An intergalactic influencer tackles colonization in Space Girl at Prairie Theatre Exchange
iPhoto caption: Production photo by Joey Senft.
Prairie Theatre Exchange is sending a social media influencer to the moon.
Frances Koncan’s comedy Space Girl subverted expectations during its run in Winnipeg last year, combining a story about colonization, asteroids and space exploration with a Gen Z tale about the woes of being a social media influencer. Soon, audiences from all over will get a chance to experience the out-of-this-world piece digitally, when its filmed version becomes available to stream later this month.
The play follows Lyra, a 21-year-old who is both the first person born on the moon and the number one social media influencer in the galaxy, as she embarks on an eventful journey to find her way home from Earth and discover who she is along the way. She’s also facing the threat of an asteroid heading towards earth, not to mention the devastation of being bumped down to the number two influencer.
Written by Frances Koncan and directed by Krista Jackson, the space comedy originally ran at Prairie Theatre Exchange last March. The idea to create a filmed version of the production came just a few months before opening night, when the theatre realized they had a budget for digital programming and decided Space Girl — a play brimming with technology and social media references — would be a good fit for a digital platform.
“There are a lot of plot points, a lot of narratives in it, that don’t necessarily follow the expected course, and that’s intentional,” Koncan said of the play in an interview. “I think there’s a certain hunger for that kind of story that often doesn’t get produced because it is a risk, and it’s a scary thing to deviate from what’s expected.”
Koncan, an Anishinaabe and Slovene playwright from Couchiching First Nation who uses she/they pronouns, began writing Space Girl in 2021 at the height of the pandemic. Despite the shuttered state of theatre at the time, they were lucky enough to receive a commission from Prairie Theatre Exchange to create a new play.
Koncan drew inspiration for the story from both The Wizard of Oz, and headlines about tone-deaf billionaires traveling to space.
“I just thought that was so ridiculous when here on earth, there were so many things that could use that kind of financial support,” Koncan said.
Space Girl explores the concept of social media and the power it holds — a topic deeply important to Koncan. As a self-described social media enthusiast, and someone who particularly enjoys the way platforms encourage creativity and allow for activism, she hopes the play serves as a reminder of the responsibility we all have to be mindful about what we post.
“I think we forget the power that we can have through what we’re sharing, through who our audience is,” they said. “Space Girl is really just a reminder that when we have people that are watching us, we have a responsibility to think about what we’re saying and do it responsibly.”
Perhaps a more subtle — but equally important — theme in the play is the impact of colonization here on Earth and the potential implications of repeating the same mistakes in space. That’s a question Koncan hopes “simmers underneath all the fun” as audiences sit with their thoughts post-show.
And yet, despite the serious nature of some of the themes, the decision to write a comedy, rather than a drama, was less of a choice for Koncan and more of a natural instinct. Over time, despite self-doubt, they’ve come to believe that comedy can be just as, if not more, effective at communicating important themes, as the genre can open audiences up to ideas in ways they may not expect.
“I’ve often felt like to be taken seriously, you have to write really serious shows,” she said, “but I’m sort of leaning into comedy and humour as a way to explore those ideas that are really serious.”
Creating art geared at young people, from her own generation, has always mattered to Koncan — and the way this play depicts Millennials’ and Gen Z’s real life experiences on stage is a major point of pride for the writer.
While this marks the first work of Koncan’s to be filmed for digital viewing, they say they care deeply about accessibility in theatre, and they’re excited about the potential for different kinds of audiences to get to experience it. They’re particularly eager to see how it translates on screen given its exploration of technology and the role screens play in our lives.
“The play itself explores the idea of screens a lot – not just film screens and movie screens, but also phone screens and all of these ways we connect with each other when we can’t connect in person,” Koncan said. “I have a hunch that that will translate really interestingly into a filmed version.”
Space Girl will be available for audiences to purchase and stream digitally from January 17 — 28. Tickets are available here.
Mira Miller
Mira is an arts, lifestyle, and health freelance writer based in Toronto. She covers intersectional feminism, issues affecting the 2SLGBTQ+ community, theatre, body image, and more. In her spare time, you can find her listening to the soundtrack of a musical, watching Broad City, or dreaming about her next meal.
LEARN MORE
iPhoto caption: Miriam Fernandes as the Storyteller, with Anaka Maharaj-Sandhu as Arjuna and Neil D'Souza as Krishna in Why Not Theatre’s Mahabharata (Shaw Festival, 2023). Photo by David Cooper. Set design by Lorenzo Savoini, costume design by Gillian Gallow, lighting design by Kevin Lamotte, projection design by Hana S. Kim.
For the creators of Why Not Theatre’s Mahabharata, nothing is more contemporary than an ancient epic
“I’ve been [telling] the company to embrace time as a collaborator,” says director Ravi Jain ahead of the show’s April run at Canadian Stage.
iPhoto caption: L to R: Louise Duff (Ruth), Meg Farhall (Mrs. Bradman), Corrine Koslo (Madame Arcati), Tyrell Crews (Charles), and Christopher Hunt (Dr. Bradman) in Blithe Spirit at Theatre Calgary. Photo by Trudie Lee.
At Theatre Calgary, Corrine Koslo returns to the role of Madame Arcati after 20 years away
“I’m still flying around a bit but I’m not, you know, leaping six feet into the air and things like that,” says Koslo. “And I don’t need to. Then, I did. That was who I was and that’s who I brought to the table.”
iPhoto caption: Photo courtesy of the CBC.
As the trade war rages on, CBC’s PlayME stays true to its mandate of platforming Canadian writers
“I think all five of these shows really help us plant a stake in saying who we are as Canadians,” says PlayME co-creator Chris Tolley.
Alan Cumming and Ari Shapiro promise to hold nothing back in thoughtful but naughty cabaret
“Cabaret is like a smorgasbord,” says Cumming ahead of the show's engagement at The Rose in Brampton. “You can turn on a sixpence. [It’s about] shocking you with the extremes of what might happen. I think we certainly live up to that.”
iPhoto caption: Photo by Jennifer Rowsom
Q&A: Playwright-performer Kelly Clipperton on his new ‘one-man-lady-cabaret’ show
Let’s Assume I Know Nothing, and Move Forward From There offers a look at grief, joy, and the unexpected lessons that accompany personal transformation.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Virginie Meigné.
Animal puppets lay bare the effects of climate catastrophe in Dimanche
How can theatre engage with a crisis as enormous as climate change? One answer: go miniature. That’s the approach Belgian theatre companies Chaliwaté and Focus take in their co-creation Dimanche, playing at Meridian Arts Centre on February 21 and 22.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Randy deKleine-Stimpson.
GCTC solo show traces the complex journey of parenting a trans child
“At the end of the day, the play is trying to show the messiness of parenthood, that it's not about perfection,” says Why It’s imPossible playwright Sophia Fabiilli ahead of the show’s run at the Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa. “It's about finding where the discomfort is.”
iPhoto caption: Kiera Publicover in Isle of Demons. Images courtesy of Guild Festival Theatre.
Isle of Demons blends hope and grief at Guild Festival Theatre
“It's a really powerful piece for right now,” says actor Kiera Publicover. “We see so much grief going on around us all of the time and sometimes it feels impossible to fight through it, but at the end of the day, it's the hope that gets us through.”
Inside three mouth-watering shows at Toronto Fringe 2024
Intermission sat down with the creative masterminds behind three highly anticipated Fringe shows to get the inside scoop on what goes into creating a smash hit.
“I think as Canadian theatre artists, we sometimes like to downplay our contribution,” says Chris Tolley. “But when you actually see people around the world hungry for Canadian stories, you realize we have an awful lot to contribute.”
iPhoto caption: Photo of Weyni Mengesha by Mikka Gia. Photo of Young Centre for the Performing Arts by Tom Arban.
Soulpepper shines a light on women playwrights with Her Words Festival
“There's something for everyone,” said artistic director Weyni Mengesha. “The work on stage is irreverent, it's uplifting, it’s hilarious, it's quite moving — it’s going to have everything on stage, including you.”
Inspired by ‘80s rom-coms, The Waltz explores young love and the intimacy of sharing stories
“Authenticity may include trauma or suffering, but it doesn't have to end in sadness,” says playwright Marie Beath Badian. “It isn't the end of the story and it isn't the point of the story.”
Comments