Last week the brilliant students of Seaside Elementary Div. 2 took over the beautiful ANNEX Theatre, exploring storytelling through shadow puppetry with guidance by Vancouver’s sensational Mind of a Snail puppetry company and aural inspiration from fantastic local musician Cindy Kao. The house was packed for the performance on May 15th, but few people got to see what happened behind the scenes in the days leading up to the presentation… Here are some process snapshots that I (Matt) managed to take during a fun and full week!

… stay tuned for more images and insights from “Seaside Fixes Climate Change” from the fabulous Duy Nguyen…

And a HUGE THANK YOU to all the artists and audience members that made this project so meaningful and fun throughout the week and on the performance night!

We are excited to announce that 2026 brings a new opportunity for LML to engage young people in meaningful theatrical creation…

The currently titled “Youth Climate Change Theatre Project” will feature workshops, a rehearsal process and the presentation of a new piece exploring a class of local grade four students’ experience of growing up in a state of climate emergency. We are partnering with Lord Roberts Elementary and Seaside Elementary in the heart of downtown Vancouver and the incredible local theatre talent Mind of a Snail Co. to bring students a series of workshops offering skills to make their own theatrical multimedia presentation.

Lord Roberts Elementary School, honoured to be learning and unlearning on the ancestral and unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) & səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation), is situated in part of the downtown core of the Vancouver known as the West End. With 650 students at the school, it is one of the largest Elementary schools in Vancouver.

This project will feature a public performance at the beautiful ANNEX Theatre in downtown Vancouver on May 15th, 2026. Mark your calendars and check back here soon for more info about ticket reservations.

The “Youth Climate Change Theatre Project” is devised and facilitated by Little Mountain Lion’s passionate and creative producer Ariel Martz-Oberlander. Ariel is a theatre artist, writer and facilitator living on Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Shíshálh territory. She specializes in culturally specific disability and Mad arts creation methodologies. Ariel was a past producer of the IGNITE! Youth Arts Festival, Western Canada’s largest youth-run festival. Recent work includes The Narrow Bridge, a multimedia adaptation of The Dybbuk, presented at Chutzpah! Festival. Ariel is a recipient of the Vancouver Mayor’s Arts Award for emerging community artist.

Stay tuned for more info about Ariel and exciting updates about the Youth Climate Change Theatre Project!

Should you wish to contribute funding directly to this project please simply click this link.

Maybe you’ve noticed we’ve gone dark over the past year or so. While we haven’t had any LML productions or workshops recently to share, we have very good reasons – I’ve been in school and Johnny had another baby!

I’m sure baby photos will come eventually. But for now, here’s a quick photo blog recap from my (Matt’s) first “back-to-school” year:

1. My locker at the School of Information at UBC. This photo was taken around November when layering for the weather is crucial, and although it looks like my locker is mostly full of sweaters and jackets there are books and healthy, non-perishable snacks under there I swear. Photos to give me perspective and inspiration.
2. I got to touch a Shakespeare! And read it too! In November the instructor of an incredible course I was taking in the Theatre dept. arranged for a field trip to Rare Books and Special Collections so we could examine the UBC library’s copy of Shakespeare’s first folio. One of 235 extant copies of the original collection of the complete works of the Bard, printed posthumously by his friends and former company members in 1623. Our class was allowed one representative to handle the folio and my generous classmates offered the spot to me! The feeling of the weight of the pages is still in my fingers.
3. A selfie I snapped in between classes at the amazing Richmond Children’s Arts Festival in February! Not sure why I didn’t take a pic of the beautiful library instead… I’ve been a teacher/artist at this festival for a few years now and I adore it. It’s wonderfully run with fun themes and I always meet fun and interesting organizers, teachers and kids.
4. Huge highlight: meeting the incredibly accomplished and extremely inspiring Dave Deveau, author, youth-advocate and co-artistic director of Carousel Theatre for Young People. I had organized a lunch and learn for my program on Theatre for Young People with snacks and a slide show and everything. Unfortunately is was less well attended than I had planned but ultimately that gave Dave and I the chance to connect less formally. I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship…
5. Still teaching sketch comedy and improvisation (aka SKIMP) at Arts Umbrella, still being very weird. I’m glad they let me stick around. The kids I mean. I don’t think they really need me but I have first aid training and access to the keys for the props and costume room so it’s good that I’m there to help out with that. Come see their show L.OV.E. on June 6th and 7th!
6. An utter next level highlight: having my kids (among several other very talented and enthusiastic youth) perform a reading of my new play in development at the Brave New Play Rites Festival in March. The play is an adaptation of a series of children’s novels by Astrid Lindgren (think Pippi Longstocking) set in a co-operative housing community in my own neighbourhood of False Creek South. The biggest success of course is that the kids had fun!
7. Got to reconnect with my fabulous friends at Some Assembly Theatre for their 25th anniversary presentation of the Roundhouse Youth Theatre Action Group’s performance, Our Last Tree. The show this year centred around climate activism and mental health, featured a big team of vastly talented young people and included a new display celebrating RHYTAG’s 25 years of creating community through theatre. Congrats and thanks for having me!
8. Did you know that there are like 47 libraries on campus at UBC Vancouver? It’s AMAZING. I used as many as I could and I only had like six books overdue at the end of the year. Also I damaged one accidentally from enthusiastic overuse but was graciously let off the hook by the Koerner’s librarians (the book was Manon van de Water’s Theatre, Youth, and Culture: A Critical and Historical Exploration if you’re wondering) and I began the unravelling of a mystery in the archives and special collections at Irving K. Barber (where is the copy of Neva Boyd’s Play and game theory in group work; a collection of papers? Or did it simply never exist?). Libraries create access to unlimited social and personal development. Protect libraries. Respect research. Word.
9. Had the spectacular privilege of reading narration alongside the jaw dropping dancing and world class orchestral music at the Chan Centre’s Carnival of the Animals Reimagined in May. Some gigs you just utterly luck into and everything makes total sense. It was fun to exercise my voice-over and storytelling skills and to play to a full family audience including a wide range of ages. I think the audience enjoyed the show! The level of talent I shared the stage with was beyond humbling. I tried to take it all in!
10. “… the friends you make along the way.” This school year has brought an overwhelming amount of joy, discoveries, excitement and inspiration thanks mainly to my wonderful little cohort in the MACL program (Master of Arts in Children’s Literature), who are each pursuing their own meaningful research into the experience of young people and literature and indulging me deeply while I nerd out bigtime on Theatre for Young People. Thank you Dakota, Sally and Nicky!

I’m very excited to say that there are definitely some awesome new LML developments coming up for 2026/27… Stay tuned! See you soon!

– Matt

Thank you to all who joined us for “28 Stories Written by Kids – James Cook Elementary” presented at at The Cultch Historic Theatre on April 17th!

Exploration, Transformation, Justice and Monsters all emerged as big themes from the writer/directors of division 1 at James Cook Elementary School, located in South East Vancouver. They wrote in many different genres, including Mystery, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romantic Melodrama, Buddy Comedy, Memory Play and Action & Adventure.

It was a wonderful night shared by friends and families of the students, the school community, our LML board of directors as well as many curious Cultch theatregoers. Thank you to our amazing sponsors – IGNITE Youth Festival, ArtStarts in Schools, The City of Vancouver, Crowe MacKay LLC, Toys R Us Vancouver, Arts Umbrella and The Granville Island Kids’ Market.

Here are some moments from the April 17th presentation of “28 Stories Written by Kids – James Cook Elementary” at The Cultch Historic Theatre, all photos by Duy Nguyen.

Thanks again to all who made this project happen! Stay tuned for info on more Stories Written by Kids!

Here are a few pics I snapped while the team presented the show on Tuesday, April 9th in the James Cook Elementary School gymnasium. There was a lot of warmth and joy as the artists got to share the amazing stories created and developed right here at Cook! Can’t wait to premiere these incredible new plays to the public at The Cultch!” – Matt

See you on Wednesday, April 17th at The Cultch Historic Theatre for “28 Stories Written by Kids – James Cook Elementary”

“28 Stories Written by Kids – James Cook Elementary”

📅 Date: April 17
🕒 Time: Doors 6:30 PM; Show 7-8:15pm; Talkback to follow
📍 Location: The Cultch Historic Theatre, Vancouver, BC
🎟️ Admission: $10 (RSVP Required, accessible seating available email info@littlemountainlion.com)

Written and Directed by the Division 1 Students at Captain James Cook Elementary, with Laura McLean

Starring Evelyn Chew, Chris Cochrane, Leah Fong, and Chirag Naik

Stage Management by Lucien Lum

Produced by Little Mountain Lion

Presented by ArtStarts in Schools, the City of Vancouver, the Cultch Theatre and IGNITE Youth-Driven Arts Festival, Crowe MacKay LLC, Toys ‘R Us Broadway, and the Granville Island Kids’ Market

Reserve your tickets today for the public presentation of “28 Stories Written by Kids – James Cook Elementary” on Wednesday, April 17th!

TICKETS HERE

The students of division 1 at Captain James Cook Elementary School have completed their incredible new short play scripts and even offered direction to our team of four professional actors. Now, we invite you to experience a totally original, fun and inspiring piece of theatre, “28 Stories Written by Kids – James Cook Elementary!”

📅 Date: April 17
🕒 Time: Doors 6:30 PM; Show 7-8pm; Talkback to follow
📍 Location: The Cultch Historic Theatre, Vancouver, BC
🎟️ Admission: $10 (RSVP Required, accessible seating available email info@littlemountainlion.com)

Written and Directed by the Division 1 Students at Captain James Cook Elementary, with Laura McLean

Starring Evelyn Chew, Chris Cochrane, Leah Fong, and Chirag Naik

Stage Management by Lucien Lum

Produced by Little Mountain Lion

Presented by ArtStarts in Schools, the City of Vancouver, the Cultch Theatre and IGNITE Youth-Driven Arts Festival

Reserve tickets via Eventbrite here

We’re currently in the process of reflecting on that incredible week in late October spent at ANNEX with an absolute all-star team of theatre creators. We’d love for you to look back with us, and imagine what may come next…

Ensemble: Beatriz Arevalo, Ashley Chodat, Maraya Franca, Delaney Gilmour, Alexandria Hansen-Yang, Christine Iannetta, Vanessa Lazare, Andie Lloyd, Hannah Mitchell, Kately Nikiforuk, Carly Pokoradi, Zahida Rahemtulla, Cristiana Ripeanu, Vanessa Schaefer, Nicole Anne Smith, Rachel Tarasoff, Joelle Wyminga, Terri-Lyn Storey and Susan Bertoia

This project was made possible through the generous support of Vancouver Civic Theatres’ Activating Spaces program

All photos by Christine McAvoy

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25th – DISCUSSION & CREATION

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27th – REHEARSAL

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Stay tuned for more!…

Get in the Halloween spirit and join us at ANNEX Theatre as we present brand new material adapted from Selma Lagerlöf’s haunting novel The Löwensköld Ring!

TICKETS HERE

Selma Lagerlöf’s The Löwensköld Ring – Workshop Presentation will feature scenes, readings, and other new material inspired by the timeless ghost story. Presented at ANNEX Theatre, 823 Seymour St., Vancouver BC, on Saturday October 28th, doors 6:30, presentation 7pm, community talkback to follow.

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Emerging and established female-identifying artists from across the Lower Mainland have formed a collaborative creative team, workshopping a dramatic adaptation of the Swedish ghost story The Löwensköld Ring over the course of a week at ANNEX Theatre.

Co-creators – Beatriz Arevalo, Ashley Chodat, Maraya Franca, Delaney Gilmour, Alexandria Hansen-Yang, Christine Iannetta, Vanessa Lazare, Andie Lloyd, Clara MacLeod, Hannah Mitchell, Kately Nikiforuk, Carly Pokoradi, Zahida Rahemtulla, Cristiana Ripeanu, Vanessa Schaefer, Nicole Anne Smith, Rachel Tarasoff, Joelle Wyminga | Creative Facilitator, Director – Susan Bertoia | Creative Facilitator, Co-Producer – Terri-Lyn Storey | Producers – Matt Clarke & Johnny Hamilton

The Löwensköld Ring is the first volume of a trilogy of novels published between 1925 and 1928 by Nobel Prize for Literature winner Selma Lagerlöf. The cursed ring of the title originates as a gift given from the King of Sweden to his greatest wartime general, and consequently brings suffering and violence to all those who inherit it as its spell continues from one generation to the next. A disturbing saga of revenge from beyond the grave and the insatiable masculine lust for wealth and power, it is also a tale of courageous, persistent women.

We would like to thank Vancouver Civic Theatres for making this workshop and presentation possible through the Activating Spaces program

TICKETS HERE

CLICK HERE TO WATCH LIVE ONLINE!

OR

COME BY PROGRESS LAB, 1422 WILLIAM ST.

WATCH LIVE HERE!

Or come by PROGRESS LAB, 1422 WILLIAM ST. in VANCOUVER

Disclaimer: I’m not an educated reviewer I just had some strong reactions to this truly fantastic show and I need to put them somewhere! I saw a few Fringe play this year and this one I haven’t been able to shake…

On Friday, September 15th, I went to The Nest on Granville Island to see The Emigrants by Exact Resemblance Theatre as part of the 39th annual Vancouver Fringe Festival. It was written by Slawomir Mrozek, translated by Henry Beissel, adapted and directed by Cristiana Ripeanu, and starred Jacob Machin and Akshaya Pattanayak. One thing I really enjoy about ‘Fringing’ is how I get to leave expectations at the door and be open to whatever happens for the next 35 to 75 minutes. This left me totally unprepared for the level of depth in storytelling and performance in The Emigrants. I was wowed. I literally said “wow” to myself after the lights came back up in the house. The people behind me may have noticed and laughed except that they had immediately erupted into their own discussion about how affected they were.

First off, it’s a testament to any performers and dramaturgical members that 75 minutes felt like a quick hour. The actors, one of whom I had recently seen in 90 Days (Akshaya Pattanayak, see my review for 90 Days from my Co-op newsletter here in the blog!), were both excellent at riding the level of tension and humour. Between snappy arguments, intense silences and remarkably precise physicality, they seemed to find every type of tension that could exist between two roommates. Oh and let’s not forget to mention that one of the roommates is a political refugee and the other is a foreign labourer. It seems like the tension could stifle the experience, if weren’t for the fabulously discovered moments of humour and joy.

The actors and director have found multiple moments where the whole audience rides from pin-dropping silence to squirming discomfort to laughing hysterics. About halfway through the natural-realist play, Akshaya Pattanayak’s character reveals he has bought the cheapest food at the store to eat, but Jacob Machin’s character tells him that he has in fact bought dog food. In a totally unexpected instant, Akshaya Pattanayak breaks the fourth wall and begins to sincerely implore audience members, “Sir, Ma’am, is this dog food? Have I bought dog food?” and we were either forced to break the truth to him, lie, or turn our heads. When he finally realized what he had done and nonchalantly declared that he just liked the smiling dog on the label, we were all able to swallow and digest our discomfort a little with deep laughter. Moments like this happened often, ‘laughter opening our mouths so that the castor oil of truth could be poured down’ as a teacher of mine used to say. In my opinion this is the most wonderful, powerful theatre.

The play is set in a small basement suite with milk-create furniture, in a a city whose name I never caught but certainly could be Vancouver or a suburb. As the play progressed I felt similar to how had felt when I first read Albee’s Zoo Story combined with my first viewing of Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite combined with a just general electricity of seeing something new at Fringe. There were certainly events and revelations throughout that play that I won’t spoil, but it’s enough to say that each actor’s range is exceptionally displayed. After the ending I was disappointed that Fringe shows don’t leave time for talkbacks, as I was on my own and left with a strong desire to connect and chat with others.

I highly recommend keeping an eye on Exact Resemblance Theatre in case there’s a future opportunity to see this play. Thank you to everyone who worked on it and thank you Vancouver Fringe!

LML presents 11 HOURS OF STORIES WRITTEN BY KIDS – an all-day marathon of short plays written by elementary school students on Saturday, October 7th

Over the last four years, LML has facilitated the creation of over 125 original short plays written by students across Vancouver. On Saturday, October 7th between 11am and 10pm, all of these plays will be performed by LML staff and board members (and some very special guests) in a non-stop theatrical marathon!

Watch live online or join us in-person at Progress Lab, 1422 William Street, any time between 11am and 10pm!

Stay tuned to our blog and to our Instagram for upcoming info on prizes and sneak peeks at our special guests…

Little Mountain Lion Productions is excited to now be accepting applications from both established and emerging female-identifying theatre artists interested in collaborating as part of a creative team working to adapt Selma Lagerlöf’s novel The Löwensköld Ring over the course of a week-long workshop from October 23rd to 28th.

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**UPDATE SEPT 5th – APPLICATIONS CLOSED, INTAKE FULL**

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CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Project Brief

Emerging and established Female-identifying artists will form a collaborative creative team with the purpose of exploring Selma Lagerlöf’s 1923 Swedish ghost story The Löwensköld Ring as a piece of live theatre.

Project Outline

The team of artists will collaborate over the week of October 23^rd – 27^th at ANNEX Theatre (823 Seymour St., Vancouver) during creative sessions held daily from 10am-2pm. This theatrical exploration will include dialogue with the Swedish Cultural Society and the Swedish Women’s Educational Association, and incorporate work prepared by UBC’s Scandinavian Studies 411 students. On the evening of Saturday October 28^th, a presentation of the team’s work will be shared with the public at ANNEX.

Following this project, the team’s script will be taken into further development and a theatrical run of The Löwensköld Ring will be arranged for 2024/25.

For their time and participation, each member of the creative team will receive a small honorarium, and be included in further development stages if desired.

LML believes that our projects should represent the diversity found in our community and would like to strongly encourage any emerging and established BIPOC female-identifying theatre artists to apply. We would also like to state that this project is of course open to and inclusive of Transgender women, and we highly encourage applications from the Trans community.

Project Timeline

September – Creative team interview process

October – Artistic team meeting, date and time TBD, via Zoom

23^rd – Workshop day 1, 10am-2pm, ANNEX

24^th – Workshop day 2, 10am-2pm, ANNEX

25^th – Workshop day 3, 10am-2pm, ANNEX

26^th – Workshop day 4, 10am-2pm, ANNEX

27^th – Workshop day 5, dress run, 10am-2pm, ANNEX

28^th – Public presentation, tech/dress 5pm, doors 7:30, show 8, ANNEX

November 2023 – Reflection, date and time TBD, location TBD

Project Goals

• Create an original script to be given a full professional run in 2024/25
• Create opportunities for knowledge-sharing and mentorship between established and emerging female theatre artists
• Create awareness and appreciation for the exceptional work of Selma Lagerlöf

Selma Lagerlöf (1858-1940) was both the first woman and the first Swede to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Born on a farm in rural Sweden and trained as a teacher, she became the most widely popular author of her time. Several of her novels inspired innovative and acclaimed films, such as “Sir Arne’s Treasure” (Stiller, 1919) and “The Phantom Carriage” (Sjöström, 1921). Her writing eventually earned her enough money to buy back her family farm, lost in bankruptcy when she was a child. Scholars have noted her continuous expression of pacifism through themes of power, loss, and war, as well as the resilience of strong female characters amidst chaotic or traumatic environments. Though Lagerlöf’s adventure tales, folk tales, and ghost stories stand the test of time as both relevant and riveting, her work is largely uncelebrated or even unknown by modern literary audiences. As a unique voice in literary history, and as an expert craftsperson of socially conscious adventurism, Selma Lagerlöf’s work deserves a spotlight today.

The Löwensköld Ring is the first volume of a trilogy published between 1925 and 1928. The story’s titular ring originates as a gift given from the King of Sweden to his greatest wartime general, and consequently brings suffering and violence to all those who inherit it as its spell continues from one generation to the next. A disturbing saga of revenge from beyond the grave and the insatiable masculine lust for wealth and power, it is also a tale of courageous, persistent women.

More information on Selma Lagerlöf HERE

More information on The Löwensköld Ring HERE

This project is made possible through the Vancouver Civic Theatres Activating Spaces Program.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

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Image: Young Beech Wood by Ester Almqvist. Thielska Gallery, Stockholm

Our team had an amazing time on Tuesday performing “32 Stories Written by Kids – Strathcona” live at Strathcona Elementary school!

The author/directors of the plays were present, as were many other classes from Strathcona of various grades who freely expressed their extreme appreciation for these original new stories created by their peers. The show was followed by a talkback session between the artists, author/directors, teachers, and audience.

The wonderful Duy Nguyen was also there on Tuesday! Please enjoy a few of his pics from this awesome afternoon.

And see you at The Cultch this Thursday, June 8th at 7pm!

Book Tickets HERE to “32 Stories Written by Kids” LIVE at The Cultch on June 8th at 7pm!

Here we go! It’s our fourth year of the “Stories Written by Kids” project, where senior elementary school students collaborate with professional theatre artists to create their very own new and exciting short plays. After having made it “through the pandemic” we’re really excited about some of the new things we’re getting to do this year, but also very grateful for some things that have worked well in the past that are staying the same…

WHAT’S NEW

We are live and in-person! Last year and the year before, we ran almost all of our workshops virtually, and presented the plays online with no live audience in the theatre. Now, not only are all our workshops with the kids in-person at their school, but we will also be presenting live performances of the plays at Strathcona elementary on May 30th, and at The Cultch Historic Theatre on June 8th! Stay tuned for info on how to book your tickets for June 8th!

This year, we’re also thrilled to be welcoming two new actor/facilitators, Nyla Carpentier and Chirag Naik! Nyla is a theatre, film and TV actor, as well as a powwow dancer and dance instructor, and was recently the artist in residence with Ruby Slippers theatre. Chirag works in theatre, film, TV and also voice over, and was the 2014 recipient of the Studio 58 Sydney J. Risk Foundation award for acting. Both are fantastic and familiar performers around Vancouver. We look forward to introducing them more on our Instagram as we begin rehearsals!

Ariel Martz-Oberlander is another wonderful new member of the ‘Stories by Kids’ team. Ariel is a multi-faceted theatre artist, website here, who will be working on the project as a producer. Formerly the youth programmer at The Cultch, Ariel is actually the person responsible for originally bringing “Stories Written by Kids” to the Historic theatre in its first run in 2020!

WHAT’S THE SAME

We are so proud to be once again presenting this project at The Cultch Historic Theatre as part of a sponsorship from The Cultch’s amazing IGNITE Youth program. The Cultch’s youth programmer Valentina Acevedo Montilla has ensured that we’ll be able to bring these kids’ plays to life on this beautiful professional stage.

The Cultch has also generously offered their amazing videography team, meaning that “Stories Written by Kids” will once again be filmed and shared digitally, as it has been the past two years. We’re so excited to again allow for even more access these kids’ awesome plays. And this time if you’re experiencing the show online, there’ll be the added energy of a live studio audience!

One other very important thing that has remained the same this year is our school partner. The Strathcona elementary school community has been so engaged and supportive of this project, and we’re so incredibly proud to collaborate with them. Although this project is meant to serve a different school each year, we really feel that this community deserves to have the in-person experience, to get to be in the room all together as their peers’ imaginations come to life right in front of the whole school!

Rehearsals are now underway! Stay tuned for more updates as well as info on how to reserve your seats for “Stories Written by Kids – Strathcona” at The Cultch Historic Theatre on June 8th!

The Newsletter committee of my housing complex asked me to attend the new play “90 Days” and review it for our Co-op community. I happily obliged, though the review wouldn’t be published in time for my Co-op neighbours to actually see the play themselves. An interesting dialogue was started amongst committee members about reviewing events in order to share experiences and perspectives, not necessarily just to help promote or make recommendations. I feel very lucky to live in such a thoughtful, socially engaged community. And in case you can’t tell from my review below, I really enjoyed this play.

“90 Days” by Salim Rahemtulla, directed by Melissa Oei

reviewed by Matt Clarke

“90 Days” is an incredibly moving new play written by Kampala-born, Burnaby-based author Salim Rahemtulla. It draws on the writer’s own experience as part of a family who became separated during the traumatic 90-day period in which all non-indigenous people of Uganda were expelled by dictator Idi Amin. This is Rahemtulla’s first play, written to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Ugandan exodus of Asians. Even from the experience before the show, the impact and importance to the local community was felt. The author was present when I attended on Saturday September 24th, and he introduced the house to several family members and friends of his who had also lived through this terrible event. Others in the audience identified themselves as refugees from the Ugandan exodus, and some people acknowledged their parents who could not be there at the performance. A transformation of time and place was occurring before the lights had dimmed. 

The play itself is funny and incredibly genuine. It doesn’t highlight violence, intentionally pull at one’s conscience or heartstrings, or make a heavy handed political statement. Instead it simply presents a portrait of a family set simply in their living room: coming home from school, eating breakfast, watching tv. The actors worked phenomenally to physicalize those hereditary connections that just subconsciously scream “family.” For example, both the son and the father love music, but the son’s staccato Mick Jagger-inspired dance moves to “Satisfaction” contrast with the father’s graceful swirls as he listens to his preferred Punjabi radio station. Similarly, the daughter and the mother both seem to have a certain eye-roll gesture built into their DNA, and are constantly executing it behind each other’s back as they disagree about friends and school. The play portrays the Rahim family relatably with nuance and sincerity. Because of their relatability, as well as a large, looming countdown clock above the stage, the weight of each of the 90 days before they are expelled is felt deeply. Can you imagine sitting in your living room doing homework and the radio announces that by February you need to leave your home forever? Because of this beautifully written play, its incredible actors, and the atmosphere of the community present in the audience that night, the weight of this time and place was truly made present. 

I attended this play on behalf of the Co-op, in order to share the experience with our neighbours. Incredibly, one of our neighbours in enclave six, Dilshad, is actually the author’s sister. On a very tangible level, our community here in the Co-op and the communities and events explored in this play are connected. The newsletter committee hopes to continue to highlight more stories and cultural events that encourage us to connect and understand each other more deeply.

“90 Days” is written by Salim Rahemtulla and directed by Melissa Oei, starring Dhirendra as Yusuf Rahim, Nimet Kanji as Parin Rahim, Akshaya Pattanayak as Nasser Rahim, Parm Soor as Munir Kassam, and Sabrina Vellani as Shamira Rahim, presented by Western Gold Theatre at the PAL Studio Theatre from September 8th to 25th.

While the live presentation of this play is over, you can watch a professionally filmed version as part of the company’s Virtual Gold series. Go to this URL to watch “90 Days” on pay-per-view until November 30th: https://westerngoldtheatre.tickit.ca/events/16913

Kefira Mok is one of the incredibly talented performer/facilitators that you’ll recognize when you watch “27 Stories Written by Kids – Strathcona Elementary” installments like “The Shadows,” “Chris Vs Bob” and “To Help Someone.”

Kefira is currently living in Calgary and was unable to attend the final reflection session with the students after the release of their plays on YouTube. Below is a message she put in a group thread with the other artists, to be read out for the student author/directors at Strathcona.

Thank you for sharing this, Kefira. It’s a great message for all students to reflect on at the end of the school year:

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Hey Strathcona friends!! We did it, YAYYY! I hope you enjoyed seeing your work come to life and that it sparked some new or re-kindled love for storytelling in you. Thank you for sharing your stories and for adding your unique voice in the midst of the noise in this world. This was such an amazing show to be a part of and I am so blessed to have been touched by what you’ve created. I enjoyed all the victories and battles that we had.

Looking back on how we got here: I was surprised with how I had fallen in love with all your stories. You unleashed your imagination through love, fear, kindness, adventure, friendship, many many robberies and of course; the legendary milk monster. We would not have had these stories if you thought your ideas were “too” anything: small, big, strange, illogical, logical… I hope u saw the result of what it means to express yourselves authentically and being unapologetic in your work to not box yourselves in. 

Proud of/success: I was very excited to hear how one of you (or maybe more that we were unaware of) got inspired by seeing your friends’ work and felt the conviction to create something amazing yourself. Thank you for being brave and putting your heart into what may have felt last minute. And team, thank you all for equally jumping into that story with our whole hearts. Friends, I hope you are able to realize the impact you have on your peers when you choose to put your everything into something you’re passionate about. That passion is contagious!

My hope for the future in something we could do differently would honestly be to have had more time in person with you in a post-covid world, and to have your loved ones join us for a live show. This is something we couldn’t control with the circumstances. What we created in turn though was phenomenal, if I do say so myself. This taught me the importance of being flexible and really — to go with what the wind blows at you, because you will always find a way in the end to triumph, no matter the difficulty. 

Thank you for listening to my thoughts on Strathcona’s Stories Written By Kids. My apologies for not getting to be there with you today, but i’m so so happy with what we’ve done. Most importantly, I hope each of you can be proud of yourselves for sharing your work with us, your friends & teachers, your family, and with this world who needed to hear them! Thank you teachers for your part in creating this project as well, so grateful to you. 

Folks, y’all are the coolest group btw, Strathcona Elementary has a special place in my heart. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Love and miss y’all, can’t wait to see you take on GREAT things!

On May 9th, CBC Radio’s “On The Coast” with Gloria Macarenco aired a piece featuring artists, teachers and students involved in “27 Stories Written by Kids – Strathcona Elementary”

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LISTEN HERE

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Thanks to the participating teachers and students, and to CBC producer Alex Fuster!

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You can check out “27 Stories Written by Kids – Strathcona Elementary” HERE

Today we filmed “27 Stories Written by Kids – Strathcona Elementary” at the beautiful Cultch Historic Theatre. It was a super fun and fast-paced day, with so many highlights from the kids’ incredible scripts finally being brought to life on this wonderful stage. The kids themselves even stopped in to say hello and see how filming was going! Here are a few pics I was able to snap during this amazing day. Can’t wait to share these fantastic short plays with everyone… Stay tuned!

Congratulations to LML Production Director Johnny and his partner Frances! Say hello to Felix Garnet Hamilton 😻 Felix was born at BC Women’s Hospital on January 5th, and has been doing great at home so far under the careful watch of his doggy-brother Iggy. Have a fun time getting to know your amazing family, Felix!

This Black History Month, we at LML find ourselves preparing to begin “Stories Written by Kids” with the amazing grade 7 students at Lord Strathcona Elementary School. You may remember hearing about the Strathcona grade 7 cohort in the news last Spring when they began organizing a school renaming campaign (link here). The students wanted to see the school renamed in honour of Barbara Howard, a history-making Black athlete and teacher. Hearing this news made us extra excited to imagine partnering with this passionate and aware student community. We were learning from them already! Our partnership had begun.

Here’s some of what the students at Strathcona taught us about this inspiring community pillar:

Barbara Howard is celebrated by Canadians mostly for her incredible athletic feats: at only 17 years old she broke the British Empire record for the 100-yard dash. She was also an amazingly impactful teacher in the Strathcona community. In 1941, she became the first Person of Colour to be hired by the Vancouver School Board. Howard taught at Strathcona, Hastings, Henry Hudson and Trafalgar elementary schools. At Trafalgar she taught gifted but underperforming children, many of whom went on to advanced degrees. Howard taught for 43 years. One of her philosophies was “The child must come before the curriculum.” She passed away in 2017, and is remembered as an inspirational figure in sports, and a leader in education and our community.

For more on Barbara Howard, visit the BC Black History Awareness Society or ask a student at Strathcona Elementary!

We are so excited and grateful to be partnering with the amazing grade 7 students at Strathcona Elementary School for our next “Stories Written by Kids” project.

We have been working with school staff and artists to ensure that the project is once again conducted and presented safely and in accordance with health and safety regulations in BC. Whether online or in person, our first writing workshop will be this March. We can’t wait to explore and share the incredible stories the kids at Strathcona will create!

Stay tuned!

Applicants:

• are an immigrant/refugee artist or a group of immigrants/refugee (Age is not considered)

• have producing experience 

• don’t have access to a venue

• have a project to pitch

• need extra support and help to make your gig happen

• are looking to produce a full production of a show

• are entirely available for tech and performances between November 01 – December 30, 2022

• are willing to work generously and collaboratively

• can commit to ten meetings between March 01 – October 01, 2022, dates TBD.

Interested applicants should visit the Blackout Theater website HERE

The “Stories Written by Kids” project is seeking new actor/facilitators to engage student writers at Strathcona Elementary school, and then perform their original new plays Spring 2022.

$40/hr, roughly 60 hours total 

Dates: project occurs between March 28 and May 5, includes three in-school workshops (or on Zoom depending on health and safety regulations), a flexible rehearsal period, and two performances. For more on the project, please see our recent production “41 Stories Written by Kids – False Creek Elementary” here: https://youtu.be/nqPM2XWzKwM

About Strathcona Elementary school: We are a large inner-city school located on the edge of Vancouver’s Chinatown and the Downtown Eastside. We are a vibrant community comprising of families from a diverse range of backgrounds including 1st and 2nd generation immigrants from Asia and Central America as well as recent refugees from East Africa and the Middle East. However, the most prominent group at Strathcona are our Indigenous students. They represent over 20% of the kids at our school as well as the largest cohort of any elementary school in the Vancouver District.

We are seeking new artists to join our team to help better represent the Strathcona school community. We highly encourage actors with skills in writing, improvisation, and working with kids, as well as any special talents such as dance, puppetry, musical instruments, mask work, singing, voice over, physical theatre, and other skills.

Auditions and interviews will be held via Zoom. Callbacks will be in person.

Please email littlemountainlion@gmail.com by November 30 if interested.