Bystander
By Wren Brian
October 2018
Finalist for the Playwright’s Guild of Canada Emerging Playwright Award
Late one night, during wartime in an unnamed land, an officer carrying a secret message asks to stay the night at a citizen’s house. The unlikely pair find connection over a drinking game, until the message’s content is revealed, forcing each to face what they have done – and are willing to do – to survive.
Don’t miss this world premiere of Bystander, a witty, action-packed play that raises important questions about our human capacity for justice and compassion, brutality and intolerance. By Wren Brian and directed by Clare Preuss.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE & CAST ROTATION
October 10th – Teslin Great Hall, Teslin – Citizen Kaori + Officer Jonathan (Presented by Village of Teslin and Teslin Tlingit Council)
October 13th (Preview 1) – Old Fire Hall, Whitehorse – Citizen Jonathan + Officer Kevin
October 15th (Preview 2) – Old Fire Hall, Whitehorse – Citizen Kaori + Officer Jonathan
October 16th (Preview 3) – Old Fire Hall, Whitehorse – Citizen Kevin + Officer Kaori
October 17th – Old Fire Hall, Whitehorse – Citizen Jonathan + Officer Kevin
October 18th – Old Fire Hall, Whitehorse – Citizen Kevin + Officer Kaori
October 19th – Old Fire Hall, Whitehorse – Citizen Kevin + Officer Kaori
October 20th (Matinee) – Old Fire Hall, Whitehorse – Citizen Kaori + Officer Jonathan
October 20th (Evening) – Old Fire Hall, Whitehorse – Citizen Jonathan + Officer Kevin
Left to Right: Jonathan Fisher*, Kaori Torigai, Kevin McLachlan
CREDITS
Featuring Jonathan Fisher*, Kevin McLachlan, Kaori Torigai
Playwright | Wren Brian**
Director | Clare Preuss*
Stage Manager | Elyssia Sasaki
Set Design | Doug Smarch Jr.
Lighting Design | Patrick Matheson
Composer & Sound Design | Kelvin Smoler
Costumes & Props Design | Alyson Stopps
Technical Director | Martin Nishikawa
Production Manager | Stephen Dunbar-Edge
Featured Musician | Jeremy Parkin
Graphic Design | Mark Rutledge, Animikii Inc.
Layout Artist | Jasmine Doll
Publicist | Leighann Chalykoff
Study Guide Writers | Siku Allooloo and Wren Brian
*The participation of these Artists are arranged by permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the provisions of the Dance Opera Theatre Policy.
**Member of Playwrights Guild of Canada
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Wren Brian started her diverse career in Whitehorse, Yukon (territory of the Kwanlin Dün & Taan Kwächän) where she was born and raised. After graduating from the MAD program, and being a member of Moving Parts Theatre, Wren earned a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree from the University of Winnipeg. She works primarily as a playwright, arts administrator, and producer, but recently performed in Map of the Land, Map of the Stars (Gwaandak Theatre) and was the Artistic Producer for the Made in Yukon events during the Magnetic North Theatre Festival. In addition, her play Anomie won the 2017 Rintoul Award for Best New Manitoba Play at the Winnipeg Fringe and her play Bystander was shortlisted for the Playwright’s Guild of Canada Emerging Playwright Award in 2015. Brian also has studied extensively on history of the Holocaust. She is thrilled to be working with Gwaandak on the world premiere of Bystander in October 2018.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Clare Preuss has collaborated with companies across Canada and in Germany, Lebanon, Switzerland and Uganda including: Alameda, Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland, BeMe, Blyth Festival, Buddies in Bad Times, Cahoots, Carlos Bulosan, Driftwood, Dynamo, Factory, fu-GEN, FRICTION, The Guild, Gwaandak, Native Earth Performing Arts, New Harlem Productions, Theatre Monnot, National Arts Centre, Nightwood, Paprika, Ramshackle, Stratford Festival, Sundown, Theatre Direct, Theatre Pass Muraille, Volcano, Why Not Theatre and Young People’s Theatre among others. She is a recipient of the Houselighters of the Citadel Theatre Award and was named an outstanding director by NOW Magazine for the SummerWorks production of Salome’s Clothes. She is Artistic Director for Downstage in Calgary as of November.
Bystander is supported by the following funders and partners: Canada Council for the Arts, Yukon Government, Lotteries Yukon, Arts Operating Funds, Crime Prevention & Victim Services Trust Fund, @YAC Residency (Yukon Arts Centre), Air North (Yukon’s Airline), What’s Up Yukon, Yukon News, and Casey’s Bed & Breakfast
Special Thanks: Jess McNabb, Kasey Rae Anderson, Josh Jansen and the Yukon Arts Centre, The Guild, Brandon Wicke, Chic Callas, Mike Wilson, Liz Bosely, Kelsey Hassard, James McCullough, Fiona Azizaj, Flora Asp, Irene Dove, Deb Gohl, Michelle Rabeau, 100 Women Who Care Whitehorse, BYTE, Hana Val, Hillary Simpson, Baked Cafe, Playwrights Guild of Canada, Leonard Linklater, Nakai Theatre, Debbie at Computec Embroidery, Charles Jules, Jade McGinty, Unitech Sound & Lighting, Odile Nelson, Richard Lee, CP, RS and RF (from Kaori).