In a darkly comic exploration of family dysfunction and the patriarchy, Pi Theatre presents the Canadian premiere of acclaimed American playwright Taylor Mac’s Hir from November 22–December 8, 2018, at Vancouver Civic Theatre’s Annex. The production explores the dynamics of a suburban family dealing with PTSD, identity crises, and gender politics in absurdly realistic fashion. Featuring an incredible cast of accomplished performers, Mac’s play introduces audiences to Isaac, a war veteran who returns to the suburbs to find a household in chaos. Isaac must learn to find balance between a disabled patriarch, a liberated mother, and a newly out transgender teen in this timely and subversive work.
The play follows the dishonourably discharged Isaac, returning from the horrors of war only to be faced with another high-stress situation: the family home turned upside down. His father, Arnold, has suffered a stroke and been rendered incapacitated; his mother, Paige, is finally out from under the thumb of her violently domineering husband; his younger sibling, Max, is a transgender teen out to destabilize the patriarchy. The confluence of Arnold’s disability and Max’s coming out has turned Paige toward a radical feminism that sees her refusing to clean the house in an act of unbridled defiance. She exacts revenge on her husband for years of verbal and physical abuse, humiliating Arnold by force-feeding him estrogen, dressing him as a wild drag clown, and putting him in diapers. While Hir is a manic, absurdist tragicomedy, it is also a wake up call about the need for honest communication.
Hir is directed by two-time Jessie Award-winning Richard Wolfe, whose most recent production was Pi Theatre’s The Events (2017), which opened at PuSh International Performing Arts Festival in January 2018. The creative team includes set designer Patrick Rizzotti, Siminovitch Prize-nominated lighting designer Alan Brodie, costume designer Carmen Alatorre, and sound designer Mishelle Cuttler.
The work is part of the inaugural SeeMore Theatre Initiative, a two-year pilot program that features four resident companies at Vancouver Civic Theatre’s Annex. Since its premiere in 2014, Hir has been produced in 48 locations around the globe, including at Steppenwolf Theatre (Chicago), Woolly Mammoth Theatre (Washington D.C.), and Belvoir St Theatre (Sydney), where it received the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Play of the Year.
Pi Theatre presents Hir
Dates: November 22–December 8, 2018
Preview: Nov. 22 at 8pm
Opening Night: Nov. 23 at 8pm
Evening Performances: Nov. 22–Dec. 1 / Dec. 4–8 at 8pm
Matinees: Nov. 24–25 / Dec. 1–2 / Dec. 8 at 3pm
Ticket Prices: $28: Preview and Matinees
$34: General Admission
Venue: Vancouver Civic Theatre’s Annex 823 Seymour St, Vancouver, BC
Tickets and Info: pitheatre.com/hir
Photo by Emily Cooper
