Guillermo Verdecchia's FEST Opens at Tarragon Next Month

The world is burning - literally and figuratively - and sometimes you have to laugh so you don't cry. That is very much the case in this thrilling piece coming to Tarragon following its rave world premiere run at Winnipeg's Prairie Theatre Exchange. Rick Roberts (Stratford's The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?)  stars as Mark - A world-travelling businessman seeking meals of the rarest of delicacies - endangered species, poisonous exotic animals, and other unknown flavours. Family chaos follows as his wife (Tamsin Kelsey, Canadian Stage's The Other Place) builds walls both physical and emotional, his daughter (Veronica Hortiguela, MONKS) quits school to fight climate change, and his son becomes completely absent. Led by local guide Chukuemeka (Tawiah M'Carthy, Canadian Stage's Fat Ham), everything is on the table to fill his emotional void.

Feast brings together a stacked creative team on and off stage who tell the story of a family living the dystopia of the current moment as they navigate their busy dynamic with wonder and longing. Artfully written by Verdecchia and directed by Soheil Parsa in his Tarragon debut, Feast asks how one can ever be truly fulfilled, leaving audiences nodding, chuckling, and perhaps… on the cusp of an existential crisis?

Artistic Director Mike Payette notes, “The timeliness of Feast is unlike any other in contemporary Canadian drama. We are all swimming in the throes of our global crises and yet move day-to-day with the pursuit of comfort and survival. Living life to the fullest can implicate immense consequences, and when we are faced with what might be potentially lost, what are we willing to let go of and who do we leave behind? Guillermo Verdecchia has created a masterful journey of a family on the brink and a world that sits right on the edge of the cliff.”

Feast is written by Guillermo Verdecchia (Tarragon's Fronteras Americanas). With set and projection design by Kaitlin Hickey (Moveable Beast Collective & Volcano's Century Song), costume design by Ting–Huan 挺歡 Christine Urquhart (Tarragon's Cockroach), lighting design by Chris Malkowski (ARC & Crow's Gloria), sound design by Thomas Ryder Payne (Tarragon's Behind the Moon); and performances by Tamsin Kelsey (Canadian Stage's The Other Place), Veronica Hortiguela (MONKS), Tawiah M'Carthy (Canadian Stage's Fat Ham) and Rick Roberts (Stratford's The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?). With direction by Soheil Parsa (Factory's Wildfire and Monster).