Concord Floral

Drawing on Boccaccio’s The Decameron for a cast of teenagers, playwright Jordan Tannahill has painted an evocative, foreboding setting: a million-square-foot abandoned greenhouse where neighbourhood kids like to hang out. In this place of both refuge and reckoning, something strange and dangerous unfolds as 10 teens flee a plague they have brought upon themselves. Concord Floral is an ambitious project with far-reaching impact. It’s cast with youth from across the Lower Mainland, and will tour to three municipalities. This is an experiment in creation, collaboration and participation, as well as thrilling theatre in its own right.

Created by Torontonians Jordan Tannahill, Erin Brubacher and Cara Spooner, this is a show to give voice to youth; it’s an act of empowerment in itself. Our teenage years are an adventure, full of thrills, terror and heart; here it all comes to life through a powerful scenario. Brubacher directs with staging that highlights the self-possessed gaze of the performers, who demand to be seen on their own terms, in a space they have claimed for themselves—as characters in a story and as actors on a stage. What emerges is a triumph on many levels.

Artfully structured, yet full of suspense, with dialogue that shifts smoothly between the poetic and observational. It’s got style and substance—and is scary as all get out.

—The Globe & Mail

Explore similar shows

• Accessible PuSh Explore similar Accessible PuSh shows
• Curators’ Choice Explore similar Curators’ Choice shows
• Family Explore similar Family shows