SOME ASSEMBLY THEATRE COMPANY AND ROUNDHOUSE YOUTH THEATRE ACTION GROUP (RHYTAG)
The Identity Bureau
A bold theatre production not to be missed
Performance Dates
April 28, 7:30pm | April 29, 7:30pm
May 1 & 2, 11:00am & 1:30pm for school groups
Tickets Free!
Book your seats now! Limited seating. Q&A follows each performance.
INFO someassembly.ca |
THE IDENTITY BUREAU is a bold existential theatrical production that explores the importance of one’s identity. Set in the very near future, the Identity Bureau is a place that assigns identities and traits to all citizens. It’s the last day citizens can make identity updates and pay fines before the big system rehaul. Meant to create calm, the Bureau creates chaos as we witness the absurdity of not simply deciding to be who we truly are. THE IDENTITY BUREAU engages and entertains with relevant content, humour, music, and inspiration. Celebrating its 23rd season, Some Assembly’s theatre collaborations between youth and professional artists promote awareness, wellness, dialogue, and positive social change about issues facing youth.
A collaboration between Metro Vancouver youth and Some Assembly Theatre Company with artists: Valerie Methot, Susan Bertoia, Allen Morrison, Matt Clarke, Heather McCrae, Sally Zori, Nik McLaren, Tina Biello, Anna Talbot, Sophie Labrie, Brogan Ho, Joe Baker, Lauren Preissl, Heather McCrae, Jeremy Baxter, Duane Murrin, and Patrick Graham.
Community Partners, Sponsors, Funders:
The Roundhouse, Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver Board of Parks & Recreation, Ministry of Children & Family Development, City of Vancouver, BC Arts Council, Province of British Columbia, CLICK Foundation, Hamber Foundation, Grosvenor, Canada Council for the Arts, private donors, community partners Methotical Productions, Sarah McLachlan School of Music, Scene Ideas Inc., and Vancouver School Board for their support and collaboration.
Some Assembly Theatre Company and the Roundhouse Youth Theatre Action Group (RHYTAG) Project
The Roundhouse Youth Theatre Action Group consists of new and returning diverse youth who work in collaboration with professional artists on a new theatre creation project each year that addresses issues facing young people. Established in 2001, Valerie Methot as Roundhouse artist-in-residence developed the project and engaged in a process of youth outreach in and around the Roundhouse. With huge interest from youth community members, Valerie assembled Chandra Lesmeister and Jeremy Baxter to the team. The project led to the involvement of Ken Lawson, Allen Morrison, Anna Talbot and several guest artists and the development of Some Assembly Theatre Company, a charitable not-for-profit. Some Assembly is now in its 23rd year of collaboratively creating and producing original plays that promote awareness, wellness, prevention and dialogue about issues facing youth. Some Assembly received the City of Vancouver Youth Award for outstanding contribution to the youth community. The company was recently honoured with the Deryck Thomson Award for exceptional contribution to community building and wellbeing.
Artist Biography
As a director, playwright, designer and visual artist, Valerie Methot is dedicated to the creation of original collaborative theatre projects and providing opportunities for youth expression through the development of new works. Valerie created the Roundhouse Youth Theatre Action Group (RHYTAG) project in 2001 based on her artistic methodology she developed for her MFA thesis project at UBC in 1997. As creator and director of Treated with Tango, she used theatre as an artistic tool to process trauma, to honour her friend who used tango to fight for his life and died of AIDS. This profound experience was the seed to the development of Some Assembly Theatre Company to which she is artistic/executive director/producer, founder and director of 31 plays she created, produced and presented with diverse youth and artists. Valerie is writer/director of Treated with Tango, EXPOSE, Marbles and Take a Breath. She is director, dramaturg and producer of Nicholas Harrison’s How Star Wars Saved My Life, a play that promotes prevention of child abuse, based on a true story from an adult survivor of sexual abuse at a Catholic School. Valerie was nominated for Canada’s Siminovitch theatre directing award and the Mayor’s Arts Award. Her plays, paintings and installations have been seen nationally and internationally. Valerie achieved a BFA in painting and drawing from Concordia and an MFA in theatre directing from UBC. www.someassembly.ca
Previous Shows
The Wait List Experiment (2022)
Eight youth who are on wait lists to see therapists have been recommended for an experimental pandemic peer support program, which takes place in the eye of somewhere unknown.
Breakwater (2021)
Follows six youth who face the effects of isolation and mental health struggles from a symbolic world- wide flood.
Uprooted (2020)
Three friends on an annual camping trip must suddenly face a threat to the BC forest they love. Youth take a stand for future generations and protect what they view as sacred.
Rewire (2019)
On the night of a symbolic lunar eclipse and major video game event, a group of youth come together to bravely tackle root causes of stress including poverty, grief, and sexual assault.
The Release Party (2018)
A celebration of youth expression in a pursuit to manage struggles with mental health, bullying, and suicide prevention.
Home (2017)
A powerful vision of hope from local diverse youth in the search for a healthy home, both within oneself and one’s community.
Missing from Me (2016)
In an unexpected twist, eleven travellers at a train station must adapt to a sudden change in their plans. Confronted with life-altering decisions they end up discovering true inner strength and what family means to them.
Webs We Weave (2015)
A dizzying merry-go-round of challenges we all face in our relationships.
Dream Catchers (2014)
In a countdown to graduation, nine teenagers struggle to catch their dreams as they are faced with the daunting questions of who they are and what comes after high school.
Sticks & Scones (2013)
Issues of bullying and how it not only involves the victim and predator, but also the entire community.
Cleverly Painted Rocks (2012)
A play about life, love and depression.
Keep the Change (2011)
An audition for a new reality show results in an interweaving of youth experiences with loss, rejection, abuse and life changing decisions.
Death and Scrambled Eggs (2010)
Opening with a house party, consequences are revealed following an experience with the drug Ecstasy.
Not a Fairy Tale (2009)
Meet Dr. Exigo, seller of dreams and seven girls in search of answers…plus a unicorn and a troll and oh yeah, a centaur.
Tic Talk (2009)
An exploration of the anxieties surrounding issues of bullying, gang involvement, drugs and computer game addiction.
