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Why Now Theatre Collective
Why now? Why not! After a successful world premiere in Vancouver Fringe 2023, the team behind A Life Sentence formed Why Now Theatre Collective to continue bringing A Life Sentence to more audiences. Based on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, our mission is to create innovative, poignant and critical conversations through theatre.
A Life Sentence
Grappling with the trauma of childhood abuse and the pressure of a life changing investigation, Gwen risks everything for the possibility of justice. Spanning 3 decades from the 70s through the 90s, and yet resonant in the wake of #MeToo, A Life Sentence is a British Columbian story of real lived experiences and verbatim transcripts.
A Life Sentence was originally produced at Studio 58 as a part of Fourplay 2020 but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It subsequently had its world premiere in Vancouver Fringe 2023 with an entire cast and crew of Studio 58 graduates, followed by Up In The Air Theatre's 2024 rEvolver Festival.
"...a vibrantly navigated story of darkness... "
-Stir Vancouver
"...an incredibly moving experience... the performances coupled with the skillful direction of such a delicate subject matter blew me away."
-Vancouver Fringe Patron
Logan Fenske as JOHN and Alina Blackett as GWEN. Photo by Patrick Conaty
Alina Blackett as GWEN. Photo by Patrick Conaty
Companion Book
In 2021, Jarred published a companion book to the play, called Picture Parfitt: The Ups and Downs of City Raised People in a Country Style Life.
"Sitting back and re-reading these pages, it's a wonder we all made it- but they never complained about their nomadic way of life." says Barbara Parfitt on her years of farm and city life.
Picture Parfitt recounts the sometimes less than ideal, but somehow always perfect adventures of a family of 7, plus a farm full of animals. From a -68°C isolated Christmas, a face off with a bull moose, and the adventures of Piggy the, you guessed it, pig, you'll be sure to laugh and cry your way through this heartfelt journey.
Edited and published by her grandson, Jarred Stephen Meek, the book was originally written on a typewriter by Barbara as a way for her children to hold onto some of their happier and more adventurous memories. In 2021, having lost her memories to dementia, the book was published and given to Barbara so she could have a first hand account of her memories from her own point of view. Barbara, the inspiration behind Betty, passed away in February 2023 after an over 5 year journey with Dementia.
Picture Parfitt is available here on Amazon.
Reviews & Media:
"...It’s an uncomfortable watch, but a necessary one—we see the long-term effects of childhood trauma on full display as a woman chases justice."
-Emily Lyth, Stir Vancouver
"The cast is comprised of many Studio grads and the comfort between them elevates individual performances to a strong ensemble piece. The actors playing children fully committed to high energy scenes and our tragic leads, played by Alina Blackett and Logan Fenske, were standouts in challenging and unlikable roles."
-Lauren Martin-McGraw, Langara College Student
Playwright, Co-Director and Performer Jarred Stephen Meek was featured in Stir Vancouver with a Q&A about A Life Sentence. Check it out here to learn more about the show and the process!
Producers Alina Blackett and Jarred Stephen Meek were featured in an article in The Georgia Straight:
Meek’s co-producer Alina Blackett, who also plays the lead, says that this show means a lot to her, too.
“It’s a huge honour, and it’s close to my heart in a lot of different ways. And it’s something that I really value in theatre and art in general is the potential to heal,” she says. “That’s really important to me as an artist and as a human being and as a producer.”
She says that while it’s a heavy piece, the cast manages to find humorous moments in it.
“We can just do the heaviest piece ever and we’ll have each other belly laughing the next moment,” she says. “To be able to bring that part of ourselves and the process into it also brings another real human part of it. We laugh through our pain and alongside our pain, and that also helps us heal.”
Read the full article here!
