Recent years have seen climate crises, war, a pandemic, massive civil unrest, racialized violence, and economic instability. The ultra-wealthy are hoarding more wealth and the lower classes are further oppressed. Both in the US and here in Canada class warfare simmers, occasionally exploding into the public consciousness, an imminence threatening to expose the power structures that impose poverty and oppression onto the people.

Paradise Park, in this iteration, is a meeting place for our collective anxieties about the degradation of North American society. We bear witness to the horrors of quotidian life responding to the absurdity of it all in the only way that we can – with humour. The narrative strands of the play, and the characters themselves, all work towards a catharsis, a passing of the built-up fear and anger, shedding some of the weight we carry so as to remain resilient in the face of one apocalyptic crisis after the other.

I am deeply moved by the work that each and every person has put into this project. Making theatre in this time is an unfamiliar undertaking, each day presenting new and unique challenges. The cast and crew of Paradise Park rose to meet innumerable challenges. I have never been involved in a show that was met with so many interruptions and obstacles. I am honoured to say this team (most of whom are students) did the impossible, exceeding all expectations, by coming together with a unified understanding of why we make theatre.

It is our work as artists to explore the fabric of society, and so we present to you the 2022 mounting of Paradise Park by Charles Mee.

Thank you and enjoy the show.

- Deneh'Cho Thompson

Ella	Ruby Willis
Nancy	Julia Kowalski
Darling	Abby Osika*
Jorge	Jose Arias
Benny	Liam Johnston
Edgar	Nick Porrelli*
Vikram	Michael Kruger*
Morton	Ashton Turner
Narrator	Raven Dallman
*In partial fulfillment of BFA (Acting)

Director	Deneh'Cho Thompson
Stage Manager	Meeka Fast
Assistant Stage Manager	Hannah Fehr
Set Design	Ken MacKenzie
Costume Design	Jill Jeffrey
Lighting Design	Mason Bleakley
Composer	Clinton Ackerman
Sound Design	Maxwell Folk
Choreographer	Natasha Martina
Vocal Coach	Shannon Blanchet

Head of Wardrobe	Beverley Kobelsky
Head of Props	David Granger
Technical Director	Iain Rose
Running Crew	Nicole Tarry
	Bengee Smith
Dressers	Xander Scribante
	Cody Brayshaw
Scenic Painters	Gregory Marion
	Ken MacKenzie
	Madeline MacKenzie
Lighting Crew	Jose Arias
	Lorena Arias
	Molly Chartier
	Maxwell Folk
	Julia Kowalski
	Darius Kiskotagan
	McKenzie Huyghebaert
	Hannah Fehr
	Meeka Fast
	Ashton Turner
Box Office Manager	Amy Gerein
Streaming Video Production	USask Media Productions

 

 

Special thanks:

Miranda Hughes-McKnight and Persephone Theatre

Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan