Herm and Gertie

I can hear voices. The ghosts are out tonight. Can we please just stay with you?

– Gertie from Herm and Gertie by John Dickinson, Joylyn Secunda and Daniel Tessy.

Enter into a familiar landscape haunted by ghosts and other monsters as a brother and sister trace the story of Hansel and Gretel through the ruins of what was once Vancouver. They must learn to survive in a strange world after the are abandoned by their loved ones.

This abstract and site specific production was made possible through a mentorship program with The Only Animal in association with the Vancouver Fringe Festival. The script was written and produced by a collective of young writers with a curious perspective and contemporary insight. John Dickinson, Joylyn Secunda and Daniel Tessy are the backbone of Brain Apple Theatre as they embark on the premier production of Herm and Gertie.

CJ McGillivray played the role of Gertie, a precocious and anxious eleven year old who feels very alone in the world. She trips through a post apocalyptic landscape alongside Jordan Vladimir Lysenko in the role of Herm, Katharina Moehlman as the manipulative step mother and Marc Castellini as the beloved father of the children. Melanie Bennett joins the family as the ever quirky and peculiar character of a talking duck with blue feathers and cannibal tendencies. Together these actors embark on a bizarre adventure around the outskirts of Granville Island. Herm and Gertie is an off the walls physical show that promises to disturb, humour and shock audience members all in one evening. Matthew Willis of BeatRoute magazine listed the show as his number one selection on the top ten performances not to be missed at the 2014 festival. Living Myth Magazine described the experience as “increasingly weird and surreal” with strong performances from everyone in the cast.

Photos by Javier Ricardo Sotres featuring the cast of Herm and Gertie at the 2014 Vancouver Fringe Festival