A GREAT PLACE TO READ ABOUT GREAT THEATRE · FEBRUARY – MARCH 2024
“Quintana’s writing is natural, bitingly funny, and heartfelt.” – GE ORG IA STR AIG HT
VOLUME 8 / ISSUE 3
Hello! Welcome back to the Belfry and our production of As Above by Christine Quintana. Commissioned by the Belfry in 2019, As Above is set in Victoria and we are thrilled to be bringing this new play to you. You’ll recognize a few faces when you attend the play. Director Meg Roe has a long history with the Belfry as an actor: she starred in Trying (2004), Urinetown: The Musical (2006), and Onegin (2017).
B4Play (In-person + Online)
Hrothgar Mathews starred in Forget About
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3 AT 11 AM
Tomorrow (2018). Gabrielle Rose and Sereana
BMO Studio Theatre, 1291 Gladstone Avenue
Malani are making their Belfry debuts.
Michael Shamata and Gregor Craigie Photo by Don Craig
Our live talk show hosted by CBC Radio’s Gregor Craigie and featuring artists
As always, we look forward to seeing you at
from the upcoming show, along with experts from the community, has been
the theatre.
designed to provide insight into each Mainstage production. Our panelists include Christine Quintana (playwright), Meg Roe (director)
Land Acknowledgement The Belfry Theatre is on the land of the
and community experts Barbara Hawkins (Professor in the Centre for Forest Biology at UVic), and Bernie Pauly (Professor in Nursing at the University of Victoria and prominent substance use researcher).
People, known today as the
Each event is held the Saturday before Opening, is free to attend, live
Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. The
streamed on Facebook, and is available as a podcast on our website.
people have been keepers of this land for millennia and we offer
B4Play is ASL Interpreted.
them our respect and gratitude for our presence on this territory.
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.
Join Us
instagram.com/belfrytheatre
vimeo.com/belfrytheatre
facebook.com/belfrytheatre
twitter.com/belfrytheatre
As Above is generously supported by
Tickets 250-385-6815 / tickets.belfry.bc.ca
BELFRY THEATRE 1291 GLADSTONE AVENUE VICTORIA, BC V8T 1G5 WWW.BELFRY.BC.CA
Upstage is supported by
DEEP INTO T H E I N N E R AND H I D D E N L I F E OF A N AT U R A L F O R E S T BY ALLEN LAROCQUE
Photo by Chris Zielecki / Stocksy
TRE E S ARE NOT DIF FERENT FROM U S IN THEIR
the air, and their root tips to the flavours of the
E SSE NC E. We are cousins, each a representation of
moist soup underground. Here it is dark and quiet.
the same genetic song winding its way through
Here fungal threads carry chemicals along the
the ages. Every branch of life is a genre; every
miniature highways of their reticulated, networked
species a theme; every individual a variation.
bodies. Like nerves, action potentials ripple along
Like us, trees have parents, children, brothers and sisters. They have neighbours, and neighbourhoods. They have friends and enemies. They eat food, and occasionally are eaten (an experience fortunately rare for humans these days). Trees breathe in, and breathe out; they thirst, and sip water; we perspire and they transpire. Like us, they are conceived, born, and die. There are differences, too. Our favourite modalities of communication are sight and sound. But plants have no eyes to see with, and no ears with which to hear. They are chemical creatures, their leaves attuned to the taste of signaling molecules in
the outside of their chitinous sheaths, releasing messages we are just beginning to understand. These messages seep from fungi to plant roots through mycorrhiza, structures neither plant nor fungi but somehow both, the product of an intimate mutualism between fungal thread and plant cell. Where there are messages there is response; and where there is response there is communication. These are simply causes, and effects. These effects are physically preserved in flesh and wood and the patterns of the forest, and through this emergent encoding they become memory. They connect us in the present and through time in ways that
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we are aware of, and in ways that are deep and dark. It is these ‘connections between’ that separates the forest from the trees. It is the difference between a bunch of individuals, and a community. Like our communities, forests are not so much something to be understood, as something to be in relationship with. Western science has long approached forests as something out there, something primarily to be understood and managed. We know, deep down, that this is wrong: approaching our personal relationships the same way does some kind of violence to the other. It boxes these relations in, reduces them to our idea of them
Why I Chose This Play
rather than seeing them for what they really are. Like a loved one, we seek to understand forests, but we never quite get there. Something always escapes us; they are always just a little
I should probably begin with: “Why I Commissioned This Play.”
bigger than our conceptions of them. They are always growing and
I first encountered Christine Quintana’s work as a playwright in
changing, and our ideas are, at best, always a few steps behind.
Vancouver in 2019. I attended a performance of Never the Last,
They are deeply weird, in the terminology of ecologist Timothy
and was incredibly impressed by her writing. The structure, the
Morton. In their strangeness, they are both comfortable and
ideas and the language were confident and sophisticated. The
mysterious, both healing and frightening, simultaneously familiarly
entire production—which Christine co-created with violinist Molly
close, and incomprehensibly distant.
MacKinnon—was intellectually and emotionally engaging.
The longest and most stable relationships are the ones that seek to
I have loved As Above from the first version I read, through
preserve this weirdness, this wonder and mystery. When the person
subsequent drafts, and workshops. The relationship between Jo
you wake up next to every day surprises you; when the person
and Rick is one I have never seen onstage before. These are real
you see in the mirror every morning is somehow different. When
people, and their flaws and their needs make them incredibly
the tree you walk past every day catches the light in a way you’ve
moving. As Above celebrates the power of the human spirit and
never seen before; in these moments we are reminded that we are
the power of the world around us—both seen and unseen.
not just ourselves, but all our relations, too. The connections are us,
Christine combines the messy reality of our human-ness, with the
whether we want them or not.
beauty and magic of nature, and creates a universe full of hope and second chances.
Dr. Allen Larocque is an ecologist and forester working in British Columbia. He is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The University of British Columbia, Mother
Plus: it’s got great roles for three great actors—! —Michael Shamata, Artistic Director
Tree Network.
Cast & Creatives
Gabrielle Rose
Hrothgar Mathews
Sereana Malani
Christine Quintana
Meg Roe
Camellia Koo
Stephanie Kong
JO
RICK
EVERYONE ELSE
PLAYWRIGHT
DIRECTOR
SET DESIGNER
COSTUME DESIGNER
John Webber
Emily Cooper
Alessandro Juliani
Tasha Faye Evans
Treena Stubel
Caryn Fehr
Becca Jorgensen
LIGHTING DESIGNER
PROJECTION DESIGNER
COMPOSER & SOUND DESIGNER
CULTURAL DRAMATURG
INTIMACY DIRECTOR
STAGE MANAGER
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
LIVE & VIRTUAL EVENTS Our round-up of events happening at the theatre over the next four weeks.
Belfry Librarian 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 As Above.
B4PLAY (IN-PERSON + ONLINE) BMO Studio, 1291 Gladstone Avenue SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3 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. Our panelists include Christine Quintana (playwright), Meg Roe (director) and community experts Barbara Hawkins (Professor in the Centre for Forest Biology at UVic), and Bernie Pauly (Professor in Nursing at the University of Victoria and prominent substance use researcher). 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.
TALKBACK THURSDAY (In Person) THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22 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 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25 AT 2 PM (IN PERSON EVENT WITH TOUCH TOUR & SOCIAL AFTER)
Sunday, February 25 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.
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer (2013)
Hooked: When Addiction Hits Home by Chloe Shantz-Hilkes (editor) with Decode (2013) – for kids
Brothers, Sisters, Strangers: Sibling Estrangement and the Road to Reconciliation by Fern Schumer Chapman (2021)
A Life Turned Upside Down: My Dad’s an Alcoholic by Mariko Kikuchi (2021) – graphic novel
Fault Lines: Fractured Families and How to Mend Them by Karl Pillemer, PhD (2020) Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Suzanne Simard (2021) Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous Science by Jessica Hernandez PhD (2022) From Survival to Recovery: Growing Up in an Alcoholic Home by Al-Anon Family Group (2007) The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate, Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben (2016)
On Belonging: Finding Connection in an Age of Isolation by Kim Samuel (2022) The Recovering: Intoxication and its Aftermath by Leslie Jamison (2018) The Songs of Trees: Stories from Nature’s Great Connectors by David George Haskell (2017) Stray: A Memoir by Stephanie Danler (2020) Wishes and Worries: Coping with a Parent Who Drinks Too Much Alcohol by Lars Rudebjer (2011) – for kids
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SPOTLIGHT ON SUPPORTERS:
Belfr y Volunteer
Lillian Rabb It would not be possible for the Belfry Theatre to operate without the services of some 250 volunteers, many of whom you will have encountered greeting patrons, taking tickets, and staffing the concession. Last year, we sadly lost one of our longest-standing volunteers, Lillian Rabb. She began volunteering for the theatre in 1981, and went on to serve as a team leader, and an advocate for the Belfry. If you ever saw Lillian’s beautiful smile lighting up the lobby, you would be sure to remember it! The Navy life led Lillian’s family to relocate across Canada and Europe, and Victoria became her long-term city of choice. She worked for Canada Post for a time, but her passion was art: theatre, music, and literature. Lillian was well-known for her commitment to several other arts and cultural organizations in the city, including the Conservatory of Music, the Symphony, and the Fringe Festival. Her good friend Susan Walker volunteered around town with her. She recalls Lillian sharing her thoughts on performances she had seen at the Belfry and at
festivals in Hawaii; having Stocking Island in the Bahamas to
theatres in Vancouver. Susan reports that she and Lillian agreed that
ourselves; and the day there was no line-up and so walked right into
they had never been disappointed with a Belfry performance.
the Uffizi in Florence. She loved going to the Stratford Festival with
Lillian would sometimes see a Belfry production two or three times, as she was also a subscriber, and one of the first to fill in for volunteers who were sick or out-of-town. When her son Jim settled
a theatre friend. She also went to Hawaii many times, Mexico, and a trip to Captiva Island, where we rented a house with her and our kids (including her granddaughter Liv, who shared Lillian’s birth date).”
in Victoria, he became her “plus one” at Belfry performances. He told
Lillian’s children made a generous gift to Belfry in memory of Lillian.
us that Lillian’s favourite seat was in the centre of the front row. Jim
They agreed that, given the many years that she devoted to the Belfry,
describes his mother as a very quiet person, who always had a book
Lillian would have wanted to offer one final gesture of support!
checked out from the library.
“Mom was a voracious reader, could point you to the very best latte
Prior to her partner Larry’s death, the couple made the most of life
in the city, she loved a good thrift find, cherry blossoms, daffodils, the
in Victoria. Lillian also loved to travel with family and friends. Her
ocean, sunshine, and the smell of freesias. She appreciated good food,
daughter Donna provided these colourful travel memories:
fine wine, and quality linens. She was tough, loyal, smart, generous,
“A string orchestra of Vivaldi at a 900-year old church in Barcelona, and then eating churros and chocolate in the dark passageway (she
adventurous, and a cancer survivor, twice. But mostly, she was our beautiful mom, and we will miss her.”
was still classy doing that); cramming in as many theatre events
The Belfry is incredibly grateful to have been blessed by Lillian Rabb’s
as we could during a trip to London; stumbling upon numerous
service, patronage, and enthusiasm for more than four decades!
Tickets 250-385-6815 / tickets.belfry.bc.ca
Calendar As Above PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
February 6 – March 3, 2024 Tuesdays – Thursdays at 7:30 pm Wednesday Matinees at 1 pm (February 14, 21 and 28) Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm Saturday Matinees at 4 pm Sunday Matinees at 2 pm Audience Engagement Schedule B4PLAY (In-person + Online) Saturday, February 3 at 11 am AFTERPLAY
Wednesday, February 28 and Friday, March 1
Thursday April 4, 2024 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
TALKBACK THURSDAY
(In Person) Thursday, February 22 following the performance. COMMUNIT Y THEATRE NIGHTS
Wednesday, February 28 at 7:30 and Friday, March 1 at 8 pm
Come join us for an exclusive Belfry Theatre shopping night at Fluevog Shoes. Fifty percent of every sale will be donated to the Belfry.
VOCALEYE
Sunday, February 25 at 2 pm (in-person event with Touch Tour)
How to buy tickets By telephone
Online
250 385 6815
Visit belfry.bc.ca/tickets
Please have your
and buy your tickets online, anytime.
credit card ready, as well as the date and time of the performance you wish to attend.
In person
Fluevog Shoes 566 Johnson Street
Drop by our Box Office. We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, debit card, cheques and cash.
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MARCH 12–17 – BMO STUDIO
PREMIERE PRODUCTION
Clownf ish A live audio play created by renowned Sound Designer Paul Tedeschini.
AS ABOVE SPONSORS PUBLIC FUNDERS
Belfry Theatre 1291 GLADSTONE AVENUE VICTORIA, BC V8T 1G5
SEASON SPONSORS