The Frontliners

by Zahida Rahemtulla

Vancouver, British Columbia—Late January 2016. Canada is in the throes of resettling the first wave of 25,000 Syrian refugees. As three frontline workers battle Vancouver’s housing crisis to move families out of an East Van hotel, their lives are brought together in ways that irreversibly shape them.

Unscripted: The Frontliners
A live stream featuring a mix of live and pre-recorded conversations with expert speakers and audiences engaging via Youtube Live. Unscripted: The Frontliners allows for deeper conversations about the representation of minority groups and their narratives in theatre, the immense pressure immigrant frontline workers are under during a refugee crisis, and larger conversations around how newcomers are and aren’t portrayed in news and media discussed with hosts Zahida Rahemtulla and Davey Samuel Calderon with their guest speakers. Along with filmed recordings of scene excerpts brought to life by the workshop team.

Workshop Credits
Curated and Written by Zahida Rahemtulla
Dramaturg: Davey Samuel Calderon
Sound Designer: Heather Kemski
Production Management: Maria Zarrilo
Production Coordinator: Olivia Etey
Technical Coordinator: Jack Goodison
Videographer and Editor: Gabriel Ordoñez Cifuentes
Cultural Consultants: Oussayma Canbarieh, Farooq al Sajee and Majd Dagha
Guest Speakers: Gulalai Habib, Bal Brach and Oussayma Canbarieh
Workshop Actors: Mostafa Shaker, Tom Pickett and Sabrina Vellani

Developed with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and BC Arts Council. This play has been developed through PTC’s New Play in Development Prize/Fringe New Play Prize.