Concord Floral written by Jordan Tannahill and directed by Dramatic Arts Instructor Ali Joy Richardson was streamed on the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) YouTube channel. The performances ran Friday, Dec. 11 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday Dec. 12 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 13 at 2 p.m, 2020.
THE CAST
10 / BOBBIE JAMES: Taj Crozier
6 / NEARLY WILD: Avery Delaney
2 / BOBOLINK: James Dengate
1 / JUST JOEY: Mike Hammond
9 / GREENHOUSE: Holly Hebert
5 / ROSA MUNDI: Sid Malcolm
4 / FOREVER IRENE: Grace Martins
7 / COUCH: Heidi Nickel
3 / JOHN CABOT: Nathan Rossi
8 / FOX: Jackson Wagner
THE PRODUCTION TEAM
**Director – Ali Joy Richardson: Ali is a writer and director in Toronto, originally from Nova Scotia. Her trio of TYA plays about mental health (One Deep Breath) has toured to 50,000+ students and her latest play, Dad (set in a theatre school), is streaming as part of Studio 180’s season on December 18th. Ali is immensely proud of these students and is very grateful to have been welcomed aboard.
*Stage Manager/Assistant Director – Diego Blanco: Diego, like Go Diego Go, is a theatre artist, creator and performer. Originally from a small town in Mexico, he moved to Canada to pursue his passion for the arts, studying Dramatic Arts at Brock University. Diego´s passion for theatre arises from the historical silencing of communities and voices in society. Diego wants theatre to be an invitation for audiences and communities to come together to a creative and open space, free of judgments and barriers between human beings.
*Associate Choreographer – Taj Crozier: Taj Crozier is in his fourth year at Brock, where he is studying Dramatic Arts and Music. His favourite roles have been The Cowardly Lion in The Wiz, Bill Sweeney in Heathers, and The Queen in Orlando. He is thrilled to make his debut with Sandbox theatre as 10 (Bobbie James) and assistant choreographer.
*Costume Designer – Avery Delaney: Avery is a 4th year Dramatic Arts Major concentrating in performance. She has loved theatre for as long as she can remember and hopes to one day become a Costume designer, Dresser, Actress or Cobbler. She hopes to one day study at the Banff Center for Art and Creativity to study theatrical shoe making. Avery is so excited to have worked on such a wonderful show with her amazing peers.
*Sound Designer – James Dengate: James is a fourth-year dramatic arts student in the Performance Concentration. He has previously been a part of Antigone (2018) as a performer as well as Orlando (2019) and Scenes from an Execution (2020) as a sound designer. James also loves watching his favourite sports teams disappoint him in the playoffs.
*Marketing Manager/Dramaturg – Mike Hammond: Mikey grew up in rural Ontario and fell in love with Theatre at a young age. He has always loved theatricality spending most of his youth in character. At Brock Mikey has found a deep love for the theoretical and philosophical work surrounding theatre. He is always examining the intersections between theatre and everyday life.
*Assistant Director – Holly Hebert: Holly is in the fourth and final year of her Dramatic Arts major with a minor in Mathematics. Over the past few years at Brock, she has acted in and directed multiple Gimme Two’s, Justifieds, and One Act Festivals, as well as performing in two Mainstage productions. Holly is most excited about merging her two passions within one production.
*Video Designer/Production Manager – Peter Herbert: Born in London and involved in theatre since grade school, Peter has been thrusted into a world of digital design and videography and strives to keep the theatrical joy in his work as videographer and editor. His work on this project in postproduction has strengthened his love of his peers’ talents and his own tenacity.
*Lighting Designer – Sid Malcolm: Sid is in her final year of studying Dramatic Arts and Vocal Music at Brock University. She has a split passion for both production and performance. Most recently, she has worked on three consecutive projects as the Assistant Technical Director. Sid is excited to be diving into the complex world of Rosa Mundi.
*Composer/Sound Designer – Grace Martins: Grace is a fourth year Dramatic Arts and Vocal Music student at Brock University, and she is so excited to be playing 4-Forever Irene in Concord Floral. Grace hopes to continue her vocal training after her time at Brock and go on to be a professional singer and continue to create art.
*Choreographer – Heidi Nickel: Heidi is in her fourth and final year at Brock University, majoring in Dramatic Arts. Heidi has been a part of mainstages at Brock both behind the scenes and as a performer, such as stage crew and lighting operator for Antigone (2018) and performer in Scenes From An Execution (2020).
*Marketing Manager/Assistant Poster Design – Nathan Rossi: Nathan is a 4th year double major at Brock University, studying Dramatic Arts and Classical History. Nathan was born in Toronto but raised in Guelph, Ontario. He has been in multiple productions at Brock and intends on pursuing theatre as a career. He believes theatre to be the centre point for changing the world as theatre can explore difficult topics in the world through
empathy and consideration.
*Set Designer/Poster Designer – Jackson Wagner: Jackson is a Toronto born actor with an academic background in theatre, broadcast journalism and philosophy. As an artist, Wagner is interested in exploring concepts of human existence and purpose. He has experience working on live radio, television and theatre as a performer, a creator and a producer.
Technical and Production Support – Brian Cumberland
Brock Graphic Design – Gilgun Doran
Technical and Production Support – Gavin Fearon
Pedagogical Support – Mike Griffin
Brock Communications – Gillian Minaker
Marketing and Outreach Support – David Vivian
*Students of the DART 4F56 class
**Course Instructor to the DART 4F56 class
Playwright – Jordan Tannahill
Concord Floral was first produced in 2014 by Suburban Beast and presented by Why Not Theatre at the Theatre Centre (Toronto, ON). It was written by Jordan Tannahill and developed over a three-year period with Erin Brubacher, Cara Spooner and a group of teenagers from across the Greater Toronto Area. The original production was created and directed by Erin Brubacher, Cara Spooner, and Jordan Tannahill.
Concord Floral is produced by permission of the Playwright and Marquis
Literary (Colin Rivers) www.mqlit.ca
NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR
“What’s it like creating a play on Zoom? Well, first you have to grieve a little.
We grieved the loss of physical time together in a studio, sharing that sacred treehouse-space of rehearsal. We grieved the loss of costume fittings, and building sets, and hanging lights. We’ve never shared baked goods on breaks. We’ve never sung together. I’ve never met a single one of these students in “real life”.
But, boy, have we built our own treehouse.
Over countless hours on video, we’ve met each other’s pets and partners. We’ve invited each other (and soon, our audience) into our homes. Our play (Concord Floral by Jordan Tannahill) is largely set in the bedrooms of its teenaged characters. And that’s exactly where our ten actors will be performing from – their own bedrooms.
Our set, lighting, and costume designers have directed the cast via Zoom as they set up projectors in their basements, raided their own closets, and decided which characters’ beds should be made or unmade in the background. Each actor has become their own camera-operator, lighting technician, and makeup artist. Our choreographers have made magic in the Zoom grid and our sound designers and composer have created spine-tingling choral music by stitching together individual singing recordings from each actor.
Our tireless stage manager has tracked hundreds of cues: videos being turned on and off, actors muting and unmuting themselves, and lighting shifts from desk lamps, to phone flashlights, to the glow of our laptop screens. Our video designer has created gorgeous and eerie transitions that will knit together our Zoom scenes and bring a gust of fresh air from the outside world.
I love this play. I love this team. As our student marketing team said, “We’ve made the very best of the very worst-case scenario.” I couldn’t agree more.
Now – time to get back to the treehouse for rehearsal.”
Ali Joy Richardson
Director, Concord Floral
(Nov 28, 2020)
COLLECTIVE NOTE FROM THE COMPANY
“What does this show mean to us?”
Welcome to Concord Floral, a place for remembrance and forgiveness, where you will face
your past and grow by learning from your mistakes.
Working on this show during COVID has reminded me why humans make theatre in the first
place: to gather together, to create beauty together, and to make sense of a wild world
together.
To me this show means resilience, it means hope, it means forgiveness and it means the world to me that we made this show together even if we were apart.
This production has been such an amazing way to be creative and collaborate even without being in the same physical space as everyone and it has meant the world to me.
Showing the power of human relationships in harsh social situations and what it means to
overcome them whether that be staying together or leaving someone behind.
This show to me is about finding and accepting the truth, the truth of who we are, the truth of what we’ve done, and accepting all that comes with those truths.
The ability to deal with one’s past honestly, reconcile with one’s mistakes and move on is so important.
This production symbolizes the resilience this company has showcased to the worldly
circumstances. We have persevered to create an online theatre production that we all can be proud of.
This production has given me a chance to work with tools and programs otherwise impossible to implement onstage.
It is really motivating to see how much a collective is able to come together and adapt their practices to fit the unprecedented times and keep theatre alive and passionate.
Concord Floral is not a play about revenge, but of recognition.
Close all the theatres if you must, but you can’t stop art. Theatre is a group of people coming together, not a building.
There’re few things in this world as special as doing what you love with the people you love, especially when a beautifully curated piece is at the heart of it all.
DART 4F56
Company, Concord Floral
(2020)
Organizations and Resources
As a collective, we would like to encourage our audiences to donate to the Black Health Alliance (in lieu of paying a ticket price). The Black Health Alliance takes on the key issues that impact Black communities in Canada through systems change, health promotion, research and public policy, convening, collaboration and capacity building, championing health equity, and fundraising.
https://blackhealthalliance.ca/
We also would like to bring attention to multiple other organizations that we feel
resonate with the play and are extremely beneficial to all communities. Please
consider researching and possibly even donating to the following:
Pathstone Mental Health (located in St. Catharines)
Provides world class mental health services to strengthen the quality of life for children, youth and families who are dealing with mental health challenges.
https://pathstonementalhealth.ca/
Jack.org
A Canadian youth-led mental health and suicide prevention organization.
https://jack.org/About/Our-Approach
Kids Help Phone
Kids Help Phone is Canada’s only 24/7, national support service. They offer professional
counselling, information and referrals and volunteer-led, text-based support to young people in both English and French.
https://kidshelpphone.ca/
Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention
Educates, communicates, and advocates for mental health; currently acknowledging the
impact of Covid-19 on one’s mental health.
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/canadian-association-for-suicide-prevention/
The Trevor Project
Founded in 1998 by the creators of the Academy Award®-winning short film TREVOR, The
Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide
prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25 in the United States.
https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
SPECIAL THANKS
Kunji Ikeda
Bryn Kennedy
Brandon “The Hands” Kinsella
Sammie Marrett
Lucy McPhee
Jenna Rodgers
Neil Silcox
All the friends and families of the cast and crew – here are just some of the kind words
our team had to say:
“Special thanks to my family and friends for always believing in me!” – Taj
“Kathleen, Robert, & Andrea Richardson (for giving me the dining room, and the wifi).”
– Ali
“My parents (Layla and Rafa), my three brothers (Rafa, Omar, and Ger), my grandmother (my sittu), and my Manina Perla.” – Diego
“Thanks to my amazing peers and friends who got me through these extraordinary times. I couldn’t do it without you.” – Avery
“My friends and family for their support, Ali and the Sandbox Theatre team for the amazing experience, and, of course, my boyfriend Brandon for being ‘the hands’.” – Grace
“My amazing parents and brother supporting me from across the world in Belgium, faculty in DART who have helped me to become a better artist, as well as my incredible friends who have always come to watch and support me.” – Heidi
“To this entire company for supporting each other through the hours of work we had to
do on top of everything else in school. I couldn’t be more proud of you guys.” – Nathan
“My family and the company itself – thanks for all the love and support. Sending it right back to you.” – Holly
our actions
As a class, we recognize that land acknowledgements are only a first step towards Indigenous justice and recompense on this land. We recognize the devastating impact of settler colonization on Indigenous communities across Canada and we know it takes more than words to change the future.
So, in addition to creating our collaborative land acknowledgement that opens the show,
our company has taken the following actions. We offer them below with the hope that you
will join us in actionable steps towards decolonization.
Donating to the 1492 Landback Lane Legal Fund: https://gf.me/u/ypd7uy
Donating to the Native Women’s Association of Canada: https://www.nwac.ca/donate/
Donating to Anishnawbe Health Toronto: https://supportanishnawbe.ca/donate/make-adonation/
Subscribing to the IPAA newsletter (Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance): https://ipaa.ca
Listening to the podcast, Secret Life of Canada (created by Falen Johnson & Leah-Simone
Bowen): https://www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada
Listening to CBC’s Unreserved, “radio space for Indigenous community, culture, and conversation”: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved
Listening to the podcast All my Relations hosted by Matika Wilbur (Swinomish and Tulalip) and Adrienne Keene (Cherokee Nation): https://www.allmyrelationspodcast.com
Attending an upcoming “Community Creations” workshop with Ange Loft (an interdisciplinary performing artist and initiator from Kahnawake Kanienkehaka Territory, working in Toronto), on December 15th: https://www.facebook.com/events/707501909871534
Reading the plays Huff and Stitch by Cree playwright and actor, Cliff Cardinal Gathering & sharing a growing list of excellent plays, books, documentaries, and films by Indigenous creators. You can view the list here – enjoy!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FLT7RiNshFwW3G3Nw1dsJdJG6BcQJtoq/view?usp=shar
ing
DEPARTMENT OF DRAMATIC ARTS
Chair: David Fancy
FACULTY
David Fancy
Karen Fricker
Mike Griffin
Joe Norris
Gyllian Raby
Rachel Rhoades
David Vivian
Danielle Wilson
STAFF
Administrative Assistant: Cindy Rorke
Production Manager: Brian Cumberland
Technical Director: Gavin Fearon
Head of Wardrobe: Roberta Doylend
Head of Stage Construction: Ed Harris
Theatre Technician: Dawn Crysler
For more information about our programming visit our website:
brocku.ca/dramatic-arts
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Department of Dramatic Arts acknowledges that the land on which we gather is the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples, many of whom continue to live and work here today. This territory is covered by the Upper Canada Treaties and is within the land protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum agreement. Today this gathering place is home to many First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples and acknowledging reminds us that our great standard of living is directly related to the resources and friendship of Indigenous people
UPCOMING MARILYN I. WALKER SCHOOL OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS EVENTS:
VISA students have created a piece of Video Art in the Age of Covid-19! Check it out here: https://brocku.ca/miwsfpa/visual-arts/video-art-in-theage-of-covid-19/
Keep an eye out for next semester’s Mainstage: Sheila Callaghan’s Fever Dream. A limited presentation of six performances beginning March 12, 2021!!
MARILYN I. WALKER SCHOOL OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS
Director: David Vivian
Marketing & Communications Officer: Gillian Minaker
Graphic Designer: Gilgun Doran
Recruitment Officer: Madison Roca
For more information about our programming visit our website:
brocku.ca/miwsfpa
