Marking its 10th Anniversary, Mitch and Murray Productions 2022-2023 season begins with the world premiere of Instantaneous Blue at The Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island from January 6-22.
The play follows Edward (Charlie Gallant) and Sara (Kate Besworth) as they navigate the journey of welcoming their first child into life while shepherding Edward’s declining parents, Judith played by Patti Allan & Bob played by Tom McBeath, out of it. Their relationship frays as they maneuver the endless challenges of a disease that is God-like in its mysterious ways. Caught between the worlds of assembling IKEA baby cribs and visiting gerontologists, between finding time for sex and searching the city for a lost mother, and between navigating professional obligations and familial disaster, Sara and Edward are pushed to the emotional brink. Will they or won’t they make it through this?
Instantaneous Blue is Mitch and Murray Productions’ first original Canadian work, as well as being Aaron Craven’s first full-length play. The heartfelt script is a semi-autobiographical portrait of a family’s struggle with dementia, as both Craven’s parents simultaneously fell into decline with dementia and Alzheimer’s. His experience as a member of the “sandwich generation” – a generation of middle-aged people who raise children while parenting their parents – along with his experience as a curator of plays and advocacy work in the world of dementia was the catalyst for creating this new work.
“The actress Carrie Fisher once said, ‘Take your broken heart and turn it into art’. I guess I listened,” says Craven. “This play was written to give voice to those living the dementia journey and to take the experience out of the shameful shadows and into the dignified light. There will be some laughs, some tears, and hopefully some shared catharsis.”
Instantaneous Blue runs from this Friday, January 6 to Sunday, January 22, 2023 at The Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island. Tickets and more information can be found online at mitchandmurrayproductions.com