Director's Note
What an amazing mind-heart-soul bender this show has been to make. Together we've opened our imaginations, pushed our limits and embraced the expression "necessity is the mother of invention".
As live-theatre makers, not film or TV makers, developing an online show felt like
we had to invent a genre that reflected us. We wanted to find a storytelling form that illuminated the script and excited us. We came up with what you’ll see tonite— something like tricked-out Zoom meets devised theatre. A DIY hybrid of analog and digital.
The text in Concord Floral is ripe for a collectively created storytelling form with the line: "This is a play we created for you”. That was our central mantra. We wanted the production to look like the characters decided to make a show with what was in their bedrooms. Of course, it ended up reaching out beyond that, but that aesthetic is at the heart of it. The students are performing from their actual bedrooms (well, all but one of them but you’ll never figure out who) all over HRM, Bedford, Lunenburg, Calgary, and Ottawa. They've rehearsed in their bedrooms, in their apartments and family homes, with roommates and parents in the other room, probably listening to weird and wild sounds coming from their rooms.
Martin, the cat may wander in during the show, someone may lose internet for a sec,
a green-screen may suddenly turn an actor’s face into their digital background, and the power may flicker, but if you give us a minute we’ll figure it and the show will go on.
For me, the story of Concord Floral is about asking for and offering each other mercy.
It’s about a group of teens who are plagued by their guilty consciences and face a buried secret they were involved with. It’s about them as our hope.
The actors have all brought their everything every night in rehearsal, pushing past
Zoom fatigue to reach for their potential and beyond. It’s been an honour to behold.
Karyn, our set designer, has built hundreds of digital images, working thru the night,
creating them on her computer in her apartment, helping us evolve the visual aesthetic and making an incredible world that holds the show together.
Logan, our stage manager, doesn’t know what’s hit him with this one, but he's risen
to it all with his calm manner running the show behind the digital scenes with such a steady hand and open heart.
Shani, our live stream consultant and the resident magician is literally the reason
we can be online tonite.
Liz, our Assistant Stage Manager, has creatively built many sound moments and operates
sound from her apartment living room.
Olivier and Derek, the assistant directors, have tirelessly Zoom-chatted me ideas thru-out
rehearsals, brilliantly weighing in on the hundreds of decisions to be made, created this online program, took photos, the list of all they’ve done is endless.
Kaelen, our costume designer is a Dal alumna and a dream collaborator who conceived
of a costume design using the actor’s own clothes, pulls from the costume department, and exquisitely built pieces, led by the master teacher Anneke and built by the costume studies students.
Bruce, our lighting designer and Torin our green-screen installer, through Zoom breakout
rooms and curbside deliveries, brought their innovation to each of the bedrooms in the show.
Peter Fillman and Carter MacDonald from the music department have written, mixed, and arranged music that is all over the show. What a thrill to collaborate with such bright young composers and songwriters.
Melinda has once again swooped in with her design chops and leadership of our student
prop builders, watch out especially for the amazing plague doctor mask.
There are at least another dozen people who have tirelessly contributed to this show.
Thanks to them all from the bottom of our hearts and thanks for coming/clicking, enjoy!
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-Ann-Marie Kerr
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Background design by Karyn McCallum