In association with Upintheair Theatre and The Frank Theatre, The Killjoy Play Series partnered with The Revolver Festival to bring three new works to the stage. The inaugural productions ran from May 25th to June 2nd, 2019 at the Greenhouse Studio in Vancouver, BC.
The festival was produced by interdisciplinary artists Anais West, Alexandra Lainfiesta, Mariam Barry and Kayla Deorksen with running crew support from Julia Muncs.
- Burqa Boutique by Brishkay Ahmed
Somewhere in the Middle East, sometime in our recent past, a civil war erupts in a country held together by opposing ideologies. A multigenerational group of women get caught in the middle as two idealogical groups clash. The women find refuge inside a burqa boutique along the border that separates the nation into two distinct districts. While the men battle for gold and copper, the women debate over identity and faith.
Burqa Boutique was directed by Jamie King and Gavan Cheema with sound design by CJ McGillivray, lighting design by Harika Xu, props and set design by Kimira Bhikum, costume design by Melicia Zaini and dramaturgy by mia amir and Natasha Nadir. The production was stage managed by Samantha Pawliuk, featuring actors Balinder Johal, Sabrina Vellani, Peri Allan, Yasmin Tayob and Talietha Sangha.
- The Way You Carry On by C.R. Packer
Two estranged sisters are on the brink of transformation as they confront the forces in their lives that both shape and alienate them. Nic is queer, polyamorous and about to have her first child in a blended family. Kelly has just left her nuclear family as a way of affirming her selfhood and her truth.
The Way You Carry On was directed by Mika Laulainen and assistant directed by Sabrina Auclair with sound design by CJ McGillivray, lighting design by Harika Xu, props and set design by Kimira Bhikum, costume design by Melicia Zaini and dramatury by Heidi Taylor. The production was stage managed by Sammie Hatch, featuring actors Michelle Martin and Sara Vickruck.
- Fireflies by Kanon Hewitt
As a dystopian science fiction drama, Fireflies is set in the conflict zone between the traditional and the futuristic. Amika, a mixed-race Japanese non-binary youth, escapes a fertility centre in Japan to avoid execution. They are forced to leave behind their mother, a notorious Japanese rebel who gave birth in hiding after violating mandatory entry into the national fertility program. In the forest, Amika encounters a youth who fled his military training camp after questioning its nationalist curriculum. Realizing they have more similarities than differences, they become unlikely allies.
Fireflies was directed by Patricia Trinh with sound design by CJ McGillivray, projection design by Mily Mumford, lighting design by Harika Xu, props and set design by Kimira Bhikum, costume design by Melicia Zaini, dramaturgy by Manami Hara and fight direction by Mike Kovac and Ryan McNeill Bolton. The production was stage managed by Sony Tsai, featuring actors Rae Takei, Mason Temple, Brent Hirose and Laara Ong.
ABOUT KILLJOY THEATRE
Killjoy Theatre is a feminist collective that develops and produces new work by female and non-binary artists. Their approach to new play development is intersectional and artist-driven. They create an anti-oppressive, inclusive space where writers have agency over their own dramaturgical process. They support projects while fostering the careers of their authors: they invest in a play from inception to production, and work to establish each playwright as a professional in the theatre community.
Killjoy Theatre stands in decolonial solidarity with the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations on whose traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories the collective lives and works.
CJ McGillivray 