PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Surrey Civic Theatres and Touchstone Theatre present playwright Jordan Tannahill’s thrilling Concord Floral, Jan. 19 – 21 at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts; Jan. 25 – 29 at the 2017 PuSh Festival (at the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre); and Feb. 3 & 4 at the Surrey Arts Centre. Drawing on Boccaccio’s The Decameron, this deeply moving work is set in a massive abandoned greenhouse where 10 teens must find refuge from a plague they have brought upon themselves. Bravely conceived to give youth a platform for expression, Concord Floral is cast exclusively with youth from BC.
“We are delighted to bring Concord Floral to the West Coast,” says director, producer and co-creator Erin Brubacher. “Re-contextualizing the piece here allows us to find further relevance and meaning in the work, through hearing and seeing new voices and bodies perform it. It is crucial to us that the play be performed by actual teenagers so that their real presence and experiences inform what the work offers. In every iteration, from the first presentation in Toronto in 2014, to this fourth production on the West Coast, we are moved by how our young co-conspirators claim this piece as their own and offer it back to us. We are grateful for the opportunity to learn from the hearts, minds, and imaginations of a next generation of artists. It is an honour to witness our teenage ensembles’ effect on audiences.”
In The Decameron, 10 youth flee the 14th century Black Death and escape to an abandoned villa for 10 days where they keep each other alive by telling one other stories. In Concord Floral, audiences will see echoes of this classic work in the context of the current age, laced with a captivating sense of fear and fury. When a body is found in the huge abandoned greenhouse—a hangout spot for high school kids where they make and break their own rules— these adolescents must choose between mercy and cruelty, apathy and beauty. They must tell their story to keep themselves alive.
Written by Jordan Tannahill, and shortlisted for the 2016 Governor General’s Award, Concord Floral is a co-creation of Tannahill with fellow Toronto-based artists Erin Brubacher and Cara Spooner. Concord Floral won the 2015 Dora Award for ‘Outstanding New Play’ and since its premiere has received outstanding praise by critics.
Concord Floral
Dates & Locations:
Shadbolt Centre for the Arts: Jan. 19 - 21 @ 8pm
PuSh Festival at Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre: Jan. 25 - 28 @ 7pm, Jan. 29 @ 2pm
Studio Theatre at Surrey Arts Centre: Feb. 3 & 4 @ 7:30pm
Ticket Prices: $10 - $25
Box Office: Shadbolt Centre for the Arts: tickets.shadboltcentre.com or 604-205-3000
PuSh Festival – Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre: ticketfly.com or 604.449.6000
Surrey Civic Theatres: tickets.surrey.ca or 604-501-5566
Website: pushfestival.ca
Photo: Erin Brubacher
