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Common Grace

by Shauna Johanessen

Little Dipper Theatre Co.

After fleeing her life in the Fraser Valley, Colleen is forced to return home for her father’s funeral. Amidst the casseroles and caskets she is confronted by who she was and who she wants to be, and when neighbours come knocking and secrets are revealed, family tensions explode. Through humour, honest conversations, and fiery arguments, one family must pick up the pieces of a broken life and figure out what it means to belong to one another.

Directed by Nicola Shannon, Stage Management by Jessica Enns-Lear, Assistant Direction and Intimacy Coordination by Jessica Morgan-Lang, Assistant Stage Management by Marta Nagy, Set Design by Jeff Kiers; Costume Design by Carson Walliser; Lighting Design by Steve Springman; Sound Design by Josh Osborne; Props Design by Jordan Ravensbergen; Publicity and Archival photos by Dianna Lewis

  • What does it mean to belong to each other? What is home? What purpose does community play in our lives, especially when we hurt each other? Are we responsible for the consequences of our actions, no matter how far reaching? This play brings up so many good questions. I am not here to give you the answers, but simply invite you to engage with an open heart and see if there is an unexpected person or perspective that you connect with while watching today. 

    We all have hurt or been hurt by the people around us. Watching characters try to work this out helps us grow, even if we disagree with their choices. This is one of the reasons why we come to the theatre–to watch people work through difficult things one step removed. It helps us lightly process pain, struggle, betrayal, and beauty similar to what we experience in our own lives, but in a mode that is easier to digest. This is why theatre and stories are therapeutic. I know this play has been medicinal for me: watching characters get messy as they work through their knots has helped me process difficult things. I walk away from this process a bit looser, lighter and grateful for the experience. I wish the same for you. 

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