Music

6 Guitars by is a one-man, six-character fun and uplifting tribute to music with plenty of laughs and lots of heart. The one-man standing on stage playing six characters and six different styles of music is Chase Padgett. Chase is a multi-talented musician, actor and storyteller who switches effortlessly between this cast of diverse characters as they tell their stories and play their kind of music.

Chase Padgett as Rupert

There’s 87-year-old blues guitarist Tyrone; heavy metal rocker Michael; country-loving Rupert; jazz guitarist Wesley; classical guitarist Emmanual; and Peter who just loves to sing and play folk music.

Who wouldn’t want to see that show? I’ve seen it twice. Once at the Calgary Fringe back in 2013 and then again in 2015 when Chase performed his show at the Bert Church Theatre in Airdrie. And now, I’m happy to report, 6 Guitars will be at Lunchbox Theatre in Calgary from January 9 to 28th as part of One Yellow Rabbit’s High Performance Rodeo.

The good news is I don’t have to wait until the show opens to recommend it. Like I said, I’ve already seen it – and I’ll be seeing it again. In fact, I’ve already got my tickets and I’ve been hounding some of my friends about going to see this show for some months now because – well – it’s just that damn good!

And I’m not the only one who thinks so. Since 6 Guitars premiered at the Orlando Fringe in 2010 it’s been winning awards, getting rave reviews and selling out.

Jim Murchison of the Charlebois Post said, “The writing is terrific. The storytelling is personal and brilliant. It is great fun. With a shift in posture or a change in the eyes Padgett becomes a completely different character in an instant and he can capture the soul of music in his guitar and voice as well.”

Brad Oswald from The Winnipeg Free Press said, “Talk about hitting all the right notes — this energetic and exhilarating solo show by Portland, Ore., musician-actor Chase Padgett is a jaw-dropper on every level. The acting is superb, the stories are smart and funny, and the music is flat-out stunning. All the right notes, indeed.” 

Chase Padgett as Emmanuel

So if you want to see a terrific show that will make you feel good about life I can’t think of a better way to start 2017 than going to see 6 Guitars with Chase Padgett at Lunchbox Theatre.

Well, winning the lottery would be a pretty cool way to start 2017 too, but next to winning the lottery I can’t think of a better way to start 2017 than going to see 6 Guitars at Lunchbox Theatre from January 9th to 28th.

Unless, of course, you could build a functioning fusion reactor and solve the world’s energy problems. I mean that would be an amazing way to start the new year, but still – next to winning the lottery or building a functioning fusion reactor I can’t think of a better way to start 2017 than going to see 6 Guitars at Lunchbox Theatre during the High Performance Rodeo.



Twelve Thumbs Up – It’s a Wonderful Life at Lunchbox Theatre

Andy Curtis, Devon Dubnyk, Arielle Rombough, Kevin Rothery, Katherine Fadum. PHOTO CREDIT: Benjamin Laird Arts & Photo
Andy Curtis, Devon Dubnyk, Arielle Rombough, Kevin Rothery, Katherine Fadum. PHOTO CREDIT: Benjamin Laird Arts & Photo

Gather up the family and invite your friends, coworkers and neighbours to come experience the true spirit of Christmas at Lunchbox Theatre’s production of It’s a Wonderful Life. Presented as a radio play from the 1940s this production is a fun, energetic and inventive retelling of the classic story.

The Lunchbox production features an outstanding cast, brilliant direction, a beautiful set and an amazing mix of sound – both recorded and created live – to bring the story of George Bailey and the town of Bedford Falls to life.

I give it  two thumbs up. Although I went to see the play with my sister, her husband, my niece, her boyfriend, and his mom and we all gave it two thumbs up so that’s twelve thumbs, right? How can you argue with twelve thumbs? That’s got to be as good as, if not better than, four stars or five sugarplums.

It’s a Wonderful Life asks the question: Does your life matter? Can one man or woman make a difference?

Devon Dubnyk, Arielle Rombough. PHOTO CREDIT: Benjamin Laird Arts & Photo
Devon Dubnyk, Arielle Rombough. PHOTO CREDIT: Benjamin Laird Arts & Photo

I think there’s a fundamental human need to live a meaningful life. When we reach the end we want to feel, in some way, that we’ve made a difference – that we’ve made the world a better place.

But of course sometimes when we face a crisis in our life we feel lost. We feel like nothing matters. We feel like we don’t have a friend in the world, and if you’ve ever felt like that then you can relate to George Bailey as he stands on a bridge thinking about jumping into the icy waters below and ending it all.

Luckily for George he has a guardian angel. An angel named Clarence. And Clarence shows George what the town of Bedford Falls would be like had George never been born.  Let’s just say that George made a big difference in the lives of a lot of people.

That’s the story in a chestnut shell and the Lunchbox Theatre production does an amazing job of telling that story. I love the fact that we’re transported back to a Christmas Eve in the 1940s to hear and be a part of a “live” radio broadcast.

Katherine Fadum, Arielle Rombough, Devon Dubnyk, Andy Curtis. PHOTO CREDIT: Benjamin Laird Arts & Photo
Katherine Fadum, Arielle Rombough, Devon Dubnyk, Andy Curtis. PHOTO CREDIT: Benjamin Laird Arts & Photo

The production stars a talented and versatile cast that includes:

  • Kevin Rothery as Freddie Filmore playing Clarence & others
  • Devon Dubnyk as Jake Laurents playing George Bailey
  • Arielle Rombough as Sally Applewhite playing Mary Hatch
  • Katherine Fadum as Lana Sherwood playing Violet Bick & others
  • Andy Curtis as Harry Heywood playing Uncle Billy & Others
  • Connor Pritchard as the Studio Assistant Edward Irvine

The entire ensemble captures beautifully the feel and energy of a live radio show while bringing humour and warmth to a classic Christmas story.

And if you like Vertigo Theatre then you’ll be familiar with  Craig Hall and his inventive staging of noir thrillers from the 40s and 50s. His affinity for that time period shines in this production and even though it’s a “radio play” there’s never a dull moment. The actors are kept moving as they participate in creating the story and jumping from character to character.

Kevin Rothery. PHOTO CREDIT: Benjamin Laird Arts & Photo
Kevin Rothery. PHOTO CREDIT: Benjamin Laird Arts & Photo

The script for It’s a Wonderful Life is an adaptation of the original 1946 film written and directed by Frank Capra and starring Jimmy Stewart. And even though this version of the story is less than half the length of the movie playwright Joe Landry manages to skillfully keep much of the plot without losing any of the heart of the original film.

The costumes by Deitra Kalyn and the set and the lighting design by Anton de Groot only add to the nostalgia and drama of the story.

And the sound design by Aidan Lytton – much of it created live on stage by Connor Pritchard and the rest of the cast – is a marvel to watch and experience because – as this production proves – you can build an entire world with sound. You can be transported to any time or place. And the Lunchbox Production of It’s a Wonderful Life not only transports us to Bedford Falls but it takes us on a journey where we are reminded about the truly important things in life and the real spirit of Christmas.

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After you see the show you can help spread the word by Tweeting about it, sharing an update to Facebook, posting about it on Instagram or writing a blog post. At the end of every Lunchbox Theatre Show the cast poses for photographs so you can add a photo to your social media shares. It’s a great idea and one that more theatre’s should be doing. Here’s my photo from when I saw the play:

Connor Pritchard, Andy Curtis, Devon Dubnyk, Kevin Rothery, Katherine Fadum, Arielle Rombough.
Connor Pritchard, Andy Curtis, Devon Dubnyk, Kevin Rothery, Katherine Fadum, Arielle Rombough.

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And one final thought, that I have contemplated long and often on many a Christmas eve as I’ve sat waiting for Santa to arrive: Why on earth did George and his wife Mary name their daughter Zuzu?

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Theatre: The Original Social Media – World Theatre Day

Graphic for World Theatre Day - The Original Social Media.

Look in the Mirror

Every year on March 27th the International Theatre Institute celebrates World Theatre Day. On that day a figure of world stature is asked to share his or her reflections on the theme of Theatre and a Culture of Peace. Past contributors have included John Malkovich, Edward Albee, and Eugéne Ionesco.

Art makes us look in the mirror. It reflects who we are as a people a culture and a society. The mirror does not hide the scars and neither should our art. We should reflect on the whole: both the good and the bad.

And one of the ways we reflect on who we are as humans is through story and one of the ways we present story is on stage. And that’s why we still gather in groups to experience the comedy and tragedy of life. Theatre has a place in society. It always will. It will not die. We are social creatures and theatre is one of the original social medias.

I thought it might be interesting to dive into the archives, beginning with the first World Theatre Day message delivered by Jean Cocteau in 1962, and see whether or not these messages from the past still have relevance in today’s world.

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“It is the nature of the theatre to breed this paradox: that history, which as time goes on, becomes deformed, and mythology, which, as time goes on, becomes established, have their only true moment of reality upon the stage.”

Jean Cocteau World Theatre Day 1962

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“In a time when diplomacy and politics have such terribly short and feeble arms, the delicate but sometimes lengthy reach of art must bear the burden of holding together the human community.”

Arthur Miller World Theatre Day 1963

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“The theatre and its sister arts cannot aim high enough in their responsibility towards society. Our effectiveness is great, and transcends national boundaries. We invite people to our theatre to present to them an image of reality in an entertaining, wise and agreeable form, thus enabling them to recognize reality. We, the people of the theatre, try with our work to make our planet at last fit to live: and that still means above all, that we must create a theatre for a peaceful present and a friendly future, in which man is a helpmate to man.”

Helene Weigel World Theatre Day 1967

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“Art, as the saying goes, knows no frontiers. The theatre should have no frontiers either. Transcending ideological divergencies, caste, race, national outlook and individual countries, the theatre should be a universal country, the meeting place of all men who share the same anguish and the same hopes revealed by the imagination, and should be neither arbitrary nor realistic but an expression of our identity, our continuity and our oneness.”

Eugéne Ionesco World Theatre Day 1976

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“The theatre taught man to face himself honestly, with infinite scrutiny; to confront his guilt and assume responsibility for himself; it taught him to consider and rise to what he could be rather than bow to limitations he has been led to accept. It taught him equality through protest and how one man alone is an entire universe.”

Radu Beligan World Theatre Day 1977

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“…not a day goes by without learning of increasingly cruel acts of violence and terror, of dangerously tense situations and armed conflict. Every day we witness the growing hatred of one human being for another, mutual intolerance and brutal violations of human rights which, in the field of international relations become transformed into threats of catastrophe.

A self-destructive fever seems to have humanity in its grip. In our attempt to prevent these catastrophes we have resorted to a tragic and paradoxical form of therapy; struggling to maintain life we undermine its roots; declaring peace we accelerate the insane arms race, protecting people’s freedom we violate their sovereignty; solemnly proclaiming the Charter of the Rights of Man we trample human dignity underfoot. The UNESCO Constitution asserts that wars begin in the minds of men and that it is in their minds that peace must be built – a lasting peace founded on the intellectual and moral solidarity of humanity.”

Janusz Warminski World Theatre Day 1980

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“This day enables us to focus on all that unites us, that links us to one another, through our daily joys and cares. But above all, it provides an opportunity to look on the other, on another culture, at the other end of the planet. If, kindred in poetry, theatre artists often anticipate the reality of tomorrow and have a foreboding of the destiny of humanity, they also represent its memory!

The Second World War ended 40 years ago. The world of theatre remembers. Theatre, so often harassed, persecuted throughout the ages, has become the symbol of resistance to all types of oppression; theatre which identifies itself to life, for creation is life, is witness to this renascent life.

From the end of the nightmare a great hope emerged: that of mutual understanding between peoples.”

André-Louis Perinetti World Theatre Day 1985

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“Today, as in the past, Theatre must contribute to enlightening our minds, and to giving battle on all fronts against barbarity on our planet. Now, more than ever, it needs to make its presence felt in our societies, caught up as they are in a web of racist and exclusive attitudes and practices; it must make people think and arouse solidarity, all things which contribute to human dignity. Theatre must act as a precursor, illuminating people’s self-awareness and their conscience.”

Jorge Lavelli World Theatre Day 1992

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“I have been in totalitarian societies where people have been imprisoned, have died for access to the arts, and I live in a society where the self-censorship is as ruthless as any imposed from without. The paradox is uglier than we should have to consider.”

Edward Albee World Theatre Day 1993

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“Ethnic fanatics and thugs are casting the world back into its darkest past. People of the theatre who engage their audiences in dialogue about the dramas of the world of today and the dramas of the human spirit point the way to the future. There is another war going on in Sarajevo beside the one we see on television. It is an unarmed conflict between those who hate and kill others only because they are different, and people of the theatre who bring the uniqueness of human beings alive and make dialogue possible. In this war the people of theatre must win. They are the ones who point towards the future as a peaceful conversation between all human beings and societies about the mysteries of the world and Being.

These people of the theatre are serving peace and they remind us that theatre still has meaning.”

Vaclav Havel World Theatre Day 1994

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“Both the theatre and the international arena demand care and concern, but no less do they demand optimism. Without optimism, mixed with a good helping of realism, no theatre can survive. The theatre, as a microcosm of our society, reflects and sometimes reinvents what we do in the outside world. All human conflict and strife, ambitions and dreams are generously depicted there. The entire world’s a
stage, as a rather well-known English dramatist put it, and on that stage, the actor becomes the symbol of man with all his shortcomings and frailties, with all his high hopes and ideals.”

Vigdis Finnbogadottir World Theatre Day 1999

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“Theatre subtly permeates the human soul gripped by fear and suspicion, by altering the image of self – and opening a world of alternatives for the individual and hence the community. It can give meaning to daily realities while forestalling an uncertain future. It can engage in the politics of peoples’ situations in simple straightforward ways. Because it is inclusive, theatre can present an experience capable of transcending previously held misconceptions.”

Jessica A. Kaahwa World Theatre Day 2011

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“May your work be compelling and original. May it be profound, touching, contemplative, and unique. May it help us to reflect on the question of what it means to be human, and may that reflection be blessed with heart, sincerity, candor, and grace. May you overcome adversity, censorship, poverty and nihilism, as many of you will most certainly be obliged to do. May you be blessed with the talent and rigor to teach us about the beating of the human heart in all its complexity, and the humility and curiosity to make it your life’s work. And may the best of you – for it will only be the best of you, and even then only in the rarest and briefest moments – succeed in framing that most basic of questions, “how do we live?” Godspeed.”

John Malkovich World Theatre Day 2012

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“Under trees in tiny villages, and on high tech stages in global metropolis; in school halls and in fields and in temples; in slums, in urban plazas, community centres and inner-city basements, people are drawn together to commune in the ephemeral theatrical worlds that we create to express our human complexity, our diversity, our vulnerability, in living flesh, and breath, and voice.”

Brett Bailey World Theatre Day 2014

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“We need every kind of theatre.

There is only one theatre which is surely not needed by anyone – I mean a theatre of political games, a theatre of a political “mousetraps”, a theatre of politicians, a futile theatre of politics. What we certainly do not need is a theatre of daily terror – whether individual or collective, what we do not need is the theatre of corpses and blood on the streets and squares, in the capitals or in the provinces, a phony theatre of clashes between religions or ethnic groups…”

Anatoli Vassiliev World Theatre Day 2016

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“More than literature, more than cinema, the theatre —which demands the presence of human beings before other human beings— is marvellously suited to the task of saving us from becoming algorithms, pure abstractions.

Let us remove everything superfluous from the theatre. Let us strip it naked. Because the simpler theatre is, the more apt it is to remind us of the only undeniable thing: that we are, while we are in time; that we are only while we are flesh and bone and hearts beating in our breasts; that we are the here and now, and no more.

Long live the theatre. The most ancient art. The art of being in the present. The most wondrous art. Long live the theatre.”

Sabina Berman World Theatre Day 2018

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“As the world hangs by the hour and by the minute on a daily drip feed of news reportage, may I invite all of us, as creators, to enter our proper scope and sphere and perspective of epic time, epic change, epic awareness, epic reflection, and epic vision? We are living in an epic period in human history and the deep and consequential changes we are experiencing in human beings’ relations to themselves, to each other, and to nonhuman worlds are nearly beyond our abilities to grasp, to articulate, to speak of, and to express.

This is a time for deep refreshment of our minds, of our senses, of our imaginations, of our histories, and of our futures. This work cannot be done by isolated people working alone. This is work that we need to do together. Theater is the invitation to do this work together.”

Peter Sellars, World Theatre Day 2022

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“I am speaking to you today, not just to speak, or even to celebrate the father of all arts, “theatre,” on his world day. Rather, I invite you to stand together, all of us, hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder, to call out at the top of our voices, as we are accustomed to on the stages of our theatres, and to let our words come out to awaken the conscience of the entire world, to search within you for the lost essence of humanity. The free, tolerant, loving, sympathetic, gentle and accepting human. And to let you reject this vile image of brutality, racism, bloody conflicts, unilateral thinking, and extremism. Humans have walked on this earth and under this sky for thousands of years, and will continue to walk. So take your feet out of the mire of wars and bloody conflicts, and leave them at the door of the stage. Perhaps then our humanity, which has become clouded in doubt, will once again become a categorical certainty that makes us all truly qualified to be proud that we are humans and that we are all brothers and sisters in humanity.”

Samiha Ayoub, World Theatre Day 2023

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Wooden Bridge at the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden in Lethbridge Alberta
Wooden Bridge at the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden in Lethbridge Alberta

More than ever we need to build bridges of understanding between nations and people and theatre is one of the ways we can do that. And maybe the future of theatre is to be found not just in the performing spaces of basements and churches and theatres but in our ability to share thoughts and ideas across new forms of social media. And maybe the future of theatre, in combination with today’s social media, is one of the ways we can help to promote understanding and compassion throughout the world.

I suppose now more than sixty years after the first International Theatre Day the message is still the same. The echoes of the past reach us in the present and while we can never eliminate violence we can certainly help to reduce the amount of violence in the world.

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Interview Playwright Meredith Taylor-Parry – Part One: Survival Skills

Survival Skills by Meredith Taylor-Parry won the New Works of Merit Playwriting Contest in 2013 and was produced Off Off Broadway by the 13 Street Repertory Company, in New York City in April 2014.

“You want to write the kind of play where people are going to go home and talk about it, and think about it, and talk about themselves a little bit. You know, my God, if it got people to think about their own mortality a little bit, how could that be a bad thing? We all run around scared to talk about it, but we’re fascinated by it at the same time. The idea that we’re mortal. Just to have that discussion opened up wouldn’t hurt.”

Playwright Meredith Taylor-Parry Survival Skills
Playwright Meredith Taylor-Parry – Photograph by James Hutchison

Her most recent work, Book Club was developed as part of the Suncor Stage One Festival at Lunchbox Theatre and will receive a world premiere at Lunchbox in February.

I sat down with Meredith, while her four-month-old Beagle Tucker, lay happily nearby chewing puppy toys, to talk with her about Survival Skills and Book Club, as well as her writing process.

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JAMES HUTCHISON

When you go to a play what is it you go for? What is it you hope to get out of it?

MEREDITH TAYLOR-PARRY

I guess I want to be moved emotionally, always. I like Opera. I always write while I listen to Opera. I want to be moved. I like the tragic. I like stories where you watch people getting put through the wringer. Watching characters go through hell and then some. And I like stories and plays with some expression of hope at the end. That’s very important. It doesn’t need to be wrapped up perfectly, but just something.

JAMES

Tell me about the reason you wrote Survival Skills.

MEREDITH

Well, my Dad committed suicide in two thousand and two after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, and I always knew that I wanted to write about it. I never thought about writing a novel – I always thought it would be a play.

JAMES

How difficult was it to put that out into the world? Because that’s a very personal thing.

MEREDITH

It was difficult, but when an experience like that happens to you – or at least my experience is – you’re compelled to tell that story over and over and over again.

And I’ve heard some people say, yeah but some people never want to talk about it again – but that wasn’t me. I was compelled to tell that story to friends – to grief groups –I’m just compelled to share it. I don’t know how many times my mom and I would get on the phone after it happened and we’d end up retelling that day – the actual event – when we found the suicide note – when we called the police – when my brother went out to look at the body that afternoon.

And I originally thought the play was going to open with that scene, but then I went to a Playworks Ink Conference in 2011 and I signed up early and got into Daniel MacIvor’s workshop. And he started the workshop by reading the scene you’d submitted. And he’s a pretty fantastic actor and he did all the different parts. I had my sister there, my brother there, my mother in the scene, and the character that represented me. We were all there and he just read through that first scene from beginning to end and when he finished – it was silent and he said, “That’s a hell of a way to start a play. People discovering a suicide note.”

And I went, “Yeah, yeah I guess it is.  I wasn’t really thinking about that.”

He said, “We’re going to end the scene right here where your brother hangs up the phone and I want you to write the next scene.”

And I wrote the next scene and that became the first scene of the play because I took his advice – that is a hell of a way to start a play. But I think I needed to write the suicide scene first because that was the hardest scene to write – bar none – and to go back and remember those moments in specific detail.

JAMES

How much do you credit that workshop with moving forward on the play?

MEREDITH

Huge. He looked at me and said, because I had some humour in there, “Meredith, any play that can bring levity to the topic of death needs to be written.” He said, “I myself am terrified of the medical system. I’m not afraid of dying – I’m terrified about becoming a patient of the medical system.”

And here’s this man who has written all these beautiful plays with all this fabulous experience and wisdom but at the same time he’s a really good teacher too. He really has the right touch. And I think he just knew the right thing to say to help keep me going. He also made us promise, before we left the workshop, to send him the first draft by a certain date. And I did, because it’s Daniel MacIvor, right. I wasn’t not going to do it. I was two weeks late, but it made me finish it.

JAMES

You worked on the play for a couple more years and then entered it into the New Plays of Merit Contest in 2013 and won. What was it like getting the phone call that the play had won?

MEREDITH

That’s what my dream was up to that point. That someone was going to phone me up and tell me that I was good enough to win a contest. And I felt really good about it because it was New York. Because to me that was the place where all the good playwrights go. So, that was a real shot in the arm – no question. I felt pretty good about that – but I was stunned.

JAMES

What was it like to go see your play on stage?

MEREDITH

I vowed that I wasn’t going to be critical of my work because I don’t know if this is ever going to happen to me again. The idea of going to New York to see your play – Off Off Broadway in a little old theatre with a little old 92 year old Broadway performer running it. I mean this theatre had a lot of history. Tennessee Williams’ plays were performed there. And I thought, don’t ruin it by sitting there thinking about all the things that are wrong with your play. It wasn’t perfect, and I still think there are things that can be improved about the play, but I just vowed I was going to go and enjoy it.

JAMES

It’s interesting to me because there’s a certain completion to the journey. From the experience of your father having committed suicide, to writing the script, to winning the contest, to getting it produced. How you would sum up the whole experience as you were watching the production with your family?

MEREDITH

Well the first word that popped into my mind was surreal, and the second thing was how much I enjoyed the performances, and how much the actors brought to it. I just vowed I was going to go and enjoy it and I wasn’t going to worry about my family as far as taking care of them or worry about their reactions to it either. But you know, I also worked through a lot of stuff with that play.

When dad was suspecting a bad diagnosis – this was three days before he completed suicide – I phoned his room at the Moncton Hospital from Calgary. And he said, “Oh they’re going to do some tests and things.” Because at first they thought it might be a bowel infection and a reaction to antibiotics. But there was a moment where he hesitated on the phone and in my mind I wondered what was he was going to say next. To me there was something that he meant to say and tell me. Like he opened his mouth to say it and it didn’t come out and I wondered if it was, “Listen if it’s a bad diagnoses this is what I’m going to do.” But he didn’t say anything, and I heard this kind of breath, or hesitation, and I wondered, and wondered, and wondered about that afterwards.

And then I thought, well what would you have done if he had said, you know, this is not going to go well…would I have suspected…because we knew his philosophical stance on end of life.  He always said, “If I ever got a bad diagnosis that would be it.” But it’s a leap in your mind to hear those words and really imagine your father actually doing that.

So I thought, in my state of mind, what would I have done? I probably would have called mom and told her not to leave him for a minute. And then there’s a part of you that would have said, “Okay – whatever you need – I’ll do it – I’ll help you.”

And I did end up inadvertently helping him complete the act by flying to the Maritimes, because when my mother came to pick me up at the airport that’s when he completed. So I felt complicit in that, and that bothered me for a long time, even though it was inadvertent. It was a window of opportunity, and he took it, and I provided that. So, in a way I helped whether I wanted to or not.

I changed the play so that the character who plays me actually does make the decision to fly home to get her mother out of the house so that her father will have the window of opportunity very knowingly not inadvertently.

JAMES

Dramatically that’s a good choice.

MEREDITH

Dramatically it was a hell of a lot better choice than what really happened.

JAMES

Because then the character is active.

MEREDITH

Yes.

JAMES

What do you think your dad would think of this play?

MEREDITH

Wow. I just think he’d be horrified, because he was such a private person. I had to struggle past that a little bit because he’d be so horrified that I laid it all out. But you know what? Whatever form – and I do believe there is some kind of spiritual form that he takes now – I don’t think he has those same opinions any more.

And after he was gone, I pretty quickly said this is more about me than it is about him. This is more about us. And that’s how I was able to write it. I was lucky, because my family wasn’t upset. But dad would have been. I think for sure. But I wouldn’t have had to write it – you know what I mean – unless it had happened.

JAMES

Was it cathartic for your family in some ways?

MEREDITH

Maybe in some ways. I sat right beside my mom and my aunt and I could feel the seat shaking because they cried and cried and they laughed too, but there was a lot of tears you know. I know that my aunt and mom told me they sat up all night in the hotel room talking about it. My brother said, “Man it’s weird to see your life up on stage like that.” But it was probably not as cathartic for them as it was for me

JAMES

What are your hopes for the story?

MEREDITH

I would love to see it produced again, of course. Published and produced. Those are the things that I’m looking for with all my plays. I don’t really want them to just sit stagnant. You want to write the kind of play where people are going to go home and talk about it, and think about it, and talk about themselves a little bit. You know, my God, if it got people to think about their own mortality a little bit, how could that be a bad thing? We all run around scared to talk about it, but we’re fascinated by it at the same time. The idea that we’re mortal. Just to have that discussion opened up wouldn’t hurt.

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Next week, in Part Two, I talk with Meredith about her play Book Club, and its upcoming production at Lunchbox Theatre.

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Meredith Taylor-Parry Survival Skills - Survival Skills Poster

Survival Skills by Meredith Taylor-Parry

A father takes his life.  The family gathers to mourn.  Only one saw the body.  Only one knows what really happened.

Winner: 2013 New Works of Merit Playwriting Contest

Premiered at 13th Street Repertory – NYC April 3 – May 1, 2014, with the following cast and crew.

  • Directed by Leanora Lange

Cast

  • Kathleen – Aimee Thrasher
  • Annalise – Kristen Busalacchi
  • Eliza – Mary Ruth Baggott
  • Oscar – Jason Kirk
  • Len – Danny Sauls

Crew

  • Stage Manager – Alex Bishop
  • Properties Assistant – Aimee Thrasher
  • Dramatrug – Kurt Hollender
  • Producer – Sandra Nordgren

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Playwright Meredith Taylor-Parry

Meredith Taylor-Parry is a playwright based in Calgary, Alberta. Her play Survival Skills won the New Works of Merit Playwriting Contest in 2013 and was produced Off Off Broadway by the 13th Street Repertory Company, NYC in April 2014. Her play Devices received a production in Week One of the New Ideas Festival at Alumnae Theatre in Toronto in March of 2015. Her most recent work, Book Club, was developed as part of the Suncor Energy Stage One Festival of New Canadian Work at Lunchbox Theatre in Calgary in 2014 and will receive a world premiere at Lunchbox in February 2016. Meredith is Co-Artistic Director of Bigs and Littles Theatre Society and also enjoys writing and performing for young audiences.

You can contact Meredith at LinkedIn by clicking the link above or by email at: mtaylorparry@gmail.com

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Survival Skills by Meredith Tyalor-Parry – Synopsis

“He saw a window of opportunity.”

A man diagnosed with terminal cancer commits suicide, leaving his family behind to struggle with the aftermath. Our journey begins 20 years later as Annalise and her sister sit at their dying mother’s bedside. The daughters are compelled to relive with the audience the horrible days following their father’s death when those closest to him came together to mourn and try to understand his choice. The play moves between past and present.

Their father’s decision is a controversial one. It was terribly painful for his wife and children to experience such a sudden, violent loss. But as we watch the sisters sit with their mother we begin to understand the motives behind his action. Is the choice to let death come in its prolonged and often agonizing way any less traumatic for those involved? Should we have the right to choose?

As in any time of family crises, personalities clash and sibling rivalries are revisited. Annalise’s frustration grows as her father is both accused of being a coward and applauded as hero. Finally she reveals an awful secret; her father needed her help. It is only by sifting through the memories that haunt her, that she will find forgiveness.

New Works of Merit Playwriting Contest

New Works of Merit is an international playwriting contest developed in 2003 to bring works of social significance to the general public.

13th Street Repertory Company

The 13th Street Repertory Company, founded in 1972 by Artistic Director Edith O’Hara, provides a place for actors, directors, playwrights, and technicians to develop their craft in a caring, nurturing, professional environment.


Link to Interview with Juliet Liraz
Link to The Hemingway Solution Parts Unknown, and Anthony Bourdain

Creative Process – Playwrights – Actors – Directors

Welcome to my corner of the world where you can download my plays and read them for free. You can also read my interviews with other playwrights, actors, and directors about their work and creative process.

Way way back in the early days of community cable television myself and a group of friends used to produce a show called Profile. We did exactly what I do in this blog – talk with creative people about their work and process.

My very first guest on Profile was a guy named David Cassel. A quick Google search shows he’s been a busy guy over the last forty-plus years. He was a mime artist. Is a mime artist – as well as a designer, writer, producer, and director.

Other guests included Playwright Sharon Pollock, Theatre Director Louis B. Hobson, and Vicki Adams Willis from Decidedly Jazz Dance Works.

When I got back into theatre and started writing plays, I also wanted to include the occasional interview on my website with other creative people.

Link to interview with Christopher Hunt about his work and creative process.
Link to interview with Ahad Raza Mir about his work and creative process.
Link to interview with Meredith Taylor-Parry about her work and creative process.

Check out some of my more recent interviews over the past few years with such wonderful and talented individuals as film and television director David Winning, playwright Caroline Russell-King, theatre photographer Tim Nguyen, Artistic Director of Lunchbox Theatre Bronwyn Steinberg, and playwright Kristen Da Silva.

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If you enjoy listening to great interviews with creative people then check out Q with Tom Power and this terrific interview with John Irving. Or this interview from the Dramatists Guild Foundation between playwrights Christopher Durang and David Lindsay-Abaire. Or this raw and uncensored interview from the Writers Guild Foundation with author and screenwriter William Goldman.