Lela & Co. by Cordelia Lynn (2017)

Lela & Co.

By Cordelia Lynn

Directed by Melissa-Jane (MJ) Shaw

Starring Jenna Harris and Graham Cuthbertson

Canadian Premier Production 

Produced by Discord and Din Theatre

In association with Seventh Stage Productions

September 21st – October 8th, 2017

The Theatre Centre BMO Incubator, 1115 Queen Street West

Here’s what critics are saying about “Lela & Co.”:

Emerging independent theatre company, Discord and Din Theatre (This is Where We Live, The SummerWorks Theatre Festival 2015 and Mine, the Next Stage Theatre Festival 2015), in association with Seventh Stage Productions (Wendy Darling, Stockholm, 9 Parts of Desire, Whale Music and more), is producing the Canadian premiere of Cordelia Lynn’s searing feminist play Lela & Co. from September 21^st to October 8^th, 2017 at The Theatre Centre BMO Incubator. Both companies pride themselves on producing politically and socially relevant theatre to shed light on those in the dark.

First produced in 2015 at the Royal Court Theatre in London, Lela & Co. is a timely and gut-wrenching play about women’s worth in a capitalist world. Based on a true story, Lela & Co. gives space for a woman to tell her story of being sex trafficked by her husband, during a time of war. Beginning with memories of her childhood, Lela dives headfirst into her haunting and harrowing story with bravery, tenacity and unexpected humour. Exploring “truth” in storytelling, who gets to tell whose story, and the resiliency of the human spirit, Lela & Co. promises to be an intimate 90-minute experience for both Lela and her audience.

Directed by Melissa-Jane Shaw, Artistic Producer of feminist theatre company Seventh Stage Productions and featuring Jenna Harris (This is Where We Live, Mine) and Graham Cuthbertson (Constellations, The Goodnight Bird), and an all-female team of designers, producers and interns. “Lela & Co. feels sadly not only relevant,” says Shaw, “but necessary. With what continues to happen in our world daily, it is a political act to give women a platform to speak about their experiences, tell their stories and to take up space in this world. Bringing this play to the stage is this, a political act; it is using the tools that we have at our disposal as female-identified artists to stand up for what we believe in and work towards bringing about the change we want in the world. For me, directing this play is an act of resistance.”

This production will focus on accountability and action by partnering with local and international NGOs including OneChild (onechild.ca), [free-them] (freethem.ca), Convenant House (www.convenanthousetoronto.ca) and more to raise awareness about human trafficking and violence against women and children both in Canada and abroad, as well as to support them in their work. We will also have a day of activities on Saturday, September 23^rd to observe the International Day against Sexual Exploitation and Human Trafficking of Women and Children.
We are thrilled to bring this acclaimed play to Canada!