Tsawwassen-raised writer and artist Shelby Satterthwaite is set to premiere her new play Light Rapid Transit this month.
Produced by Delta-based Coffeehouse Theatre and directed by Carly Pokoradi, Light Rapid Transit is presented by Upintheair Theatre as part of the 2022 rEvolver Festival.
There will be four performances from May 26 to 29 at the Cultch Historic Theatre in Vancouver.
In Light Rapid Transit, six friends and strangers navigate being in transit, physically and emotionally. Taking place entirely on the Vancouver Expo Line, their lives intertwine and are changed irreversibly by one another through acts as simple as choosing a seat.
Light Rapid Transit itself evolved from a random act of generosity on the SkyTrain: as Satterthwaite was getting off the train, a stranger gave her a bouquet of flowers and requested that she share them with anyone she crossed paths with. During the past four years, that encounter developed into a play about connection and interdependence.
Light Rapid Transit is Coffeehouse Theatre’s fifth production, and its first in-person event since 2019. It’s a big move for the young company, being the first time they are producing outside of Delta and in collaboration with another company.
The cast and crew is a talented mix of artists, some of whom have been attached to Light Rapid Transit for multiple years.
The cast includes Bruce Hill, Hunter Golden, Nyx Debogorski, Amelia Brooker, Sarah Zaiter, and Jessica Wong. In addition to Pokoradi, the play features lighting design by Ben Pilger, sound design by Miriam Dumitra, original music by Noah Franche-Nolan, and dramaturgy by Santana Berryman. The team is rounded out by several SDSS Equinox Theatre alumni: stage manager Amy Bell, producers Camryn Chew and Kate Chubbs, and of course playwright/assistant director Satterthwaite.
Individual tickets and festival passes can be purchased through the Cultch box office online at tickets.thecultch.com and by phone at 604-251-1363. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Cultch (1895 Venables St, Vancouver), Monday to Friday from noon to 4 p.m. and one hour prior to all performances.
