Exploring themes of homelessness, poverty, mental illness, addiction and the plight of missing and murdered women - this strikingly original chamber work unfolds as a memorial service for a young woman lost to the street
Date/Time: May 6 2018, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Vancouver, Goldcorp Centre for the Arts | Event calendarCost: $35.00
Find tickets: here
Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre
Writer and director: Onalea Gilbertson
Composer and conductor: Marcel Bergmann
With writing and additional music by the Kettle Choir and Writers Workshop
Presented in partnership with the Kettle Society and SFU Woodwards Community Programs
Requiem for a Lost Girl is created and performed in partnership with a chorus of people who know the experience of homelessness—a raw, gorgeous and heart-altering blend of true stories and the theatrical that amplifies voices and shines light on the streets of North America.
At the heart of Requiem for a Lost Girl are people are currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness in the past. Based on the mandate of the script, VO Teaching Artists—including composer and conductor Lesley Sutherland, writer Alexis Maledy, and assistant director Jeff Gladstone—have created a vibrant arts-based program for Kettle participants to support their full participation in the final production as writers and performers. Weekly choral rehearsals along with song writing and personal story telling have brought forward music and monologues that explore love, loss, and the essential humanity of all people.
Their work will be integrated into the pre-existing show which will be performed by members of VO's Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program, the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, members of the Vancouver Opera Chorus and Kettle artists.
The goals of the Requiem for a Lost Girl project include:
- Building community
- Amplifying our gathered voices
- Bringing attention to stigma surrounding homelessness, poverty, addiction, sex work, and mental health
- Helping to erase the line between "us" and "them"
- Creating a lasting relationship between Vancouver Opera, SFU Woodwards and The Kettle
The Partnership So Far
The relationship between VO and The Kettle began in January 2016. Here is what has happened since then:
- VO Teaching Artists provide weekly singing and writing workshops to Kettle participants at the Kettle on Burrard building
- Monthly sing-a-longs provided at The Kettle's Venables and Taylor Manor locations
- Open houses to display residents' work occur every 12 weeks
- Community performances at the Vancouver Opera Festival, The Vancouver East Culture Crawl
- The creation of professional recorded CD of songs written by members of the Kettle Choir
More info