The award winning director of the Firehall Arts Centre Donna Spencer discusses their current production of Michael Healey’s play Proud, Stephen Harper and more, with Joseph Planta.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, at TheCommentary.ca.

A show that’s opened earlier this month, at Vancouver’s Firehall Arts Centre is a production of Michael Healey’s play Proud. Joining me now to talk about it, as it concludes in the next week or so is its director Donna Spencer. We’ll talk about this modern Canadian play that looks at the Prime Minister. In a sort of spin on the 2011 election, the Conservatives form the government with the largest majority in Canadian history, taking Quebec. In real life, as you’ll recall the NDP won Quebec, but the play takes off from there, and the Prime Minister played by Andrew Wheeler, has to deal with a large caucus that includes the very inexperienced Jisbella, played by Emmelia Gordon. I saw a different production of Proud, the one staged by the Belfry Theatre in Victoria, and it’s quite a satirical, witty, and thoughtful play. The ideals and psyche of Stephen Harper, who isn’t even named in the play, is worked out with brash dialogue. I’ll get Ms. Spencer to tell us more about this show. The reviews have been quite good for this production, which runs until Saturday, 26 April 2014. Visit www.firehallartscentre.ca for tickets and information. Donna Spencer is an award winning director, and is the founding director of the Firehall Theatre Society in the heart of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside at 280 East Cordova. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Donna Spencer; Ms. Spencer, good morning.

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