Broadleaf Theatre
theatre meets environmentalism
Who We Are.
Founded in 2014, Broadleaf Theatre creates multidisciplinary performance based on local, national and global environmental issues, making little-known environmental topics entertaining and accessible.
Our current work The Chemical Valley Project documents the vital work of Indigenous water protectors and land defenders Vanessa Gray and Lindsay Beze Gray for their community, Aamjiwnaang.
The company is led by Artistic Director and Producer Kevin Matthew Wong, and Associate Producers Mirka Loiselle and Angela Sun.
The Chemical Valley Project
A unique collaboration between Broadleaf Theatre artists Kevin Matthew Wong and Julia Howman, with Aamjiwnaang First Nation Water Protectors Vanessa and Lindsay Beze Gray, The Chemical Valley Project blends multi-media storytelling and small scale spectacle to explore reconciliation and environmentalism in Canada.
The Chemical Valley Project debuts at Theatre Passe Muraille in April 2019.
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Water Protectors Lindsay Beze Gray and Vanessa Gray during the first interview for The Chemical Valley Project. Photo by Kevin Matthew Wong.
The Chemical Valley Project
protest. performance. reconciliation.
In Sarnia, Ontario, an Indigenous community of 800 residents, is smothered by the Canadian petrochemical industry. Two siblings from Aamjiwnaang First Nation, Vanessa and Lindsay Beze Gray, have dedicated themselves to fighting environmental racism and to protecting their community’s land, air and water.
A breathtaking blend of documentary-theatre, innovative projection design, a charismatic script and playful solo-performance engage and implicate audiences in The Chemical Valley Project. This urgent production delves gracefully into difficult conversations on Indigenous treaty rights, the nature of contemporary Canadian identity and values, and Canada’s notorious “chemical valley”.
Kevin Matthew Wong, performer/creator Heather Majaury, facilitator/academic Amy Smoke, water protectors and Broadleaf collaborators Vanessa Gray and Lindsay Beze Gray, and Julia Howman at The Registry Theatre.
About
The Sarnia Chemical Valley is a petrochemical processing hub located in Southern Ontario. The Valley is home to numerous factories that process petrochemicals into consumer goods. It also acts as a terminal for several oil and gas pipelines that traverse North America. Completely surrounded by the Chemical Valley, the Aamjiwnaang First Nation's Reserve is directly impacted by industry.
Learn more about Aamjiwnaang at:
aamjiwnaangsoldiarity.com
Kevin Matthew Wong in rehearsal for "The Chemical Valley Project." Lindsay Beze Gray and Vanessa Gray appear on a scrim. Photo by Dahlia Katz.
Reviews & Media
Mooney on Theatre:
"I highly recommend seeing this show for the important reality it exposes. To its diligent creators: thank you."
NNNN - Now Magazine Critics' Pick
"Wong has a warm, generous and fully present delivery style, and Howman's imaginative production design goes beyond a slide presentation to create something with a grassroots, humane feel....
Wong is sensitive to the idea of cultural appropriation, and so he lets the siblings talk for themselves in audio interviews; in a video clip, he even shows them the work in progress and asks for suggestions, which he then implements"
alt theatre magazine
"I left The Chemical Valley Project with a sense of the value in stories, and with a model for what it takes to really listen and come to understand others’ lived experience... earnest, accessible, and very well told."
Janis Lacouvee:
"The Chemical Valley Project is moving and disruptive theatre, a call to action beautifully told and executed, and a must see for any modern Canadian."
The Chemical Valley Project. Photography by Dahlia Katz.
Development
The Chemical Valley Project was the winner of Theatre Passe Muraille's fall 2016 Crapshoot! It has also been shown at the 2017 FOOT Festival at the Centre for Drama Theatre and Performance Studies and "Protest in Performance: Solidarity with the Chippewas of the Thames." The work has been generously supported by Theatre Passe Muraille and the Ontario Arts Council through the Theatre Creators' Reserve Program. The Chemical Valley Project was then developed at the 2017 SummerWorks Performance Festival, where the project was a NOW Magazine Critics' Pick. The Chemical Valley Project is being developed as part of Theatre Passe Muraille's 2018 BUZZ Series, supported by the Laidlaw Foundation.
Post-BUZZ Development of The Chemical Valley Project has been supported by Ontario Arts Council Recommender Grants for Theatre Creators from Studio 180 and Theatre Gargantua.
Contact broadleaftheatre@gmail.com for booking details and our show package.
Project and Touring History
January 2017 - Art in Solidarity: Performance in Protest, Toronto, ON
February 2017 - FOOT Festival, Toronto, ON
August 2017 - Summerworks Performance Festival, Toronto
September 2017 - Aamjiwnaang Water Gathering, Aamjiwnaang First Nation
January 2018 - Theatre Passe Muraille BUZZ, Toronto, ON
March 2018 - The Registry Theatre, Kitchener-Waterloo, ON
May 2018 - Intrepid Theatre, UNO Fest, Victoria B.C.
May 2018 - Ignite Youth Festival, The Cultch, Vancouver B.C.
June 2018 - Festival Theaterformen, Braunschweig, Germany
June 2018 - foldA by SpiderWebShow, Kingston, ON
April 2019 - Toronto Premiere at Theatre Passe Muraille, Toronto, ON
Contact broadleaftheatre@gmail.com for touring opportunities and to bring the show to your community.
See the Show
The Chemical Valley Project will be seen next in:
Toronto, ON in April 2019 at Theatre Passe Muraille: https://passemuraille.ca/20182019-season
Book the Show
The Chemical Valley Project is available for touring nationally and internationally.
For inquiries please email Artistic Director Kevin Matthew Wong at broadleaftheatre@gmail.com
Associate Producer Angela Sun, Artistic Director Kevin Matthew Wong and Associate Producer Mirka Loiselle. Photo by Graham Isador.
Contact BROADLEAF
Artistic Director
Kevin Matthew Wong
broadleaftheatre@gmail.com
647-720-0886
Associate Producer
Mirka Loiselle
broadleaftheatre.outreach@gmail.com
Associate Producer
Angela Sun
broadleaftheatre.communication@gmail.com
The cast and crew of Bite-Sized (2016).
Who we've worked with.
Alex Jacob, Alex Treude, Alexandra Simpson, Alexander Friesen, Amalea Ruffett, Animacy Theatre Collective, Angela Sun, Ariel Martz-Oberlander, Bridget Yaqi Huang, Dan Newton, David Madras, Dorcas Chiu, Emma Tse, Emerjade Simms, Esme Coyle, Jesse Wabegejig, Jordan Angrove, Joseph Osawabine, Julia Howman, Kevin Matthew Wong, Keshia Palm, Kezia Island, Lucrece Shim, Lindsay Gray, Marlow Stainfield, Maya Wong, Michael Henley, Mirka Loiselle, Mimi Warshaw, Minha Lee, Morgan Johnson, Natalie Young, Nathaniel Rose, Nikolas Koschany, Parmida Vand, Rion Chow, Shashwat Sharma, Smith Purdy, Stephen Pereira, Tasha Stoltz, Vanessa Gray, Veronika Gribanova, Theatre Passe Muraille.