A play that delves into a piece of forgotten Vancouver history is in the lineup for this year’s Vancouver Fringe Festival – and it stars a Burnaby resident.
And Bella Sang With Us, staged by the And Bella Collective, is on as part of this year’s Fringe at the VanCity Culture Lab at Vancouver East Cultural Centre, running Sept. 9 to 17.
Sarah Louise Turner plays Const. Minnie Miller, one of two leads, alongside Leanna Brodie as Const. Lurancy Harris. The two were Vancouver’s first female police officers, and, as the play opens, it’s 1912 and they’ve been sent to the area now known as the Downtown Eastside to deal with the “female morality issue.”
“Will the two constables be able to save a young woman from a life on the streets? Will they find their way in a police department and a city not used to female authority figures? Will running after criminals while wearing floor-length skirts get easier?” asks a press release.
And Bella Sang With Uswas written by Sally Stubbs, the result of extensive rewrites of an earlier script, Kid Gloves,that premiered in 2012. The production is directed by Sarah Rodgers, with co-direction by another Burnaby resident, Ian Harmon. Other cast members include Simon Webb, Sarah May Redmond, Sarah Roa and Matt Grinke.
And Bella Sang With Us opens Friday, Sept. 9 at 7:25 p.m., the first of six shows through the course of the festival. Tickets are $14. The VanCity Culture Lab is at 1895 Venables St. in Vancouver. See www.vancouverfringe.com.
