For their 2024 season, SummerWorks once again crafted a unique and exciting bill of productions divided amongst their four streams of programming. This year, I checked out two of the staged readings which were part of the SummerWorks Exchange stream: Donovan Hayden’s Suitable Climate and Carolyn Fe’s Aye Caesar. 

SummerWorks describes their Exchange stream as “A dynamic space for emergent creative thinking to come into focus and conversation, gathering artists and audiences together with intention around relevant and urgent creative proposals and artistic practices.” In the case of the two readings which I saw, it allows for other theatre companies to combine forces and resources with SummerWorks to present these new works in front of an audience. By making them accessible both financially (they were both free!) and venue-wise, a wide audience is being invited in on the early stages of the theatre creation process, which is a rare and exciting opportunity.

Suitable Climate – Co-presented with b current Performing Arts, Diaspora Dialogues, and Theatre Passe Muraille

Suitable Climate combines the past and present to tell the oft-forgotten story of the Black pioneers who helped conquer Canada’s West. Based on some of playwright Donovan Hayden’s real life experiences, Suitable Climate explores how we learn about our own history and the desire to fill in the gaps of our knowledge.

I enjoyed the relaxed environment of the reading; they wanted to treat it as though it was another rehearsal, just with some other faces in the room and it truly did have that atmosphere. To see the actors interacting with one another as themselves rather than their characters was lovely, and I felt like a fly on the wall of a typical day for them. That being said, every actor gave a passionate and engaging performance as they read, it was easy to get a sense of how this production would look fully staged simply from how they read the text. 

The story itself is beautifully written. We travel back in time to the turn of the century when recently emancipated Black families in the US were being encouraged to move to the Western provinces, in this case Alberta, with the promise of land to call their own. The story follows the Cook family on their journey to Edmonton as they encounter new people and new weather for the first time. We also meet a father and son in the present day who are travelling to Edmonton for the father to conduct some personal research into these early pioneers. While the son is initially hesitant to go, he can’t help but become engrossed in the history of his people. Culminating in the two taking a journey to find the resting place of the Cook family, amongst others, both father and son have new found respect for each other, as well as their history.

This story hit close to home for me, as my Grandmother’s maiden name is also Cook. Though her family had immigrated from Syria rather than being forcibly removed from their homes, there’s a similarity in how people of colour came by the names assigned to them in the new world. I also feel like a journey which I have been on, particularly since 2020, is to learn about the things we weren’t taught in school and Suitable Climate is another production to add to the list. It’s a beautiful balance of story and information which is sure to inspire!

What I’m looking forward to from a future production:

 – The Trees! Hayden has created a Greek Chorus inspired collection of trees which float in and out of the story. Unfortunately we weren’t able to see the trees in action at the staged reading, but the idea is a great one and it was easy to imagine how they’d function within the worlds of the play.

 – I’ll be interested to see the set changes etc once it’s able to be fully staged. There are several different locations, plus the time changes, involved in the show and I think some really crafty stage work would make it a true spectacle.

Aye Ceasar – Co-presented with Cahoots Theatre

There’s nothing like a little online shopping at 1 am, it’s actually one of Brenda’s favourite pastimes. In Aye Caesar, what starts out as a normal shopping session turns into so much more when Brenda meets Aye, a personal shopping assistant. Full of twists and turns, Carolyn Fe’s play is as chilling as it is moving.

Inspired by the loneliness of senior citizens which we witnessed particularly in the early days of the pandemic, Aye Caesar focuses on Brenda’s connection with this personal shopper she’s met through her favourite shipping site. At first, Brenda is hesitant to try this new video chat option, but it quickly grows on her as she continues to speak to Aye. Soon, she’s telling Aye all about her life, the loss of her husband, and how she’s trying to write their story as per her husband’s request. As her relationship with Aye grows, so too does her dependency on their late-night chats. Unfortunately, we also witness a darker side to Brenda, and her relationship with Aye. However the ending had literally everyone in the theatre gasp (so I won’t give it away!).

This production really got me thinking, not only about how AI and deep fakes and whatnot are so pervasive in our society, but also how the internet has become a refuge for us, particularly when we’re feeling lonely. I know for myself, when I’m lonely I tend to turn to social media to attempt to find connection with my community again, though that has its downsides as it can also be very toxic and upsetting. I’ve also seldom found a play which has made me mutter under my breath as much as this one does. The more expensive the item was, the more I’d go “no Brenda, we can’t afford this!” But as I mentioned, it was the gasp which echoed through the room at the final moments of the play which let me know that we were all fully engrossed in this journey.

What I’m looking forward to from a future production:

 – I’m excited to see how this will be staged as most of the interaction occurs through the computer. I’m thinking lots of projection, and it’ll be cool to see how they make the website and how Aye will look.

 – Honestly, I’d just be excited to experience this story again. I still feel shook. And I want as many people to come along for the ride as well!

It’s thrilling for me to get to see these two plays at this early workshop stage; I’m hoping to be able to follow both along on their respective journeys to fully staged productions. Each one was inspiring in its own way, and I eagerly anticipate experiencing them again in the near future. I hope to be able to catch even more at SummerWorks next year!

To keep up with SummerWorks and what they’ll be planning for next year, check out: https://summerworks.ca

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