Lilies;
or, the revival of a romantic drama
A queer masterpiece, reimagined.

lemonTree creations + Buddies in Bad Times + Why Not Theatre

In 1912, two schoolboys fall in love performing a play about Saint Sebastian. Their passion is interrupted when one is unjustly sent to prison. Decades later, several inmates agree to stage this story of young love in search of their own redemption.

Prolific indie company lemonTree creations revives Michel Marc Bouchard’s masterpiece with Walter Borden (African/Mi’qmaq/Choctaw) leading a cast of Indigenous, Black, and culturally diverse artists to make visible the high incarceration rates of these communities. Centring Indigeneity and diverse worldviews, the creative team bring this romantic drama into the 21st century, unearthing love, lies, and colonialism.

photo of Walter Borden by Tanja-Tiziana
PRIVATE SUPPORT
Richard Archbold
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $153 million to bring the arts to Canadians throughout the country.
Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien. L’an dernier, le Conseil a investi 153 millions de dollars pour mettre de l’art dans la vie des Canadiennes et des Canadiens de tout le pays.

ANCILLARY EVENTS

ARTIST TALKS // MAY 16 // MAY 23 // 9.30PM
Thursday, May 16 Associate Director Nikki Shaffeeullah moderates a post-show talk with members of the cast and participants from the Confluence Arts Collective.
Thursday, May 23 Director Cole Alvis leads a post-show conversation with the cast.

DEAF INTERPRETED PERFORMANCE // MAY 17 // 8Pm
d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons can access $10 tickets in advance using the code “ASL10” at checkout (click here to buy your tickets now). Pay-what-you-can tickets will also be available at the door. More information will be posted here soon.

RELAXED PERFORMANCE // MAY 19 // 2.30PM
You can book $10 tickets in advance using the code “RP10” at checkout (click here to buy your tickets now). Pay-What-You-Can tickets will also be available at the door. Relaxed Performances are designed to welcome audience members who will benefit from a more relaxed performance environment. This performance model is specifically designed for folks on the Autism Spectrum or people who live with Tourettes, delayed learning, or cognitive disabilities. However, Relaxed Performances also provide an alternative option for people living specific traumas, people whose bodies can’t stay still for long periods of time, young children, and other folks who would enjoy a more relaxed theatre-going experience.A Relaxed Performance removes common triggers such as strobe lights and startling stage effects and has a relaxed attitude towards audience members making sounds during the performance or exiting/re-entering the theatre, and introduces audience members to the show with a more comprehensive pre-show introduction to characters, story, and content. Click here to view the visual story for Buddies in Bad Times Theatre’s venue. A visual story for the performance will be posted here soon.
Cast & Crew
WRITTEN BY
Michel Marc Bouchard
Translated by
Linda Gaboriau
Directed by
Cole Alvis
Associate Director
Nikki Shaffeeullah
Outside Eye
Donna-Michelle St. Bernard
CAST
Walter Borden
Alexander Chapman
Mark Cassius
Waawaate Fobister
Ryan G Hinds
Indrit Kasapi
Tsholo Khalema
Troy Emery Twigg
Joseph Zita
Stage Manager
Neha Ross
Set + Props Design
Jay Havens
COSTUME DESIGN
Joanna Yu
Lighting Design
Michelle Ramsay
SOUND DESIGN/COmposition
Deanna Choi
COMPOSITION
Aqua
POETRY
Yolanda Bonnell
APPRENTICE STAGE MANAGER
Emie Sabandal
Production Manager
Suzie Balogh
MUSIC CAPTAIN
Mark Cassius
HEad of Wardrobe
Allie Marshall
HEAD OF PROPS
Ace Faulker
HEAD OF WARDROBE
Allie Marshall
AMY PROJECT APPRENTICES
Jamie Milay
Assistant Facilitator

Ty Sloane
Assistant Director

Beatriz Arevalo
Assistant Costume Designer

Senjuti Sarker
Assistant Lighting Designer

Karis Jones-Pard
Assistant Set Designer

Phoebe Wang
Assistant Sound Designer
FOR BUDDIES IN BAD TIMES
Charissa Wilcox
Head of Production

Adrien Whan
Technical Director

Amber Pattison
Chamber Technician
ASL Interpretation
Sage Lovell
Deaf Community Consultant
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