Author: jminter

As we approach the centenary of the signing of the armistice to end WWI on November 11, 1918, The Cultch presents The Ceasefire Series.

From Oct 30 – Nov 17, The Cultch’s three venues will bring to their stages three shows that explore the causes, effects, and traumas of war from different lenses. The series features two Canadian premieres and a local world premiere from renowned playwright Amiel Gladstone:  one taking place during WWI (SmallWaR), one taking place during WWII (Three Winters), and one taking place in contemporary times (The Believers Are But Brothers).

100 years after the Allied and German forces signed the armistice ending the fighting on the battlefields of WWI, Cultch Executive Director, Heather Redfern considered how she wanted The Cultch to engage with such a significant centenary. What resulted was the programming of three distinctly different shows; a high tech and interactive show about the ways modern young men (in particular) are recruited online (The Believers Are But Brothers), verbatim reflections from soldiers and nurses in WWI, from star Belgian performer, Valentijn Dhaenens (SmallWaR), and  the world premiere of Amiel Gladstone’s Three Winters, a show with seven young women performing a play about prisoners in Stalag Luft III—the famous WWII POW camp—who put on theatre to maintain morale.

“As you watch these productions I ask you to remember, and I ask you to think about what comes next if we dare to forget. I want to thank all of the inspirational artists who have brought us this work for their roles as agitators and initiators in society. Their contributions are a political force because they speak to people’s hearts and emotions” — Heather Redfern, Cultch Executive Director

The Ceasefire Series trio of performances are:

THE BELIEVERS ARE BUT BROTHERS Canadian Premiere
written, performed & co-directed by Javaad Alipoor and co-director Kirsty Housley (UK) part of Diwali in BC
Oct 30 – Nov 10, 2018 at Vancity Culture Lab, 1895 Venebles Street

SMALL WAR Canadian Premiere
directed & performed by Valentijn Dhaenens of SKaGeN Theatre Collective (Belgium), with producers Richard Jordan Productions & Theatre Royal Plymouth (UK)
Nov 6–16, 2018 at York Theatre, 639 Commercial Drive

THREE WINTERS World Premiere
written and directed by Amiel Gladstone (Vancouver)
Nov 7–17, 2018 at the Historic Theatre, 1895 Venables Street

Tickets for all shows are available from The Cultch’s Box Office: 604-251-1363 or tickets.thecultch.com. Individual tickets $24, or three packs for $65