An abandoned suburban greenhouse is the setting for Concord Floral – a re-imagining of The Decameron, in which ten teens must flee a plague they have brought upon themselves. We spoke with the co-directors Erin Brubacher and Cara Spooner last week.
SDTC: What did your young performers bring to the stage that surprised you?
We find it a total gift to have the opportunity to model the ways of working we most hope for and with these young artists. Because they are full of curiosity and hunger it is easy to create a space where we all want to be and work together. As we’re writing this, we’re sitting at the back of the dark theatre, as members of our creative team set the lighting and sound cues and levels. It’s after 9 p.m. and our cast has been on stage since noon. They’ve been asked to repeat the same moment, to do it again, to support us all at the tech tables by waiting, listening and demonstrating patience. They are total pros – so focused, present, consistent and ready. There are many challenges in staging and touring a show at this scale, but working with teenagers isn’t one of them.
How do the struggles depicted in Concord Floral reflect the average modern adolescent experience?
We think the most fundamental way this piece reflects the contemporary teenager is giving space and time to their bodies and voices and an opportunity to be seen on their own terms. This is really important to them and to us. One of our favourite things about this show is watching young audience members see themselves portrayed on stage. It is significant for them. It means something to be given a platform like that. That said, we think the heart of the piece reflects the human experience. It is a story about beauty, cruelty and mercy at any age.
What drew you to this play?
It wasn’t a play yet when we first got into it! It was just an idea with an eight-page script made mostly of images. But we’re both really interested in collaborating, across forms and as a form in itself. So when Jordan Tannahill approached us with the idea, we saw it as an opportunity to work together and dive into some strong material with a group of young artists who we learn a lot from.
In a sense, we most want the audience to get to ‘meet’ these people we’ve had the fortune to work with in such a rich way. We want to give audiences a chance to be inspired by them, and reflect on their own lives and experiences because of what they offer. We also want the audience to have a good time. It’s a dark show but it’s very funny too. And the design is so beautiful and bold. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
What did you learn about yourself over the course of putting this play together?
It’s hard to say what we haven’t learned. There is a line in the play: “I’m learning to get better.” It has become sort of a mantra for us. We’re learning to get better every day.
Concord Floral runs from now until October 16 at Bluma Appel Theatre (27 Front St E). Get tickets here.
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