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No Offense…
After a succesful tour in our 2010/2011 season No Offense… is still being booked for special engagements in the 2011/2012 season.
Created by Sarasvàti Productions and Fringe Benefits Theatre
Directed by Hope McIntyre
Featuring: Jessy Ardern, Mary Black, Ashley Chartrand, Darren Felbel, Braiden Houle, Lorraine James and Kaitlynn Porath
Facilitators: Loc Lu and Kim Zeglinski
“No Offense is a great show — the high school audience at the preview was totally captivated. It’s utterly authentic, it’s about something real. Its truthfulness was a breath of fresh air. Jessy Ardern is amazing as the oppressive character, and she plays brilliantly and sensitively off the audience members who step forward to play characters in the story.”
Kent Suss, Theatre School Director Manitoba Theatre for Young People
In the summer of 2009, Sarasvàti Productions brought together a diverse group to discuss what they felt were key issues for youth. When speaking about high school experiences, the issue of racism was voted by the majority as the topic that most needed to be explored. The show was created as a result of this decision. With the leadership of Norma Bowles of Fringe Benefits Theatre (California) over thirty youth, artists and community group members were brought together to explore the topic.
The piece was developed in the tradition of Forum Theatre, whereby the play is performed and then certain scenes are revisited allowing the audience to stop the action and make suggestions to solve the racial behaviour in the scenes. We did a staged reading of the piece at our annual festival in 2009 followed by a reading for dramateachers. As a result, we have had several requests to tour the show into schools and conduct workshops around the use of this type of theatre to initiate dialogue.
The touring production will include a guide for teachers and resource materials that will be developed with partner community groups whose mandates work towards the elimination of racism and greater cultural understanding. This follow-up activity in the classroom will be crucial to the desire to use the work to address positive youth development.
“It was an exhilarating experience. Through the development of the piece, we got to sit together and share our past experiences with racism. The level of equality in the room was amazing, young or adult it was all the same. It allowed me to see these new faces as people just like myself, human beings each just as vulnerable as the next. It was a very thought provoking process. As I sat there listening to their stories I realized, “Every person here tonight has experienced racism in one way or another. This is something the public needs to be aware of; because chances are, they are affected by discrimination just as much as the people in this room.”
Ashley Chartrand, 16-year old aboriginal participant in the creation of No Offense…
To book the show contact us at info@sarasvati.ca