By: Hailey Miller, Staff Writer
Parifam
When: Apr. 4–14, showtimes at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Where: Historic Theatre, 1895 Venables St, Vancouver
Tickets: $29
The Cultch and Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre present the production of this Persian thriller. Main character Parifam Mana is a visual artist in Montréal who’s detached from her family and friends. Her world flips upside down when her childhood friend, Ramek, comes back into her life. The two ponder their past as they’re set on opening an art exhibition on Persian culture. Award-winning Iranian Canadian playwright Aki Yaghoubi focuses on the concept of metaphorical rebirths, inspired by the Persian poet Rumi.
FourPlay
Langara’s Studio 58 students present FourPlay — a repertory of four new one-act plays. Each showtime includes all four plays with an intermission in between. All actors, playwrights and directors are students in the theatre program.
When: Mar. 27–Apr. 7, showtimes at 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Where: Studio 58, Langara College, 100 West 49th Ave, Vancouver
Tickets: $10–25
Pretty Girls
Content warning: eating disorders.
Written by Sewit Eden Haile and directed by Jamie King, this witty production explores beauty standards among three teenage girls. The story follows close friends Evie, Charlie, and Willow as they band together following a betrayal while Willow struggles with the effects of an eating disorder. The characters are accompanied by a “cruel Greek chorus” throughout the play.
Gillty as Fin
This campy, ocean-themed musical comedy was written by Terrance Zhou and Caylen Creative, and directed by Leslie Dos Remedios. The plot follows the wrongful accusations of Orca having killed his friend, Salmon. Orca stands trial at the Coral City Courthouse and seeks support from his friend, Rockfish, and slimy lawyer, Tiger Shark. Desperately trying to save his reputation, Orca must face the salty circumstances while also attempting to save the underwater ecosystem.
Panty Sniffers
This comical play was written by Jenna Leigh and directed by Deb Williams. The plot follows Mia and Blake, two broke college roommates, as they search for a way to make some money to pay rent in today’s outrageously expensive market. Their solution? Selling used panties online. Their strategic money-making ploy quickly catches the attention of their landlord and Mia’s “trust fund boyfriend,” as the roommates dismantle sex work barriers and find a way to scrape by.
Fly, Love
The last new play from Studio 58 was written by Yorlene Bernido and directed by Anjela Magpantay. The production follows the life of Allie, a teenager living with a rare genetic disorder. Allie doesn’t want anything to do with her mom hiring a new full-time caregiver, Maya. To counter these big life changes and challenges, Allie focuses on her imagination as Maya tells her “an immersive bedtime story.”
