Upstage - Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story

“a thing of raw and unmissable beauty.”

—HERALD SCOTLAND

“A noisy treasure…”

—NEW YORK TIMES

Hello!

Welcome back to the Belfry and our presentation of Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story by Ben Caplan, Christian Barry and Hannah Moscovitch.

We presented Old Stock as part of our SPARK Festival in 2019, and the audience was truly spellbound by the experience. All of the performances were sold out the day after the musical opened.

We are pleased to have Ben, Christian, and Hannah return to the Belfry. Many of Hannah’s plays, including Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes and The Children’s Republic have graced our stages.

Christian and his company, 2b theatre, have been regulars at our annual SPARK Festival, and we welcome Jacques Arsenault (Accordion and keys), Eric Da Costa (Chaim, clarinet & various), Shaina SilverBaird (Chaya, violin), and Andy Wiseman (Drumset) to the Belfry for the first time

As always, we look forward to seeing you at the theatre.

Land Acknowledgement

The Belfry Theatre is on the land of the People, known today as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. The people have been keepers of this land for millennia and we offer them our respect and gratitude for our presence on this territory.

B4 Play

SATURDAY, APRIL 15 AT 11 AM

BMO Studio Theatre, 1291 Gladstone Avenue

Free Event. Our live talk show hosted by CBC Radio’s Gregor Craigie and featuring artists from the upcoming show, along with experts from the community, has been designed to provide insight into each Mainstage production.

Panelists include Ben Caplan (Creator & Performer), Christian Barry (Director & Creator), and Zelda Dean (Managing Artistic Director, Bema Productions).

Each event is held the Saturday before Opening, is free to attend, live streamed on Facebook, and is available as a podcast on our website.

B4Play is ASL Interpreted.

To reserve your free tickets, please call our Box Office 250-385-6815.

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.

BELFRY THEATRE

1291 GLADSTONE AVENUE

VICTORIA, BC

V8T 1G5

WWW.BELFRY.BC.CA

Old Stock is generously supported by

Tickets 250-385-6815 / tickets.belfry.bc.ca

Upstage is supported by

Michael Shamata and Gregor Craigie

Photo by Don Craig

COVER PHOTO CREDIT BEN CAPLAN (THE WANDERER)

(In-person + Online)

Why I Wrote Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story

By Hannah Moscovitch

“IN THAT MOMENT, I WAS STANDING WHERE CHAIM AND CHAYA HAD STOOD WHEN THEY FIRST ARRIVED IN CANADA. FOR THEM, THIS PLACE WAS THEIR POINT OF SAFETY. THERE WAS A LINE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH AND THERE, AT PIER 21, WAS WHERE THEY CROSSED IT.”

—HANNAH MOSCOVITCH

My son, Elijah Julian Moscovitch Barry, was born in June of 2015. In September, the small body of Alan Kurdi washed up on a Turkish beach. The photograph of the drowned Syrian toddler made international headlines. Less hyped on international news outlets was the fact that Alan Kurdi’s aunt (who is Canadian) had been applying for him and his family to immigrate to Canada. But their application was stalled because of severe new immigration restrictions that were pushed through by Stephen Harper’s conservative government. To us, Alan Kurdi was a lost Canadian citizen. His death was our shame. “Shame” was the word I saw on social media the most in the days following the release of that photograph: Canadians were collectively enraged. When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals took power, a couple of months later, he invited 25,000 Syrian refugees to become Canadians.

PHOTO CREDIT PIER 21, W.R. MACASKILL, NOVA SCOTIA ARCHIVES

In September 2015—the same September when I’d curled up and cried over the photograph of Alan Kurdi—I went to the museum at Pier 21 in Halifax with my two-month-old son Elijah. Pier 21 is the Canadian version of Ellis Island: it was the port of entry for most immigrants and refugees who came by boat into Canada. In a small office at the front of the museum, staff helped me to locate the dates when my great-grandparents arrived in Canada. They found Chaim Moscovitch first, my great-grandfather, and then Chaya Yankovitch, my great-grandmother. They found the dates they arrived, and the

Why I Chose This Play

My love for Hannah Moscovitch’s writing—so truthful and precise—was reason enough to program Old Stock. Add to that the exceptional—unbelievable—performance by Ben Caplan, the simple and smart staging by Christian Barry, and the music— the fabulous music—and how could I not choose this play—?!

I had already chosen it once before—for our 2019 SPARK Festival. During that run, my admiration of its craft and my love of its content only grew and intensified.

Hannah’s quiet and deeply sensitive scenes, imagining her great grandparents’ romance, juxtaposed against Ben’s larger-than-life performance, are, under Christian’s expert direction, perfectly partnered in a beautiful dance. Amazingly, these elements—so different from each other—are never at odds. Rather, each part of the equation seems essential to the balance of the overall piece, and each makes the other shine more brightly.

I find it difficult to describe this unique piece of theatre. It seems impossible that it exists—and at the same time, it has a feeling of inevitability: these three fine artists had to come together, they had to tell this story, and they had to tell it in this way. Which is why I love it. Which is why I chose it. And which is why I want to share it with you again.

—Michael Shamata, Artistic Director Tickets 250-385-6815 / tickets.belfry.bc.ca

names of the boats they came on.

In that moment, I was standing where Chaim and Chaya had stood when they first arrived in Canada. For them, this place was their point of safety. There was a line between life and death and there, at Pier 21, was where they crossed it. Without this place, there would have been nothing: no family and no generations to come. And I was standing there, in that place, holding my infant son in my arms.

Cast & Creatives

Eric Da Costa CHAIM, CLARINET & VARIOUS

Ben Caplan THE WANDERER

Shaina Silver-Baird CHAYA, VIOLIN

Andy Wiseman DRUMSET Hannah Moscovitch PLAYWRIGHT

Jacques Arsenault ACCORDION AND KEYS

Louisa Adamson PRODUCTION MANAGER, COLIGHTING & SET DESIGNER

Christian Barry DIRECTOR, CO-LIGHTING & SET DESIGNER

Carly Beamish COSTUME DESIGNER

Graham Scott MUSIC DIRECTOR

William Fallon SOUND ENGINEER

Laura Vingoe-Cram ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Carolyn Moon APPRENTICE STAGE MANAGER

Jennifer Swan STAGE MANAGER

Hannah Moscovitch, Dec 17, 2018

LIVE & VIRTUAL EVENTS

Belfry Librarian

next four weeks.

B4PLAY (IN-PERSON + ONLINE)

BMO Studio, 1291 Gladstone Avenue

SATURDAY, APRIL 15 AT 11 AM

Our live talk show hosted by CBC Radio’s Gregor Craigie and featuring artists from the upcoming show, along with experts from the community, has been designed to provide insight into each Mainstage production.

Panelists include Ben Caplan (Creator & Performer), Christian Barry (Director & Creator), and Zelda Dean (Managing Artistic Director, Bema Productions).

Live streamed on Facebook and available as a podcast on our website.

B4Play is ASL Interpreted.

To reserve your free tickets, please call our Box Office 250-385-6815.

TALKBACK THURSDAY

(In Person)

THURSDAY, MAY 4 FOLLOWING THE PERFORMANCE

On the third Thursday performance during the run of each show, most (usually all) of the actors return to the stage to answer your questions and provide insight into the play you have just experienced. These Q & A sessions last approximately 20 minutes.

VOCALEYE

OLD STOCK: A REFUGEE LOVE STORY

Sunday, May 7 at 2 pm (in-person event with Touch Tour & Social After)

For patrons with low or no vision, we offer one VocalEye performance during most Mainstage productions. Trained Audio Describers provide descriptions of the visual elements of the show, allowing people with low vision to enjoy the theatrical experience without missing any of the details. More information at the Box Office.

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 Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story.

A History of Anti-Semitism in Canada by

Ira Robinson (2015)

Europe Against the Jews

1880-1945 by Götz Aly (2020)

Klezmer Festival [CD] by Various Artists (2017)

Momentum [CD] by Kleztory (2020)

Pier 21: A History by Steven Schwinghamer (2020)

Pier 21: Listen to My Story by Christine Welldon (2012) (children’s book)

Pogrom: Kishinev and the Tilt of History by Steven J. Zipperstein (2018)

Seeking the Fabled City: The Canadian Jewish Experience by Allan Levine (2018)

The Book of Klezmer: The History, The Music, The Folklore by Yale Strom (2002)

The Children’s Republic: A Play About Janusz Korczak by Hannah Moscovitch (2022)

Our round-up of events happening at the theatre over the

Keep the love going

As you stroll through the lobby of the Belfry’s iconic historic building, you may find yourself drawn to the lovely space of the Nikki & Bruce MacKenzie Atrium. With stained-glass features and inviting seating areas, what used to be an outdoor courtyard was transformed during our 2017 lobby renovations.

The area bears the name of the couple who made this transformation possible, via a legacy gift left by Bruce in his wife Nikki’s name, after her passing. Bruce, himself, passed away not long after.

The Belfry relies on the generosity of donors to continue to provide the world-class cultural experience it is known for locally in Greater Victoria and across the country. The Belfry is proud to be part of a national campaign called Will Power, which is inspiring Canadians to think differently about giving, and to consider leaving a charitable gift in their Will, in addition to making provisions for loved ones left behind.

To learn more about Will Power and how you can leave a gift in your Will, visit the Belfry’s Will Power webpage at: willpower.ca/charities/belfry-theatre-society/

Calendar

Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

April 18 – May 14, 2023

Tuesdays – Thursdays at 7:30 pm

Wednesday Matinees at 1 pm (April 26 and May 3 and 10)

Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm

Saturday Matinees at 4 pm

Sunday Matinees at 2 pm

Audience Engagement Schedule

B4PLAY (In-person + Online)

Saturday, April 15 at 11 am

TALKBACK THURSDAY (In Person)

Thursday, May 4 following the performance

VOCALEYE

Sunday, May 7 at 2 pm

How to buy tickets

Please

Belfry Fluevog Fundraiser

Thursday April 27 from 6:30 to 9 pm

We are hosting an exclusive Belfry Theatre shopping spree at Fluevog Shoes.

If you purchase a pair of shoes at full price that evening, 50% of your sale will go to the Belfry.

To encourage you to linger amongst the beautiful shoes, we’ll have a host of activities, door prizes and some nibblies too.

This is a free event but if you (and a friend or group of friends) would like to attend, please e-mail us at rsvp@belfry.bc.ca so that we have enough goodies on hand.

If you already have plans, you are welcome to try on shoes 48 hours in advance and place your shoes on hold. That way you can just drop in briefly on April 27 after 6 pm to pick up your shoes and have your order rung through for the Belfry benefit.

Four exciting new plays from Canada and around the world And a very special holiday treat.