Orphaned in India, young Mary Lennox journeys back to England to live with her reclusive and embittered Uncle Archibald and his invalid son, Colin.

Struggling to come to terms with her new life at Misselthwaite Manor, with its ghostly hallways and vast moors, Mary discovers a secret garden hidden away and abandoned on the estate. A story of healing, forgiveness and renewal emerges as Mary dedicates herself to restoring the garden to its former glory and forges new friendships with an eclectic mix of colourful characters along the way.

March 17 & 18, 21 – 25, 2023 @ 7:30 PM
Matinees: March 18 & 25 @ 2:00 PM

Press Release:
University of the Fraser Valley
School of Creative Arts

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. UFV Theatre brings the story of Matthew Shepard to the stage.

The highly anticipated play, The Laramie Project, directed by assistant professor Shelley Liebembuk, will be performing from March 23 – April 1, 2023. This will be the second production of UFV Theatre’s 2022-2023 season and it will challenge and engage audiences

Created by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theatre Project, this verbatim theatre piece is constructed from the transcripts of over 200 interviews, conducted in the aftermath of the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man, in Laramie, Wyoming, in 1998. The interviews were transcribed, edited, and structured into a three-act play by members of the theatre company who worked to honour the voices of those they interviewed, as well as to artistically weave the stories into a coherent narrative. The piece reveals a community grappling with violence, responsibility, and healing; and showcases how theatre can be a brave space for us to engage with this together.

Shelley Liebembuk is an assistant professor at UFV Theatre. Her focus is on praxis-based learning and inspiring creative and critical engagement in the studio and the seminar. In directing this show, Shelley hopes to generate space to support the 2SLGBTQ community, call-in implicit and explicit homophobia, and engage in meaningful conversation.

All students were invited to be part of the play, without an audition barrier. Each cast member is playing between 5 to 10 characters, taking on the acting challenge of performing a variety of real people, with distinct worldviews. Shelley’s goal is to steward the students to engage with the complexity of the work thoughtfully, and to build their skills for a sustainable, collective engagement with impactful theatre.

Shelley shares: “theatre is an incredibly powerful and immediate way of engaging a group of people, as it allows artists to meet an audience in real-time. For me, at its best, theatre uses this immediacy to navigate current socio-political issues across a thoughtful and complex web of refraction and whimsy, that can lead to meaningful community conversation. I also love the collaborative process of making theatre, which melds the creative energy of so many artists, from writers and dramaturgs, to actors and directors, to designers and the production crew.”

The student cast features Alia Von Riesen, Caitlyn Shaw, Claire Holden, Clement Cameron, Esha Kumar, Keegan Zaporozan, Madalyn Clempson, Maximus Richards Rewt, Raven Turchinetz, Shivam Duggal, and Taya Viger.

The student production crew includes Angel Davis (hair and makeup), Christopher Benedicto (stage manager), Frankie Fowle (projection designer), Hunter Holden (set and props), Lisa Patetta (costume designer), Phong Duong (lighting design), Sara Oliva Morales (ASM, runner, and dresser), Sterling Kai Pollock (assistant director), and Ye-Hsuan Huang (Doris) (sound design).

Students are also mentored by UFV associate professor Parjad Sharifi, wardrobe manager Heather Robertson, technical director Jared Raschke, and production manager Giuseppe Condello.

Cost: $5 for students and seniors. $10 for the public.

Opening night: Thursday, March 23 at 7:00 pm.

Regular performances:
Friday, March 24 at 7:00 pm.
Saturday, March 25 at 2:00 pm.
Thursday, March 30 at 7:00 pm.
Friday, March 31 at 7:00 pm.
Saturday, April 1 at 2:00 pm.

Seat reservations are available on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-laramie-project-tickets-505204689827

Please be advised that early reservations via Eventbrite are encouraged as seating will be extremely limited. All bookings can be made through Eventbrite and seat registration ends 2 hours before the performance start times. Performances will be held in the Performance Studio, Building D, 105, Abbotsford Campus, University of the Fraser Valley, 33844 King Road.

Contact theatre@ufv.ca for inquiries.

Follow the UFV School of Creative Arts @ufvsoca on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube.

About the 2022-2023 Season of Theatre at UFV

Devised Theatre Showcase 2023
April 2023

The Devised Theatre Showcase is the final project presented by UFV Theatre’s fourth-year Devised Theatre class and is a chance for students to apply everything they have learned in the course. Audiences can expect a brand-new production devised by students.

For more information about UFV Theatre productions visit https://ufv.ca/plays/

Spring Break Up Country Music Festival is the first Canadian country festival of the year and features an amazing all Canadian line up with Juno Award and CCMA winning artists Dean Brody and Megan Patrick and Langley’s own Tyler Joe Miller plus Dane Bateman.

Produced by Fraser Valley Exhibition Centre, Spring Break Up, the Fraser Valley’s newest country music festival, will take place at TradeX in Abbotsford on March 25th. The festival will also highlight performances by local up and coming country artists and feature experiential elements, food, games and 19 VIP area.

No country artist has owned the Canadian “Live” stage in recent years more than Multi-platinum, iconic Canadian artist Dean Brody. In addition to her two year reign as the CCMA Female Artist of the Year, Meghan Patrick is a gifted, authentic, award-winning acclaimed country singer/songwriter. Singer, songwriter and local resident, Tyler Joe Miller was the first independent artist to debut with back-to-back No. 1 hits on the Billboard Canada Country chart. Dane Bateman is a singer/songwriter from Penticton, BC. Dane mixes his influence in music and environment to create his take on a modern day 90’s country sound.

A portion of the proceeds from the Spring Break Up Country Music Festival will go toward Archway Community Services, an organization that offers 90 programs for community members. The Archway Food Bank program provides access to food through programs like Starfish Pack which feeds over 600 children each school weekend, a home delivery service for those with mobility barriers and the Seva food program which ensures culturally diverse foods such as Halal and South Asian foods are available.

Orphaned in India, young Mary Lennox journeys back to England to live with her reclusive and embittered Uncle Archibald and his invalid son, Colin.

Struggling to come to terms with her new life at Misselthwaite Manor, with its ghostly hallways and vast moors, Mary discovers a secret garden hidden away and abandoned on the estate. A story of healing, forgiveness and renewal emerges as Mary dedicates herself to restoring the garden to its former glory and forges new friendships with an eclectic mix of colourful characters along the way.

March 17 & 18, 21 – 25, 2023 @ 7:30 PM
Matinees: March 18 & 25 @ 2:00 PM

Join us for a night of live music and dancing, with the South Island Rhythm Kings, on March 25, 2023. Featuring the father & son powerhouse, Lazy Mike & Carson Mallon, who recently returned from the Maple Blues Awards, where they celebrated their nomination in the New Band of the Year category. This 4 piece band keeps the dance floor rockin’ with their 50’s & 60’s Chicago blues and their original tunes. Their new CD, Still That Way Today, has been getting airplay nation wide.

Tickets $20 Advance or $25 Day of Event. Purchase online https://fvbs.square.site
or at the Eagles Lounge (cash only). Bring a copy of your receipt as proof of purchase. Purchasers name will be on the list.

FVBS Members can reserve seats by sending an email with their 3 table choices. Refer to our website for details (https://FVBlues.com).
Invite someone to join you. We all like to be included and there are still many who are not socializing as much (since COVID). Music is good for the heart & soul!

Cash only venue. Large wooden dance floor.

Listen to what we’ll be enjoying: