Created and Performed by the men of William Head on Stage Prison Theatre Company, and members of the Prison Arts Collective
For: YOU, the public
Opening October 10, 2014th,
“It’s a testament to the power of theatre to change lives.” - Globe and Mail
“Performed with gusto. Go for the adventure; stay for the show.”–Monday Magazine
PUBLIC PERFORMANCES
*Seating is limited and the November dates always sell out, so buy early, and buy often.
Audience Reminders:
THE COMPANY - William Head on Stage (W.H.o.S.)
Inmates have been running WHoS from inside the prison for the past 30 years. The inmates choose the plays, build the sets, manage tickets, sew costumes and perform in the shows. This marks their first-ever collaborative creation, and first full-on puppet theatre production. “I love the sense of accomplishment,” says one inmate involved. “It’s addictive. It’s therapeutic in spite of you, it happens without you realizing it.”
Email snafudance@gmail.com to join the WHoS mailing list and we will keep you in the know
In Victoria, BC
A heartfelt new show created by the men of William Head Prison, inspired by reading the novel The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom, the author of the number one New York Times bestseller Tuesdays with Morrie.
Twenty men incarcerated at William Head Prison are working with Victoria’s theatre makers and musicians to create an all new play, a heartfelt contemporary fable about one man’s life and the people he has affected along the way. If you could travel back in time, what advice might you give your younger self? Do you think it would have changed anything?
Time Waits for No One centers around the character of Eddie, an everyman's man, as he is coming to terms with what he has given and taken from people in his life, and the ripple effects created by his actions. At the end of his life Eddie returns to the amusement park he explored as a kid, where he is drawn into a magical carousal ride that takes him back in time to revisit different stages of his life. From awkward teenage love to trouble with his foster family and his time spent in prison, Eddie is catapulted through his life guided by the spirits of five animals: the Raven, Horse, Raccoon, Buck, and Hummingbird. Eddie’s experiences are inspired by true stories from the incarcerated men's lives.
William Head on Stage (or WHoS) is the only inmate-run prison theatre company in all of Canada that invites the public into the prison to experience their shows. WHoS has been creating shows for the public for the last 33 years at William Head Prison, which you will find tucked away on the windy coast in the forests of Metchosin, a 35-minute drive from Victoria, BC.
Public audiences are invited through prison security and into the prison gymnasium theatre, which has been transformed into an immersive amusement park with carnival games designed and built by the inmates. An inmate usher rips your ticket as you grab a bag of free popcorn and a coffee and sit down to enjoy the play, featuring an original live soundtrack written and performed by Katrina Kadoski and the inmate band.
Created, designed and built by inmates from William Head on Stage and The Prison Arts Collective (Anne Cirillo, Kathleen Greenfield, Ingrid Hansen, Katrina Kadoski, Carole Klemm, Poe Limkul, Jeni Luther, and Kate Rubin.)
October 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, 30, 31
& November 1, 6, 7, 8
VENUE - William Head Institution - 6000 William Head Rd
A Minimum Security Prison, a 45 minute drive from downtown Victoria, through Metchosin
Inquiries and Information - The WHoS Office Line - (250) 391-7078
TICKETS - $20
Buy Tickets In-person at MyChosen Café (4492 Happy Valley Rd, Metchosin)
- OR -
Buy Tickets In-Person at Ticket Rocket (inside Intrepid Theatre Office at #2 – 1609 Blanshard St. at Fisgard, Victoria)
Buy Tickets by Phoning 250-590-6291
Buy Tickets Online at www.ticketrocket.org
ALL TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED IN ADVANCE,
None are for sale at the prison gates.
6:15pm - Gate Opens
7:15pm - Gate Closes (absolutely no latecomers)
7:30pm - Show Begins
“WHoS is a safe place where we don’t have to wear a mask or project an image,” says another. “Going through prison . . . there are many messages we get put into our heads that you are inhuman. . . The process slowly chips away at you. I didn’t realize how deep it went until I was exposed to the community. Oh yes, this is what it is like to be treated like a person…we need normal human contact without an agenda.” - WHoS Inmate
An audience member wrote in a letter to WHoS, “What a life-changing process. I feel a real sense of hope for these men, knowing that this WHoS production was a part of their preparation to re-enter society. I hope they emerge changed, strengthened and opened by this experience.”
Media Contact: Ingrid Hansen - snafudance@gmail.com
PAST REVIEWS:
“A spellbinding performance . . . It’s a testament to the power of theatre to change lives.”
- The Globe and Mail
“Performed with gusto and with visually impressive stage direction, the inmates of William Head made me a believer. Go for the adventure; stay for the show.”
–Monday Magazine.
“I applaud the tenacity and perseverance of people who strive to light the creative spark within. . . the trek to William Head on Stage and Gormenghast is well worth the effort.”
-Janis La Couvee www.janislacouvee.com
“The expression of people whose daily movements are otherwise suppressed and restrained, is a beautiful thing to witness.”
- The Marble www.themarble.tumblr.com
WHoS - William Head on Stage is an inmate initiated, inmate run theatre company inside William Head Institution on Vancouver Island, British Coumbia, Canada. This is the only theatre company in a canadian federal prison which opens it's gates to the public audience.