Photo L to R: Francis Dowlatabadi, Janavi Chawla and Adrian Neblett by Chelsey Stuyt Photography
Thank you to vAct, the Firehall, and Blackout for your belief in the work and all the effort in getting this play up. Derek for a lovely collaboration, Donna, Amir, Soha, Annie, Stephanie, Karen, Daniela, and Jessica – for all the hours and dedication.
Thank you to the Cultural Consultants, Majd, Aksam, Farouk, Oussayma, and Aya for your advice, support, and encouragement. Thank you Stephen Drover for all the back and forth on drafts and your feedback, which grew the play so much.
Thank you Playwrights Theatre Centre (PTC) for all you have put into this play since its days in the 2021-2022 Fringe New Play Prize. Davey Samuel Calderon, for the late nights we pulled getting this play ready for the Fringe – wouldn’t have been able to do it without you. Heidi Taylor, Joanna Garfinkel, and Melanie Yeats for your guidance, support, fundraising, and helping the piece connect to community. Bonnie Mah for your generosity and helping us have our first run.
Mohamed Shaheen, Fareh Malik, and everyone at the Silk Road Institute for your insights and support.
The 2019 Arts Club Emerging Playwrights’ Unit, for giving this play its start –Stephen, Ashlie, Bronwyn, Mily, and Scott.
Ruby Slippers Theatre, Diane, and Grace for supplying the time and space for our team to workshop the play.
Adrian, Francis, and Janavi for your talents in bringing the words to life, the amazing team of designers, production team, Evan Ren and Bernice Paet for being at the helm. My family for always showing up and being excited for opening no matter how many times they’ve heard the play –Mom, Dad, Shehin, Husein, Alisha, Selene, Richard. Kai, Omar, and Kloney - you guys are the best.
The Carnegie Learning Centre for your support, love, and friendship. Finally to you, the audience, for coming to support local theatre and local Vancouver stories, which can hopefully help us all spark dialogue and even change.
-Zahida Rahemtulla Playwright
ABOUT BLACKOUT ART SOCIETY
Founded in 2012 in Vancouver, Blackout Art Society began as a passionate theatre ensemble dedicated to creating socially conscious performances that resonated with the Persian community. By 2017, we evolved into a registered non-profit organization, broadening our vision to bridge cultural divides by producing captivating works in both Persian and English.
Our mission is to illuminate the untold stories within our diverse society, addressing contemporary issues while celebrating the richness of our cultural heritage. We are committed to inclusivity, excellence, education, community engagement, cultural preservation, collaboration, and accessibility. Through innovative theatre experiences, we aim to foster understanding and spark meaningful dialogues across generations. At Blackout Art Society, we believe in the transformative power of storytelling to connect communities and inspire change.
Learn more at blackouttheater.com.
Blackout Art Society Staff:
Amirnaeim Hosseini - Artistic Director
Soha Sanajou - Artistic Producer
Shideh Taleban - Public Relation
Bucky Yaqub - Digital Marketing Specialist
Yassaman Hosseini - Volunteer Coordinator
Farhad Adibi - Multimedia Specialist
Blackout Art Society Board of Directors:
Sogol Azarmgin - President
Sahand Tahmasebi - Vice President
Nassim Baharian - Treasurer
ABOUT VACT
Founded in 2001 by Joyce Lam, Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre (vAct) first began as a community theatre. Over the next 12 years, vAct collaborated with over 500 Asian Canadian theatre artists, and produced over 40 shows. In 2013, Donna Yamamoto was appointed as the Producing Artistic Director. Thus began vAct’s rapid transformation from a community theatre to one of the most exciting diversitymandated professional theatre companies in Canada.
In the Western Canadian theatre community, vAct plays a unique role. We are the only professional theatre company in Western Canada to consistently premiere new works by Asian Canadians. Following Donna’s retirement in 2022, Derek Chan took over as Managing Artistic Director, bringing with him over a decade’s experience in creating, developing, and producing original intercultural, multilingual works within BC, across Canada, and internationally.
vAct is a member of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatre and engages under the terms of the Canadian Theatre Agreement, professional artists who are members of the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association. Learn more at vact.ca.
Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre Staff:
Derek Chan 陳嘉昊 (he/him) – Managing Artistic Director
Leslie Dos Remedios (she/they) - Resident Dramaturg
Kamila Sediego (she/her/siya) - Resident Dramaturg
Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre Board of Directors:
Penny Tham - Board President
Kenton Low - Vice President
Wendy Lee - Secretary
Helen Wong - Director
CAST & CREATIVE TEAM
DEREK CHAN 陳嘉昊 | DIRECTOR
Derek Chan 陳嘉昊 grew up in colonial Hong Kong, lived in Norway, and now lives and works on the unceded, stolen, and ancestral lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, colonially known as Vancouver. A playwright, director, performer, translator, and producer, Derek is the Managing Artistic Director of Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre. Before that, he was a founding co-artistic director of rice & beans theatre from 2010 to 2021.
In 2015, Derek was awarded the Vancouver Fringe New Play Prize with Starstuff: per aspera ad astra. At the 2016 Glassco Translation Residency hosted by Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal, Derek translated Jovanni Sy’s A Taste of Empire (Cantonese title: 食盡天下/Sik Zeon Tin Haa). The play was subsequently nominated for a Dora Award (Best Touring Production) in 2018. His play, Chicken Girl (2019/20), won the Sydney Risk Award for Outstanding Original Play by an Emerging Playwright, and was nominated for Outstanding Original Script at the Jessies. Derek was part of the 2021 and 2024 Banff Playwrights Labs, and has been a National Arts Centre English Theatre Artist in Residence (19/20) with yellow objects, a new installation-exhibition in support of the prodemocracy movement in Hong Kong. yellow objects won an Innovation Award at the Jessies. His follow up solo show, Happy Valley (2023) was selected for the Spotlight Canada pitch sessions at the Edinburgh Fringe. Derek was the co-recipient of the 2021 Simon Fraser University FCAT Young Alumni Award for his work at rice & beans theatre.
CAST & CREATIVE TEAM
ZAHIDA RAHEMTULLA | PLAYWRIGHT
Zahida Rahemtulla grew up in Burnaby on the unceded territories of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh-speaking peoples, and later spent years in Metchosin, Abu Dhabi, and Toronto.
Her first play, The Wrong Bashir—an intergenerational family comedy about the Ismaili community—premiered to sold-out, critically acclaimed runs in Vancouver and Toronto (Touchstone Theatre, 2023; Crow’s Theatre, 2024). An audio version of the play will be released by CBC’s PlayME in May 2025.
Her work has been recognized with multiple awards, including a Playwrights Guild of Canada Tom Hendry Award, Theatre BC’s Play of Special Merit Award, the Fringe New Play Prize, and runner-up for the national Voaden Prize in Playwriting. Her short stories have been shortlisted for the Alice Munro Short Story Festival Award and longlisted for the CBC Short Story Prize.
Zahida is very happy to be teaching in the Community Development and Outreach Department at Capilano University and in access at Blind Tiger Comedy. She is also developing new acting training programs to support community actors of colour over 55—many of whom have spent their lives working outside the arts—in pursuing professional training, most recently with Nightswimming Theatre and Talk Is Free Theatre.
Zahida loves comedy, teaching, spending time with family and friends, and exploring how theatre can be a home for humour and dialogue.
Zahida Rahemtulla is a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada.
CAST & CREATIVE TEAM
STEPHEN DROVER | DRAMATURG
Stephen is a dramaturg and director originally from Newfoundland and presently based on the lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples (Vancouver, British Columbia). He holds an MFA in Directing from the University of British Columbia and an MA in Theatre Theory and Dramaturgy from the University of Ottawa and presently is the Head of New Works and Professional Engagement at the Arts Club.
He is a four-time recipient of a Jessie Richardson Award for directing, has worked as a director or dramaturg on over 60 professional theatre productions across Canada, and has published research on Shakespeare adaptation process analysis in Shakespeare Bulletin. Stephen has taught and directed at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Douglas College, Neptune Theatre School, and the University of British Columbia. He is the co-president of the Canadian branch of the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas.
MONICA EMME | PROPS DESIGNER
Monica Emme (she/her) is a set designer, props and puppet creator, and general maker, currently based in Vancouver. Monica holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Toronto Metropolitan University and a diploma of Stagecraft and Event Technology from Douglas College. Monica get to instruct the next generation of theatre creators as a stagecraft instructor at Arts Umbrella.
Some favourite recent credits include: Set design for Snow White (Carousel Theatre for Young People), Cinderella, Alice by Heart, and The Quest (Arts Umbrella); production design for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Old Man and the Old Moon (Arts Umbrella); Props for Peace Country (Rice & Beans Theatre), My Little Tomato (vAct & Zee Zee), In My Day (Zee Zee Theatre), Messiah (Pacific Theatre), and Oz (Carousel Theatre for Young People).
More about Monica can be found at www.monicaemme.com.
CAST & CREATIVE TEAM
ELIKA MOJTABAEI
| COSTUME DESIGNER elika mojtabaei
is an Iranian-born costume designer, writer, translator, and dramaturg based on the stolen traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ Nations.
Recent credits: TechniCowlour (co-created with Aryo Khakpour; The Biting School, vAct, Centre A Gallery); Draw Me a Home (lead artist); Looping (Company 605); “a film about a uterus” (co-created with Aryo Khakpour); Long Time So Long (Jin-me Yoon); Parifam (vAct / Medusa); Empty-Handed (The Biting School); Nunca há Nada | There Is Never Nothing (Luciana Freire D’Anunciação); Zahak, the Serpent King (The Biting School).
elika’s creative process begins with extensive research. The movement and stillness of bodies, the power and limitations of material, and the joys and tribulations of language inspire her. Through a lens of intersectional feminism, she works with the poetry of the unsaid. She is interested in magic realism and finding meaning within textures and colours. The potential of costumes and words interweaving to build imagined worlds fascinates her.
JONATHAN KIM | LIGHTING DESIGNER
Jonathan, better known as Jono, is a Korean-Canadian lighting designer who currently lives and works on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. He is a graduate of Simon Fraser University’s Theatre Production and Design program. Recent credits: CHILD-ish (Pacific Theatre); Jade Circle (rice & beans theatre); Red Velvet (Arts Club Theatre Company); Parifam (vAct & Medusa Theatre); Family Room (The Falling Company); Homecoming (Urban Ink); Take Form (Ballet BC); Eyes of the Beast: Climate Disaster Survivor Stories (Neworld Theatre); Agrimony (Sophie Dow & Laura Reznek); Ridge (Brendan McLeod & The Fugitives); The Hobbit (Pacific Theatre); Kim’s Convenience (Theatre NorthWest); Miracle on 34th Street (Arts Club Theatre Company); Heathers: The Musical (Studio 58); Grandma. Gangsta. Guerrilla. (Ruby Slippers Theatre); Behind the Moon (Touchstone Theatre); Ins Choi: Son of a Preacherman (Pacific Theatre).
Represented by the Associated Designers of Canada, IATSE Local ADC659.
CAST & CREATIVE TEAM
TORY IP | ASSOCIATE LIGHTING DESIGNER
A graduate from UBC’s Theatre Production and Design program, Tory has had the opportunity to work with different theatre companies around Vancouver, including the Firehall Arts Centre, the Revue Stage on Granville Island, and even UBC’s Chan Shun Concert Hall as a lighting technician.
Tory is elated to be welcomed to join the vAct team and work alongside the famed Lighting Designer, Jonathan Kim, on their project The Frontliners as their Associate Lighting Designer for their premier on the Firehall Arts Centre Stage in Vancouver, BC.
JUNE HSU | SOUND DESIGNER
June (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist, musician, and theatre production designer passionate in all aspects of sound and video. Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada –the unceded and stolen territories of the xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, June has been surrounded by the colourful sounds and sights from the cities to the mountains; sparking an interest in exploring the interrelations between sounds and visuals and their unique personalities. She is a graduate of Simon Fraser University’s BFA Theatre Production and Design program and of Douglas College’s Stagecraft and Event Technology program.
Her recent works include The Soldier Dreams (Sound Designer, Douglas College), I Fear Love (Projection Designer, Vancouver Fringe 2024), Grandma. Gangsta. Guerrilla. (Co-Projection Designer, Ruby Slippers Theatre). Some of her other works include, sound designing for Selfie with rice & beans theatre and FOLDA, projection and sound designing for Big Queer Filipino Karaoke Night!, designing for The Flying Dutchman with the Vancouver Opera as the assistant projection designer, and collaborating on Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s shadow projection performance Romeo and Juliet as an Associate Collaborator.
CAST & CREATIVE TEAM
EVAN REN | STAGE MANAGER
Evan is a stage manager and lighting designer based in Vancouver. Graduated from UBC theatre production and design in 2020. Her recent stage management credits include: Primary Trust (ASM, the Arts Club); The Shape of a Girl (touring SM, Green Thumb Theatre); Beautiful: the Carole King Musical (ASM, the Arts Club); Rubaboo (ASM, the Arts Club); Forgiveness (ApSM, the Arts Club); Around the World in 80 days (Bluebridge theatre); Cranked: the Remix (Rehearsal SM, Green thumb theatre);Ride the Cyclone (Bluebridge theatre);Yellowfever (ApSM, Firehall Arts Center);‘Da Kink in my hair (ASM, the Arts Club); Mary’s Wedding (ApSM, Firehall Arts Center); East Van Panto: Alice in the wonderland (ApSM, Theatre Replacement).
BERNICE PAET | APPRENTICE STAGE MANAGER
Bernice Paet is an emerging stage manager and interdisciplinary artist who creates installations and performance works building on her curiosities in collage art, light, and video projection.
Moved by the love she finds around her, and in other cases, has lost, her works often pull from her lived experiences, exploring themes such as mental health, identity, and the complex web of human relations. Bernice was born and continues to reside on the unceded, traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) people.
As a graduate of Simon Fraser University’s Theatre Production & Design program, she is grateful to have had the opportunity to collaborate with so many fantastic people over the years. She is especially thrilled to be a part of this production of The Frontliners! Select stage management credits include: God’s a Drag (PTC/Vancouver Fringe Festival), East Side Story (Project Limelight Society), Soft Tongues: a bioacoustic opera (rEvolver Festival), and CATS: Young Actors Edition (CTORA).
CAST & CREATIVE TEAM
ADELE NORONHA | ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Adele’s heart forever sits on the West Coast of two countries at the opposite ends of the world. They have worked on and off stage with a number of companies in Vancouver, including: South Asian Arts, Playwrights Theatre Center, Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre, Gateway, Bard on the Beach, Arts Club, Upintheair, Pi, Electric Company, Rumble, Boca Del Lupo and the Vancouver Children’s Festival. Adele is a graduate of Studio 58. Most recently Adele appeared as Rabia in the Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre’s production of A Poem For Rabia by Nikki Shaffeullah.
Adele is privileged to have been nurtured by VACT at various points in her decade long career. Deep gratitude to the current and past VACT leadership and the brilliant artists in this production.
JAMIE SWEENEY | PRODUCTION MANAGER
Jamie Sweeney is a production manager, lighting designer, and technical director working and playing on the unceded and traditional lands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
She holds a BFA with honours in theatre production and design from Simon Fraser University. She has worked in all facets of live performance with companies such as Ballet BC, Bard on the Beach, Vancouver Opera, Rice & Beans Theatre, vAct, and Neworld Theatre. Further credits can be found on her website: jamiesweeney.ca.
CAST & CREATIVE TEAM
FAROUK ALSAJEE |
ORIGINAL COMPOSITION & CULTURAL CONSULTANT
Born amidst the chaos of war in Baghdad, Iraq, Farouk Alsajee’s journey is a testament to unbreakable spirit. Forced to flee his homeland at just 15, he embarked on a path of courage, seeking solace and a new beginning.
In Damascus, Syria, he discovered a profound connection to music. Immersed in the enchanting melodies of the Oud, he began writing and performing his own songs, shaping his unique voice as a singer-songwriter.
As war disrupted his sanctuary, Farouk embarked on an arduous journey to Canada. Vancouver became his refuge, where he refined his artistry and built a career as a recording artist. Farouk’s artistry shines a light on the depth and soul of Iraqi and Arabic music, bridging past and present. His evocative songwriting and soulful recordings have reached audiences worldwide, earning recognition on platforms like CTV and The Early Edition Radio. With every song, He weaves cultures, narrates his journey, and pushes the limits of artistic possibility.
AYA ADRA | CULTURAL CONSULTANT
Aya Adra is a Syrian artist and animator, who graduated from the University of Damascus, Faculty of Fine Arts, with Visual Communication as a specialisation. She currently works as an animator and has produced two shortanimated films.
MAJD AGHA | CULTURAL CONSULTANT
Majd Agha is a Syrian Canadian who has been living in Canada for 12 years. Majd is currently working as a sales manager in the signage industry.
CAST & CREATIVE TEAM
AKSAM ALYOUSEF | CULTURAL CONSULTANT
Aksam Alyousef is a playwright, director, and producer working across theatre and television and is currently pursuing a PhD in Drama at the University of Alberta. He began his career as a journalist and drama educator in Syria and Qatar, later moving into screenwriting and production with Al Jazeera Children’s Channel.
Since immigrating to Canada in 2016, Alyousef has written and directed several original plays, including Honey and Nuts, Souls, Hagar, F.O.B., and Adeeb. His play, Adeeb, received the Arab Theatre Foundation’s Best Play Award in 2022, while grants from the Edmonton Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts supported Hagar and Adeeb.
Alyousef’s creative and scholarly work is increasingly focused on political comedy. His MA thesis explored political humour in Syria and Lebanon, and his current doctoral research extends this inquiry into the techniques and aesthetics of contemporary political satire across theatre, television, and digital media.
OUSSAYMA CANBARIEH | CULTURAL CONSULTANT
Oussayma Canbarieh is an award-winning SyrianCanadian journalist and documentary producer. Her production company, Symage Media, has largely produced stories about Canada’s immigrant and refugee experience. In addition to her media work, Oussayma works as a cultural and language interpreter and consultant. She is fluent in English, French, Arabic, and Spanish.
Oussayma’s media work has been featured on national and international media outlets, including CBC/Radio-Canada, Al Jazeera, AP, Deutsche Welle Radio, Huffington Post, AJ+, Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development and SNTV. Oussayma holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Journalism and a Masters in Educational Technology from Concordia University. She has also trained and mentored journalism students and aspiring media makers.
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