PURGE (2021)

Written by Sofi Oksanen
Translated by Eva Buchwald
Directed by Hanna Fridhed

View the program for Purge here!

AUDITION DETAILS AND REGISTRATION - CALL CLOSED
STAGE MANAGEMENT MENTORSHIP DETAILS AND APPLICATION - CALL CLOSED

TICKETS ON SALE: at https://bit.ly/YMMPurge!
Live performances, July 15-17, 2021: $40, Seniors: $35
Virtual performances, July 15-25, 2021: $10
Rated M for mature audiences

About the show

Why is Purge extremely relevant today? Learn more here.

Purge is a powerful and breathtaking drama of two women dogged by their own traumatic pasts. Set in both the years following WW2 and the early 1990s, the play centres on issues still very relevant to our society today.

When Aliide Truu, an older woman living alone in the Estonian countryside, finds a dishevelled girl huddled in her front yard, she suppresses her misgivings and offers her shelter. Zara is a young sex-trafficking victim on the run from her captors, but a photo she carries with her soon makes it clear that her arrival at Aliide’s home is no coincidence. Survivors both, Aliide and Zara engage in a complex arithmetic of suspicion and revelation to distill each other’s motives; gradually, their stories emerge, the culmination of a tragic family drama of rivalry, lust, and loss that played out during the worst years of Estonia’s Soviet occupation.

Purge is a thought-provoking drama unlike any that Fort McMurray has seen in years.

“Purge is a story with many layers and beautifully multi-faceted and well-developed characters. At its core, it is intensely human.” says Director Hanna Fridhed. “Creating live theatre right now comes with a number of challenges, but it also invites artists to take their craft to a new level. It forces you to think outside of the box. It’s an opportunity for innovation, collaboration, and creativity both on and off the stage.”

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Purge is produced and performed with cutting-edge safety precautions, including the integration of cameras and live-streaming to the rehearsal process. Purge will be professionally filmed and broadcast to audiences.

“We are so excited and optimistic that Purge will mark the start of a new chapter for the arts in our region, as we move forward from the pandemic,” added Bailey Yarkie, Artistic Director of Theatre; Just Because.

Headshots by Jenna Buffett Photography

Artistic Team

Hanna Fridhed | Director & Producer

Hanna is a Swedish theatre artist who previously directed Evil Dead The Musical (2019) for Theatre; Just Because and various plays for the ADFA North Zone One-Act Theatre Festival, receiving awards for Outstanding Director (2017, 2018 & 2019) and Production (2017). She is thrilled to be able to bring Purge to the Fort McMurray stage and for live theatre to return after its long pandemic hiatus, exploring new and exciting ways to create in the process.

Hanna has appeared in numerous Keyano Theatre productions. Select shows include Run For Your Wife (2016), A Christmas Carol (2014 and 2017), Nurse Jane Goes to Hawaii (2018), and Lend Me A Tenor (2019). She has also performed in dinner theatres, notably Fanny & Manny Tie the Knot (2015), The Awesome 80s Prom (2017), and AHOY! A Pirate’s Life For Me (2018) with Theatre; Just Because. She is currently the Outgoing Director for Theatre; Just Because and sits on the Theatre Alberta Board of Directors.

Zachary Barrett | Stage Manager, Assistant Director, Videographer & Fight Choreographer

Zach has worked in Fort McMurray as a Stage Manager for nearly 8 years, starting with Keyano Theatre’s Drama Force Program and, in recent years, as the Resident Stage Manager for Keyano as well. Having graduated from the Keyano College Visual & Performing Arts program, he acquired his Degree in Filmmaking at Red Deer College and now co-owns Twisted Gears Studios, a production company in town as well. He is proud to be able to bring both his management and filmmaking experience to Fort McMurray’s theatre scene.

Raili Boe | Set, Costume, Props & Projections Designer

Raili Boe is a designer and historical costume maker at Fort Edmonton Park. Raili holds a BFA in design from the University of Lethbridge as well as a staging practicum at Banff Centre. She briefly worked as prop goblin at Keyano Theatre. Select recent credits include Evil Dead The Musical (Set, Costume and Prop Designer), The Great Gatsby (Set Designer*), Barefoot in Nightgown by Candlelight (Production Designer), The Invisibles (Lighting Operator), Riders to the Sea and Ten Belles with No Ring (Costume Designer). Raili is also the personal designer for local talent Ms. Simma Downe. Look for more of Raili’s work at this year’s Buffys! Shoutout to mom, dad and BattleAxe.

Jayme Barter | Lighting Designer

Jayme Barter is a local theatre artist and musician born and raised in Fort McMurray. Jayme has been involved with Theatre; Just Because since its inception and has contributed to many projects such as The Awesome 80s Prom, Ultimate Reality! 90s Edition and word(PLAYS) as a Lighting Designer and Assistant Stage Manager. She also stage managed Hanna Fridhed’s Two Eggs for the ADFA Provincial One Act Festival in 2017. Jayme returned to Fort McMurray in early 2019 and worked on Macbeth with Theatre; Just Because as the Lighting Designer and made her debut as Stage Manager with Evil Dead The Musical in late 2019, directed by Hanna Fridhed.

Chloe Mohan | Sound Designer

Chloe is a theatre designer and technician from Calgary, AB. This is her first time designing for Theatre; Just Because, and she is thrilled to be involved with the show. Her past sound design credits include All in the Timing, 15 Minute Hamlet (Spiritfire Theatre). She has also worked as a Lighting Designer for A Streetcar Named Desire, Vincent, All in the Timing, 15 Minute Hamlet (Spiritfire Theatre), 9 Circles (Theatre Disponsibilite).