Performance dates: March 13–20
Performance location: Douglas College Theatre (room 4100), New Westminster Campus
What happens when a group of teenagers confronts the memory of a moment they wish they could undo?
Presented by the departments of Theatre and Stagecraft & Event Technology, Jordan Tannahill’s Concord Floral asks this question in a haunting and urgent play about adolescence, accountability and the possibility of mercy.
Written by acclaimed Canadian playwright Jordan Tannahill and directed by award-winning actor Alana Hawley Purvis, Concord Floral was created in collaboration with three Ontario teenagers, drawing from their experiences with growing up, harassment and bullying.
The play takes place in an abandoned greenhouse called Concord Floral in Vaughan, Ont. – a real location where teenagers gathered. As the characters revisit a Grade 9 party that ended in humiliation and harm, they wrestle with what it means to have witnessed wrongdoing and done nothing — and how healing might begin.
“We often judge teenagers harshly,” said Hawley Purvis. “But this play shows how wise, aware and searching for justice they can be. They are looking for beauty in a world that can feel unbearably cruel — and they are constantly moving toward mercy.”
Hawley Purvis said directing student actors in a story about youth has been especially powerful in an increasingly discordant world.
“Their passion and curiosity bring such truth to this material. They are eager, fearless and deeply invested. It’s incredibly inspiring to watch them step into these roles and support one another through such vulnerable storytelling.”
The one-act, 90-minute play features Candi Breland (Nearly Wild), Rhea Dela Rosa (Bobbie James), Luna Marìa (Forever Irene), Zoe Lemaire (Bobolink/Fox), Joss Mackenzie (John Cabot), Helen Semiona (Greenhouse), Andrea Soto (Couch), Taisia Tarbeeva (Rosa Mundi) and Evann Yoon (Just Joey).
Opening night is March 13 at the Douglas College Theatre (room 4100) on the New Westminster Campus.
Tickets are $5 for students with a valid student ID. A free matinee for students plays on March 18 at 2:30 pm.
For tickets and further performance details, please visit our Arts Events page.
Content warning: This production contains references to bullying and harassment, sexual content, strong language and partial nudity.
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Contact
Aline Bouwman
Communications Advisor
bouwmana@douglascollege.ca
About Douglas College
Douglas College is the largest college in B.C., combining the academic foundations of a university and the employer-ready skills of a college to graduate resilient global citizens who adapt, innovate and lead in a changing world.
Douglas College respectfully acknowledges that our campuses are located on the unceded traditional and ancestral lands of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the q̓íc̓əy̓ (Katzie), qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼən̓ (Kwantlen), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), qiqéyt (Qayqayt), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), scəw̓aθən (Tsawwassen) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples.
For more information, visit douglascollege.ca