Downstage Hosts the World Premiere Production of SMOKE
By: Julie Musbach Jan. 23, 2019
A timely exploration of consent, accountability, memory and attraction, Downstage presents SMOKE, the searing world premiere production by Albertan playwright Elena Eli Belyea, from February 13 - 23, 2019, at the Big Secret Theatre.
Each performance will showcase one of two casts, featuring an opposite sex and same-sex couple on alternating nights. The unique approach invites audiences to investigate how their positions shift, based on the gender of the participants.
"I'm very excited for Downstage to share the world premiere of SMOKE with Calgary audiences. Elena Eli Belyea has crafted a nuanced piece that is purposefully ambiguous and asks big questions around memory, love, passion and the value of consent. It has a raw power that grabs you and won't let go - it's a wild ride," said Clare Preuss, Artistic Director of Downstage.
"Calgary director Christine Brubaker weaves us into the multiple realities of Aiden and Jordan as they wrestle with their relationship to each other, themselves and their art. The split casting gives audiences a chance to see how gender can affect how we perceive the very same situation, and I hope that people will take advantage of this experiment and see both versions of the show!"
Cast and Creative Team
- Alexandra Dawkins - Performer (Jordan, F)
- Chantelle Han - Performer (Aiden)
- Joel David Taylor - Performer (Jordan, M)
- Elena Eli Belyea - Playwright
- Christine Brubaker - Director
- Thomas Geddes - Sound Designer
- Graham Frampton - Lighting Designer
- Anton deGroot - Set Designer
- Jordan Wieben - Costume Designer
- Andrea Donaldson - Dramaturg
- Ivanna Ihekwoaba - University of Calgary Theatre Intern
- Carissa Sams - Stage Manager
- Jenna Rodgers - Production Dramaturg
- Jessie Paynter - Production Manager
- Katherine Penhale - Production Assistant
- Aldona Barutowicz - Publicist
TICKETS are on sale at http://www.downstage.ca/smoke/ 403.294.9494 OR in person at the Arts Commons Box Office
Elena Eli Belyea is a queer-identified performer, producer, arts educator and graduate of the University of Alberta + National Theatre School of Canada's Playwriting program. Elena Eli's plays have been produced in cities across Canada and won numerous awards, including First Place in the 2015 Wildfire National Playwriting Competition (with Cleave, also included as part of the Playwrights Guild of Canada's 2018 Surefire List). Elena Eli is a current Playwright-in-Residence at Tarragon Theatre and the recipient of their 2018-2019 RBC Emerging Playwright Prize. Find out more at http://elenabelyea.com.
Downstage is an award-winning Calgary-based theatre company dedicated to producing plays that create meaningful conversation around social issues. Their plays provoke vibrant dialogue between Calgarians, both informally and through nightly post-performance discussions. For more information on Downstage, please visit www.downstage.ca.
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