“I read the play and I was left reeling at the end of it”

25th Street Theatre is stepping up to stage with the premiere of  a new Canadian play. The Watch List is a bold production that tackles important topics.

“The idea came to me after the explosion of the ”Me Too” movement. At first it felt really exciting that women were speaking up – like real change was possible,” says playwright Rachel Aberle. “But I also saw a lot of performative activism, and a real craving for things to be black and white. I think the bottom line is, things like intimacy and the nuances of what consent looks like are messier than that.”

It opens a door to a wider conversation

Aberle drew further inspiration from the social reckoning in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. Folding in racial politics, she crafted a gripping look at a family welcoming their son and his girlfriend for a visit when revelations unfold that could tear them apart.

“For me, this play is about performative allyship,” says director Ming Hudson. “What people think they would do in theory, compared to the actions they actually take. It opens a door to a wider conversation that we hope people will continue long after they leave the theatre.”

The characters are complicated. As an actor, that’s what lights the fire

Actor Jen Fong returns home to Saskatchewan to play Amy, a mixed-race woman meeting her boyfriend’s family for the first time.

“I read it and it broke my heart many times. I related to Amy instantly. We’re both half-Chinese and this identity rarely gets explored on stage,” says Fong. “It’s incredibly well written. The characters are complicated. As an actor, that’s what lights the fire. There’s an itch to dig into the material and piece it all together.”

You think you have these firm beliefs but, what happens when it’s your baby?

When 25th Street’s Artistic and Executive Director Anita Smith read The Watch List it left her reeling.

“I have two daughters and reading it I was left thinking, ‘I don’t know what I would do.’,” says Smith. “You think you have these firm beliefs but, what happens when it’s your baby?”

Aberle is grateful for the courage of Smith and the 25th Street Theatre putting The Watch List centre stage and hopes the audience walks away uncomfortable.

“I don’t think we are living in comfortable, polite times,” says Aberle. “I think there’s a place for challenging, provocative, and unsettling theatre. It’s going to be a thrill finally seeing it on stage.”