Please Note: This play includes stories from historical events we have witnessed in our lifetimes. The final story is about September 11, specifically watching the news footage from that day and the continued impact. If you are unsure about listening to that scene it is from 26:26 – 28:32.
GeriActors & Friends presents, Way Back
A kaleidoscope of true stories – growing up during WWII, farm life in Alberta and Sri Lanka, birth and motherhood, growing up in Trinidad, and more – this play remembers the moments of joy, hardship, triumph and magic we all experience.
“My father would tell us to ‘think big!’ and my mother would say, ‘be careful.'”
Cast & Creative
Written in collaboration with Meg Braem
Developed & Directed by David Barnet & Becca Barrington
Audio Production Produced by Kim McCaw, Sound Editing by Josh Gwozdz
Featuring Angela Smythe, Carlean Fisher, Charles Bidwell, Chips Reid, Diane Jonsson, John Grootelaar, Kerry Francis, Liz Allchin, Liz Reid, Margaret Rutherford, Maria Yakula, Pat Parkinson, Pearl Edwards, and Ranee Wickramasekera
History of the Play
“In that moment. We watched an impossible thing happen.”
While COVID-19 presented many challenges, it also inspired new ways of sharing stories and connecting with audiences. We transformed our 2021 virtual production of Way Back into an audio play with accompanying music and sound effects. This inspired the creation of our AudioGeris program, and created an opportunity for audiences all across Canada to interact with our work! We loved the process of creating this piece, and are so happy to share it.
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
Thank you to EPCOR’s Heart + Soul Fund and the Sage Seniors Association for supporting the production of Way Back.
