This is the Story of the Child Ruled by Fear
Performances occur in the Baby Grand Theatre
27 Mar 2025 – 29 Mar 2025
David has written a play for himself and a gathering of friends and strangers to read together out loud. It’s the story of the rise and fall of an imaginary civilization in an imaginary land. A poetic fable about how to live with the slowly unfolding emergencies of our world, it’s also an invitation to join in on the artistic process, and a testament to the power of a roomful of people discovering a story together.
Created by a team of award-winning artists from across Canada, This Is the Story of the Child Ruled by Fear invites you back to the theatre after the strangest years of our lives, asking you to help tell a story about worry and wonder, loneliness and community, beauty and despair.
Participate according to your own comfort – read for a character, join the chorus, or sit back and watch – and join this humorous, cathartic exploration of our innermost private fears.
Join us for more! Immediately following the performance on Thursday, March 27th patrons are invited to stay for a “Talkback” with the artist, giving you the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the performance.
About our Talkback Moderator:
Dr. Jenn Stephenson, Associate Dean (Studies), Faculty of Arts and Science, Professor, Queen’s University - Talkback Moderator on Thursday, March 27th
As Associate Dean (Academic), Dr. Stephenson's portfolio includes oversight of the undergraduate operations in the Faculty of Arts and Science, as well as the oversight and implementation of undergraduate academic regulations. The Associate Dean also reviews student appeals or academic integrity cases and manages complex academic cases involving individual students and faculty members. Dr. Stephenson participates in all committees of the Faculty relative to students or programs and liaise with the division of Student Affairs, Student Wellness Services, the Human Rights Office and the Office of the University Ombudsman. The Associate Dean’s portfolio also includes Admission and Recruitment, Orientation, and the implementation of the Senate Policy on Academic Consideration for Students in Extenuating Circumstances.
Dr. Stephenson holds a PhD from the University of Toronto and previously served as the Undergraduate Chair at the Dan School of Drama and Music. Her research is focused on contemporary Canadian drama, metatheatricality, "theatre of the real," autobiographical performance, and performativity in fictional worlds-within.
Theatre Research
Do you enjoy discussing theatre performances that you attend? Would you like to participate in theatre research?
As part of his PhD dissertation at York University, Derek Manderson (he/him) is interviewing audience members to better understand how they choose to play in participatory performances.
If you are interested in lending your perspective to this work, Derek and his research team would love to chat about your experience attending This is the Story of the Child Ruled by Fear. The team will be conducting interviews at the theatre right after the show on the evening of Friday, March 28th and after both the matinee and evening shows on Saturday, March 29th. Interviews should take about 10-15 mins. There is no advance sign-up; just come say hi to the team in the lobby after these performances!
Category
Resident company
Season
2024/25
Ticket Prices & Upcoming Performances
$29.50 plus HST and handling fee
- Thursday, March 27, 20257:30PM
- Friday, March 28, 20257:30PM
- Saturday, March 29, 20252:30PM
- Saturday, March 29, 20257:30PM
“I can’t think of another work of art, let alone theatre, that makes it so easy to collectively consider the terrifying aspects of our changing world and warming planet without shame and panic as an underscore, and where instead of being a chore or embarrassment, audience participation truly makes you feel less alone.”
Zoe Glassman, Edmonton
“this is the first show i saw in a theatre after the start of the pandemic. i cried the whole time. it was other-wordly wonderful. this is a very special play (? event? community happening?). don’t!!! miss!!! it!!!
Elena Eli Belyea, Edmonton
”We all have fears and sometimes we can be brave and sometimes we can’t. The play evades a simple answer. Nevertheless, the true outcome is that in the end, we have all partaken in a collective journey to create something that we don’t know how it goes, and we journey together with generosity for the risk of participating. The result is a kind of vulnerable rough beauty. “
Dr. Jenn Stephenson, PLAY: The Blog
“The divide between artist and audience becomes increasingly blurred, dynamizing the stage into a communal space for co-creation. If [this performance] proves anything, it’s that new theatrical places will continue to be explored as artists and audiences navigate the potentialities of the return to being together.”
Derek Manderson, smART Magazine
“Such a brilliant idea. The piece is intimate and deeply personal. It’s also driven by big, deep questions about human purpose and the much larger, mythic forces at work in all of our lives.”
Marcus Youssef, Siminovitch Prize-Winning Playwright, Vancouver
“I left the theatre, and a discussable and pleasurable evening, with a renewed appreciation that theatre, the art form of real people together in the same room sharing an experience, is on the right track. We’ve always known it: it’s validating to have a demo from an artist, a true original, that it’s meaningful, even cathartic, to tell stories together about what haunts us, scares us, weighs us down. There’s wonder in it. And wonder is enlivening.”
Liz Nichols, 12thnight.ca
