A GREAT PLACE TO READ ABOUT GREAT THEATRE · SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER 2019
The Children Lucy Kirkwood’s slow-burning drama asks profound questions.
VOLUME 6 / ISSUE 1
Hello! Welcome to the Belfry and our production of The Children. We’re thrilled to welcome Brenda Robins back. Brenda played Vera in our production of 4000 Miles this past May. She’s joined by veteran actors Nancy Palk and Joseph Ziegler, who both made their Belfry debuts in the play Da, back in 1980. We’ve started an entertaining new feature on our website - Storylines - it’s a digital compendium that we’ll produce for each show. For our production of The Children we’ve got video interviews and a podcast with playwright Lucy Kirkwood - please check it out - https://www.belfry.bc.ca/storylines-thechildren/ As always, we look forward to seeing you at
B4Play
Anita Rochon and Gregor Craigie Photo by Don Craig
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 AT 11 AM
the theatre.
BMO Studio Theatre, 1291 Gladstone Avenue
COVER PHOTO - LUCY KIRKWOOD
Free Event. A live talk show hosted by CBC Radio’s Gregor Craigie and featuring interviews with actor Brenda Robins, director Michael Shamata, Dr. Denise Cloutier (Professor, Department of Geography; and Research Affiliate, Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health, University of Victoria) and
is produced four times per year and can be found at branches of the Greater Victoria Public Library, the Belfry and online at issuu.com/belfrytheatre. If you would like a digital copy please drop us a line at hello@belfry.bc.ca.
Dr. Anita Girvan (Athabasca University and the author of Carbon Footprints as cultural-ecological metaphors (2017). You can watch the livestream of B4Play on facebook and the event will be podcast at belfry.bc.ca/podcasts.
Join Us
BELFRY THEATRE 1291 GLADSTONE AVENUE
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facebook.com/belfrytheatre
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VICTORIA, BC V8T 1G5 WWW.BELFRY.BC.CA
The Children is generously supported by
Tickets 250-385-6815 / tickets.belfry.bc.ca
Upstage is supported by
T H E D E B AT E O V E R NUCLEAR POWER: An engineer looks at the issues
By Jason Martinko
NUCLEAR POWER IS A TOUCHY SUBJECT AND ONE THAT IS BOUND TO
refurbishment program; coal provides only 3 percent of Ontario’s
GENERATE MUCH PASSIONATE DEBATE, but I am a firm believer in the
electricity; and the number of smog days in 2013 had dropped to two.
respect that this technology deserves, and in the importance of having open and informed discussions about it. I would like to address three common areas of concern among nuclear dissenters, and try to clarify some misconceptions.
Myth #1: Nuclear power is neither safe nor clean. The truth is that nuclear power is a unique source of energy that demands the utmost respect, and the regulatory body for a country’s nuclear program ensures that it receives that respect. Although the energy stored in a reactor core is staggering, today’s nuclear power plants have an equally staggering array of fail-safe safety features that ensure that at all times the nuclear reaction is controlled, the nuclear fuel is kept cool, and any radioactivity is contained within the facility’s
Myth #2: There is no such thing as a “safe” dose of radiation, and people living near nuclear plants are exposed to high levels of it. Unfortunately, this is not a black-and-white issue. Both the CNSC and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recognize that any increase in radiation dose, regardless of amount, results in an incremental increase in the risk of cancer. However, it’s important for people to understand that background radiation has been with us since the beginning of time and we are constantly exposed to it, from space (cosmic radiation), the food we eat (potassium-40 from bananas, for example) and from the ground we walk on.
containment structure. These independent layers of safety systems
Radiation levels in the vicinity of a nuclear power plant may be slightly
are designed to function even without power, and are tested regularly
elevated above those of average background radiation, but if you
as mandated by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC).
compare the yearly radiation dose that a person living, for example,
Regarding the “unclean” descriptor, consider coal power: in the year 2000, 29 percent of Ontario’s electricity was generated by fossil fuel, and the number of days with smog alerts in Toronto was 45. Flash forward to today, and an additional 3200MW of nuclear power has returned to service from the Bruce A station through a first-of-a-kind PHOTO - Nuclear power plant Dukovany in the Czech Republic by Martin Lisner
in Denver, Colorado receives by virtue of living at high altitude and being exposed to more cosmic radiation (11.8 millisieverts (mSv)/yr), to the additional dose received by living near a nuclear plant (0.003 mSv/yr at the Bruce Power site boundary), the numbers suggest that there is a far greater risk posed by the radiation dose received from everyday activities than from living near a nuclear plant. Continued > 3
Myth #3: We don’t know what to do with the enormous amount of nuclear waste.
fuel. This not only reduces the volume of high-level waste that would otherwise be generated by about 80%, but also reduces the
In Canada, all the nuclear waste generated in over 50 years of commercial operation is only enough to fill six hockey rinks to the tops of their boards. Additionally, unlike conventional industrial waste, which remains toxic forever, the radioactive hazard associated with nuclear waste decays (albeit slowly) over time. Policies, technology and facilities are already in place in Europe,
radioactivity and decay time of what’s left over after the reprocessing. Is nuclear power perfect? No. Personally, I’d like to see a future where all power is generated from sustainable sources without any waste products, though this future is, unfortunately, still a distant one. So in the meantime, I’ll continue to support all forms of power generation that displace fossil fuel and result in a net reduction in carbon
Russia and Japan to reprocess spent nuclear fuel, effectively
emissions.
harvesting the “unburned” portion of nuclear fuel to make fresh
Reprinted with permission from Jason Martinko and Treehugger.com.
Cast & Creatives
Why I Chose This Play
Nancy Palk
Brenda Robins
Joseph Ziegler
HAZEL
ROSE
ROBIN
I read a review of this play in the New York Times not quite two years ago and sent for a copy of the script. Like the best playwrights, young Lucy Kirkwood (32 when the play premiered in 2016 at the Royal Court in London) wraps up the ideas she wants to explore in a story that keeps us engaged and intrigued. She has created something of a Russian doll—stories inside ideas inside of stories. The play could be an eco-thriller. It might be a romantic triangle. Kirkwood set out to write a play that addresses
Lucy Kirkwood
Michael Shamata
PLAYWRIGHT
DIRECTOR
Christina Poddubiuk DESIGNER
climate change. She wrote a play that addresses the mess we have made of the planet and our responsibilities to the generations that follow—subjects that are part of the zeitgeist and totally relevant. For me there is another theme that emerges—and while I do not think it is unintentional—it is astonishing from a writer of such youth. With all three characters being senior citizens, Kirkwood has woven through the play a subtle examination of how we relate to our
Alan Brodie
Tobin Stokes
Jennifer Swan
LIGHTING DESIGNER
COMPOSER / SOUND DESIGNER
STAGE MANAGER
flawed lives and our inevitable deaths. I find it immensely human and profoundly moving. There are three other reasons I chose this play—important and exciting reasons: Nancy Palk, Brenda Robins and Joseph Ziegler. We are all old friends and colleagues, and they are the perfect cast for this play. Joe and Nancy—who play husband and wife in the play—are husband and wife in real life, and they and Brenda and I and Christina
Carissa Sams ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
Molly McDowellPowlowski
Poddubiuk our designer and Alan Brodie our lighting designer have all worked together in any number of permutations and combinations.
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
In a play of such size and such detail it makes an enormous difference to work with artists of this calibre! Molly’s participation is made possible through the Belfry’s Emerging Artist Enhancement Program, funded by the RBC Emerging Artists Project. Tickets 250-385-6815 / tickets.belfry.bc.ca
Michael Shamata, Artistic Director
LIVE EVENTS
—
Our round-up of events happening at the theatre over the next six weeks. B4PLAY SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
AT 11 AM
to create the Witness Blanket, a large scale art instalation on permanent exhibit at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Picking Up the Pieces: The Making of the Witness Blanket follows Newman and his team as they travel across Canada to meet
BMO Studio Theatre, 1291 Gladstone Avenue
survivors and collect these pieces of history. Through these
Free Event. A live talk show hosted by CBC Radio’s Gregor Craigie
survivors’ testimonies, the documentary offers a crucial account
and featuring interviews with actor Brenda Robins, director
of the atrocities committed in government-funded, church-
Michael Shamata, Dr. Denise Cloutier (UVic - Health and Social
run schools—and the lasting effects those acts have had on
geographer) and Dr. Anita Girvan (Athabasca University and the
Indigenous communities.
author of Carbon Footprints as cultural-ecological metaphors (2017).
Talkback Thursday THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
Play Reading SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 AT 7:30 PM Attaboy! by Janet Munsil Free event. Whiz-kid teen Daniel is hard at work on a top-secret
Meet the actors post-performance when they return to the stage
project in the backyard shed, a breakthrough that could change
to answer questions and provide insight into the play.
the world. When the EPA arrives to investigate, Dan is forced to
Afterplay
face the instability of his own future, and the consequences of his
Facilitated discussions – audience member to audience member
dangerous obsession.
– will follow every evening performance of The Children (except
Directed by Janet Munsil, Attaboy! stars Madeleine Humeny,
Opening Night and Talkback Thursday). These are a great
Kevin Kerr, Douglas Peerless, Justine Shore, Paul Terry and Jan
opportunity to share your thoughts and hear fellow patrons’
Wood.
reactions to the production and the ideas it presents.
Booksmack MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 AT 7:30 PM
VocalEye SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6 AT 2 PM
Free event. Join Greater Victoria Public librarians and special
For patrons with low or no vision, we offer this VocalEye
guests in the Belfry lobby for an evening of great book, music,
performance during The Children. Trained Audio Describers
audiobook and film recommendations. Bring your library card to
provide descriptions of the visual elements of the show, allowing
sign out material on the spot. Belfry concession / bar will be open
people with low vision to enjoy the theatrical experience without
for the event.
missing any of the details.
Running time: 90 minutes, including one intermission. No
Free Childcare Performances
reservations required. The lobby opens 1 hour prior to the start of
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 AT 2 PM / SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12 AT 4 PM
Parents of children (between 3 - 10 years old) can see a show at the Belfry and we’ll take care of the children for free.
the event for general admission seating.
Annual General Meeting for the Belfry Theatre Society
Children are cared for by a trained, professional Early Childcare
MONDAY, OCTOBER 7 AT 5:30 PM (AGM STARTS AT 6 PM)
Educator, just a short stroll from the theatre, and free of charge.
The Society will hold its Annual General Meeting on Monday,
Childcare space is at a premium so we ask parents to reserve in
October 7, 2019 at the Belfry Theatre, 1291 Gladstone Avenue,
advance, at least 1 week prior to your chosen performance.
Victoria, British Columbia.
To learn more, please email us at hello@belfry.bc.ca, or call the
Everyone is welcome to join us, but only members of the Belfry
box office at 250-385-6815 to reserve tickets and free childcare.
Theatre Society may vote on motions and resolutions (A member
Film Screening SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 AT 7 PM Picking Up the Pieces: The Making of the Witness Blanket Free event. In an attempt to honour the more than 150,000
is any individual who has donated a minimum of $25.00 to the Society between Sep 1, 2018 and Sep 1, 2019). While not required, members are asked to RSVP by September 30, 2019 to rsvp@belfry.bc.ca or to call 250-385-6835.
victims of the Canadian residential-school system, including his own father, artist Carey Newman embarked on a long journey
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SPOTLIGHT ON SUPPORTERS
Violet (Vi) Armstrong 1 9 1 8– 2 0 1 8
Violet Armstrong served on the Belfry Board of Directors in the 1980s, and remained a dear part of the Belfry family until she passed away in her 100th year in 2018.
In the words of her family members: Vi cared. She cared about people - close up and far away. She cared about fairness, equality, and justice, and she cared about
Vi Armstrong Play Creation Fund The Belfry is always active in developing new plays. Our role takes many forms –
Originally from Taber, Alberta, Violet taught
everyone’s safety, health and education.
youth leadership and recreation classes
If Violet cared especially about you, you
in the southern regions. When she moved
knew it, whether you were 3 years old
to Berkeley, California with her husband,
or 103. She invested in her relationships.
Malcolm Taylor, she worked in Richmond,
She invested in you. If you connected, she
We are grateful to have received a gift
California’s Recreation Department as a youth
offered unconditional love and support - not
for new play creation from the estate of
programmer and counsellor, creating some
uncritical, but unconditional - to friends and
long-time Belfry supporter Vi Armstrong
of the city’s first integrated sport and social
family through the many changes she shared
(1918–2018).
programs.
with us all over the past 100 years.
Vi’s family has asked us to honour her
In 1968, Violet turned her eye for design
Vi’s warm presence is certainly missed at
and entrepreneurial skills to creating
the theatre, but her spirit lives on here, as
Boutique de Laine, Victoria’s first source for
does her name plate on her favourite seat
the world’s fine wools and Violet’s knitting
in the centre of the balcony. She planned a
instruction. The concept and execution were
gift from her estate, which will nurture new
If you support new play development,
so successful that though she later sold the
works by playwrights to be seen on our
or you had the pleasure of knowing Vi
business to enjoy retirement with her second
stage in years to come. We invite you to help
Armstrong, we encourage you to make
husband, William Armstrong, the boutique
support the creation of more new plays, with
a gift to help build the Vi Armstrong
continues to flourish today in Estevan Village.
a donation of any size to the Vi Armstrong
Play Creation Fund (every dollar you
Play Creation Fund. We also invite you to
give goes straight toward new play
make your own plans to ensure the future of
development).
Vi’s obvious passion for literature, art, theatre and music, along with her support for local artists, inspired the high-profile careers of her two children, Deanne and Burke Taylor.
Above: Vi trying on hats at the Stratford Festival gift shop several years ago, photographed by her daughter Deanne Taylor.
Tickets 250-385-6815 / tickets.belfry.bc.ca
theatre in Victoria, and speak with us about joining the Belfry Legacy Circle.
dramaturgy, workshops and readings – and each aspect requires some financial investment.
gift with a request to you. They would like to treble the gift so that new play development is sustained at the Belfry in perpetuity.
Thank you!
For information on the variety of ways to contribute to the Belfry, please contact Susan Stevenson, Director of Development at 250-385-6835 ext. 229 or development@belfry.bc.ca
Calendar
Belfry Librarian
The Children PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
September 17–October 13 , 2019 Tuesdays – Thursdays at 7:30 pm
The wonderful librarians at the Greater Victoria Public Library have compiled a list of books and videos to help you get even more out of our production of The Children.
Wednesday Matinees at 1 pm (September 25, October 2, 9) Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm Saturday Matinees at 4 pm Sunday Matinees at 2 pm Free Childcare Performances Sunday, September 29 at 2 pm Saturday, October 12 at 4 pm Audience Engagement Schedule B4PLAY · Saturday, September 14 at 11 am TALKBACK THURSDAY · September 26 AFTERPLAY · Following all evening performances* VOCALEYE · Described performance Sunday, October 6 at 2 pm * Except Opening Night and Talkback Thursday
How to buy tickets By telephone 250 385 6815
Please have your credit card ready, as well as the date and time of the performance you wish to attend.
Online
Visit belfry.bc.ca/tickets and buy your tickets online, anytime.
In person
Springtime in Chernobyl by Emmanuel Lepage (2019) Losing Earth by Nathaniel Rich (2019) Fractured: Tales of the Canadian post-Apocalypse; the Exile book of Anthology series Number Nine [ebook] published by Exile Editions (2014) Crisis without end: the medical and ecological consequences of the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe by Helen Caldicott (editor) (2014) Behind the curve: science and the politics of global warming by Joshua P Howe (2014) This borrowed earth: lessons from the fifteen worst environmental disasters around the world
My nuclear nightmare: leading Japan through the Fukushima disaster to a nuclear-free future by Naoto Kan (2017) Strong in the rain: surviving Japan’s earthquake, tsunami, and Fukushima nuclear disaster by Lucy Birmingham (2012) Fallout: disasters, lies, and the legacy of the nuclear age by Fred Pearce (2018) Who’s sorry now? by Howard Jacobson (2002) Sexual detours: infidelity and intimacy at the crossroads by Holly Hein (2000) The state of affairs: rethinking infidelity by Esther Perel (2017)
by Robert Emmet Hernan (2010)
To have and to hold: Motherhood, Marriage and
Blue Planet II: take a deep breath
the modern dilemma
[DVD] by James Honeyborne
by Molly Millwood, PhD (2019)
(2018)
Drop by our Box Office. We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, debit card, cheques, and, of course, cash.
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Up Next
October 29— November 24, 2019
Who gets to tell your story?
A benefit for the
Crush A Fine Wine Affair
Presented by
Sunday, October 20, 2019 5–8PM · Delta Ocean Pointe Resort
Tickets $95
Includes a partial tax receipt
250 385 6815 www.belfry.bc.ca/crush FINE WINE LIVE AUCTION
WINE TASTINGS
GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY PRODUCTION SPONSORS
THE CHILDREN SPONSORS
PUBLIC FUNDERS
Belfry Theatre 1291 GLADSTONE AVENUE VICTORIA, BC
V8T 1G5
SEASON SPONSORS
CUISINE PAIRINGS
TOM VICKERY TRIO