Online dating inspired Stephanie Henderson’s newest theatre production, Listen to Me.
“I was trying very hard to be quite genuine and open and trying to get an authentic experience but really, the experience is inauthentic because you’re trying to build some basis for a relationship with a computer instead of with a person,” said Henderson, the co-founder and co-artistic director of Resounding Scream Theatre.
“Unfortunately, it just meant a lot of frog kissing and photos of erect penises and none of them led me to my prince,” she says in the show’s press release.
The off-putting experiences made her reflect on how relationships form today.
“In the world of Tinder and Plenty of Fish and Events and Adventures, everyone’s trying to find ways to help people become connected, but it’s actually causing people to become even more disconnected,” Henderson said.
So the 29-year-old decided to create space for people to connect the old fashioned way — speed dating.
Only 10 people can attend each Listen to Me show where they’ll “speed date” 10 performers. As the show progresses, theatregoers will learn more about the actual personal lives of the actors.
“They’ll be challenging the audience to be vulnerable and to participate in their own theatrical experience by encouraging them to share things about themselves,” Henderson said. “And testing the waters to see how willing they are to be vulnerable face-to-face instead of face-to-screen.”
Formed in 2008 by Henderson and Catherine Ballachey, both graduates of the Simon Fraser University Contemporary Arts Program, Resounding Scream Theatre aims to challenge audiences and inspire conversations with new works that comment on what’s happening today. Henderson believes theatre is a great mode to explore matters that can be difficult to talk about.
Difficulty opening up shouldn’t scare the private and reserved from attending and participating in Listen to Me.
“The structure of the show offers the opportunity for audience participants to be as involved or as uninvolved as they would like,” Henderson said. “The actors are actually sharing quite personal and private moments that people closest to them don’t even know and so they’re pushing themselves out of the realm of comfort to make themselves become incredibly vulnerable with these strangers, and I hope that audiences will see that.”
As for audience and cast members making a romantic connection through the show, Henderson says it’s a possibility.
“We do have a number of single cast members who aren’t particularly looking for relationships through the show, but the opportunity might arise for a true and honest and genuine connection to be built because of the level of vulnerability that is going to be experienced at the show. And if that happens, that would be wonderful.”
Listen to Me runs Dec. 2 to 6 at Agro Café, 1363 Railspur Alley, on Granville Island. For more information, see .
