Someone Between
"...Through dance, movement, mime and ritual, the past and present seamlessly overlap. Of all of the plays I saw in the festival, this script was the best written, and much credit is due to director and dramaturge Paula Wing. It is a personal story, well told, with compassion, empathy, and commitment. Simply a joy to watch." - Brian Morton, View Magazine
"[Chantria] plays both roles masterfully, in part through change of voice, on stage change of costumes and very subtle but very effective choreography...This show is a lovely piece that was years in the making. The attention to detail, in all elements, shows." - Bryan Boodhoo, Raise The Hammer
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'Someone Between' is a one-person show and a personal investigation where playwright/performer, Chantria Tram, probes complex and painful questions of cultural transition and identity with humour, empathy and emotional vulnerability. Triggered by a terrible event, Chantria hangs in the balance between tradition and progressiveness, family and individuality, past and future as she seeks her Khmer (Cambodian) roots and a deeper understanding of her family’s journey to Canada.
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The project stemmed eight years ago as a five-minute self-revelatory piece, developed in Concordia University's Theatre Development course. Its inaugurating production was mounted at Le Monument Nationale in Montreal (2009) and has gone onto present at various conferences and festivals including at the 2010 Wildside Festival. It has been awarded several creative residencies in Montreal.
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It took much-needed rest until its revival last year when Ins Choi ('Kim's Convenience', CBC) invited the project to take part as a workshopped staged reading at the first Tiger Bamboo Theatre Festival, hosted by Soulpepper Theatre Company. Our creative team would like to sincerely thank the Ontario Arts Council for granting the project five theatre creators' reserves in order to develop it further.
'Someone Between' will be presented at the Hamilton Fringe Festival in Hamilton, Ontario and at the Summerworks Performance Festival in Toronto, Ontario.
Sponsors
Presentations
Audience Quotes
A production by Apsara Theatre Company in association with Dreamwalker Dance Company
Creative & Production Teams
Written and Performed by Chantria Tram; Dramaturged and Directed by Paula Wing
Movement Direction by Andrea Nann
Set and Costume Design by Alexandra Lord
Lighting Design by Michelle Tracey
Sound location and editing by Garnet Willis
Stage Managed by Corey Palmer
Marketing and Promotions by Romina Julian
Poster Design by Lavinia Manea
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Montreal Production Team
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Written and Performed by Chantria Tram
Directed by Milena Buziak
Dramaturged by Mike Czuba
Stage Managed by Bryan James
Technical Direction and Lighting Design by Jeremy Pinchuk
Set and Costume Design by Lara Kaluza
Sound Design and Composition by Sergio I. Sanchez
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Special Thanks to Bochan Huy:
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Presentations
Click images below for tickets
2017 Hamilton Fringe Festival
Venue: Hamilton Theatre Inc.
140 MacNab St N, Hamilton, ON L8R 2M3
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Show 1 - Thursday July 20 9:00pm
Show 2 - Saturday July 22 2:00pm
Show 3 - Sunday July 23 6:00pm
Show 4 - Wednesday July 26 5:30pm
Show 5 - Thursday July 27 7:30pm
Show 6 - Saturday July 29 9:30pm
Show 7 - Sunday July 30 2:00pm
2017 Summerworks Performance Festival
Venue: Factory Studio Theatre
125 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M5V 2R2
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Show 1 - Thursday August 3 4:30pm
Show 2 - Saturday August 5 12:00pm
Show 3 - Sunday August 6 7:30pm
Show 4 - Monday August 7 5:00pm
Show 5 - Tuesday August 8 5:45pm
Show 6 - Friday August 11 4:30pm
Show 7 - Saturday August 12 6:45pm
Photos from the Hamilton Production
Photo by Romina Julian
Photo by Romina Julian
Photo by Romina Julian
Photo by Romina Julian
Audience Reactions
"When I first saw SOMEONE BETWEEN, I had only previously been exposed to big stage productions. Les Miserables, Fiddler on the Roof and various Shakespeare performances at Stratford. An independent one woman show based on the true story of a young woman learning to about her intricate family history was something I never thought I was find myself sitting through, let alone relate to.
Thankfully, I found myself sitting in the audience during Chantria's performance at the Soulpepper and I found an appreciation for art I had yet to experience with the big beautiful productions. Though beautiful and performed wonderfully, they didn't connect the same way 'Someone Between' left me feeling I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, sometimes laughing and sometimes crying but always extremely entertained by the thought provoking narrative. Her use of time, story and song bring you immensely into the world and you feel a part of her family.
I can't wait to see it performed again. It is surely a show that will leave you wondering and wanting more."
~Thomas Scott, CEO/Producer (Gopher It Productions)
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“SOMEONE BETWEEN is a personal investigation written and performed by her where she seeks her Cambodian roots and a deeper understanding of her family’s journey to Canada. She played multiple characters with distinction, while she probed complex and painful questions of cultural transition and identity with humour, empathy and emotional vulnerability. Throughout she showed an understanding of how to best tell a story in a way that invites the audience to find themselves in it. Her work was nuanced, her spirit was generous and it had a marked effect on audiences.”
~ Bryan Doubt, Acting & Movement Coach (Stratford Conservatory for Classical Training, Banff Centre, National Theatre School, Concordia University)
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“I first saw SOMEONE BETWEEN in a staged reading at Soulpepper's Tiger Bamboo Festival in 2016. On a bare stage, with minimum technical enhancement, Chantria Tram wove a spellbinding story of love, dreams, and the unending journey of trying to understand where we come from in order to live who we are.”
~Paula Wing, Dramatuge & Director (Geordie Productions, Artist-in-residence, Soulpepper Theatre Company)
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Skilfully performed and imaginatively staged, this is theatre based on a real-life personal story of growing up in a Canadian immigrant family. I highly recommend “Someone Between.”
~Rachael Van Fossen, Theatre Director and Playwright, Part-time Faculty, Concordia University Theatre Department.
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