Tue 06 Sep 2022

ConRes Day at the Vancouver Fringe Festival is back!

Posted by mbcstaff

Mediate BC and CoRe Conflict Resolution Society are excited to invite conflict resolution professionals and friends to join us at the Vancouver Fringe Festival once again!

In the “before days”, we chose one day each Fringe Festival to view a few plays and meet up to talk about conflict resolution themes and the ways in which live theatre and storytelling can enhance our understanding of conflict. We’re excited to bring back this tradition, but with one difference that is possible due to pandemic changes – we are inviting people to join us in-person or online for a live stream production and hybrid post-production discussion. (The theatre world has changed over the past years much as the conflict resolution world has – and we anticipate that this will be one of the topics we may wish to discuss.)

Join us for the livestreamed production of Juliet: A Revenge Comedy on Thursday, Sep. 15^th at 7:00pm. Some of us will be attending in-person at Leap Creative Studio and you are very welcome to join us there. If you cannot attend in person, you can still watch the same performance as a livestream!

Following the performance, we will meet in-person and online to discuss the show. If you’d like to join us, please send an email to sharon.sutherland@mediatebc.com to ensure that you are able to connect.

Why did we choose Juliet: A Revenge Comedy?

• We are expecting a show that reframes a story and ask us to understand the “facts” from a different perspective.
• The opportunity to view in a hybrid form allows for more participation and a chance to consider how different ways of engaging impact the experience.
• It’s had amazing reviews in other Fringes!

What else should I see if I’m buying Fringe membership to see Juliet?

Darsey Meredith (CoRe president) and Sharon Sutherland (Mediate BC ED) will be seeing approximately 40 plays during the Fringe. They are happy to share favourites and make suggestions based on your personal preferences. Just email them at coreclinic1@gmail.com.

In terms of plays with clear conflict resolution themes (that they have not yet seen), Darsey and Sharon suggest checking out:

• For virtuoso storytelling: Every Good Story Ends with One and Blueberries are Assholes. (One performance of Blueberries is livestreamed).
• For an interdisciplinary exploration of trauma, healing, and an adversarial medical system: Disclosure. (Interview with the creator.) NOTE: Showing before Juliet on Sep. 15^th.

And Darsey and Sharon encourage you to check out Family Crow Revue: A Murder Mystery with Adam Francis Proulx! Many of you will recall that Adam’s presentation and workshop at Continuing Legal Education Society of BC’s 2016 Dispute Resolution Conference. He was also generous enough to join us on a previous Fringe Conflict Resolution Day to discuss his show “Does Not Play Well with Others”. Adam’s work is always worth checking out!

What if I’m not in Vancouver?

Ten Fringe shows have livestream performances this year,  plus three shows are only available through Fringe Online. Of note, Sell Me: I’m from North Korea, has previously been described as “heart-rending” and “thought-provoking” in performances for performances at universities and human rights festivals.  

We would love to have out-of-town folx join us for our discussion and share experiences in watching some of the shows online.