The true-life story of a couple's search for a place to call home is the inspiration for a new production at Shadbolt Centre for the Arts.
A Last Resort, presented by Rough House Productions, is on at the Shadbolt from May 2 to 5.
The production tells the story of two artists who meet and fall in love but find being together complicated because of geographic and cultural barriers.
"We live in an incredibly connected age - with the click of a button, we can chat with friends across the globe, but this connection can also create hardships," said Cory Philley, facility and event services coordinator at the Shadbolt. "In A Last Resort we see a full spectrum of these hardships - the difficulty of uprooting your life for love, the bureaucratic struggles of immigration and the feeling of displacement from not having a home."
The story begins with the meeting of playwright Camille Gingras and video artist Cande Andrade, telling how a chance encounter brought them together.
Andrade had left his home in Mexico in search of a new life, and Gingras had returned to Canada as a last resort after the demise of a 10-year relationship and time spent on a deserted island.
The story unfolds first as biography and then expands into fantasy as the husband-and-wife duo - the creators and performers - predict what the future may hold.
The production incorporates video projections along with the live performance to weave the narrative that tells the story of many Canadians: leaving a home country in pursuit of a better life.
The production is directed by Lois Anderson, with production design by John Webber and music composed by David Mesiha.
The show is on nightly at 8 p.m., May 2 to 5.
Tickets are $32 regular, or $27 for students and seniors.
Call the box office at 604-205-3000 or buy online at tickets.shadboltcentre.com.
For more information, see www.shadboltcentre.com.
