“How do [teenagers] feel when they are on this field? What would they do if they owned it?” Fedy says of the project’s conception. “It became this personal storytelling using this field as a space for generation of material.”

Understanding public spaces

Playing Fields originated from Fedy’s and her co-director Anita Rochon’s observation that land has more value in cities than in small towns. Rural playing fields are more accessible compared to cities, where advanced booking and permits are required.

“The conversation is around access too: who can access free [or] public space?” Fedy asks. “In the city, you have to have money, you have to have organization, you have to be an adult; in the country, it’s a free for all.”

Teenagers from Richmond, Whitehorse, Dublin and Hong Kong answered questions about land, belonging and ownership. Fedy compares these collected conversations to “diary entries,” offering insight into the teenage perspective through personal storytelling.

“We gave them recorders, and they did all their own interviewing of themselves, so they were in private [and] could talk about whatever they want,” the co-director adds. “[There was] lots of wishing: wishing for a best friend, wishing for safety, wishing for kindness, wishing for people to be around them.”

Other themes included feelings of loneliness, need for community and desire for creative expression. Fedy adds that rural teenagers appear to be faring better than urban ones – indicating how important nature is.

“The teenagers in Hong Kong with no fields and very little access to green space [showed] more tension versus [those in] Whitehorse,” she notes. “You can sense in their interviews the difference in the sense of freedom.”

Fedy and her team curated these interviews into the audio for Playing Fields. On performance day, participants will hear them through headphones. A professional dancer-choreographer referee will coach participants through sound and movement.

“You are getting direction from [the referee] and from your ears,” the co-director explains, adding the performance is available to those with mobility concerns. “You’re also getting these stories, [and] what ends up happening by the end is that it looks like you are playing a game.”

Finding compassion

Playing Fields originated around four years ago in Richmond. Since then, interviewees have grown from teenagers to young adults.

“They are fascinated to hear how their work translated into a show,” Fedy says. “We’ve been to Dubin twice, we know all these kids’ names, they all have reference letters from me; it’s become more than just a one-off show.”

The project involved long-term investment from participating cities. The co-director notes how cities chose to support its “creation and presentation.” A teenager from each city who was interviewed will be an announcer during the public performance.

“You remember your own teenagerhood,” Fedy says of the audience experience. “Or you don’t relate it to your own teenage years, [but] you have great compassion for [how] teenagers have it really hard right now.”

She adds that parents have shed tears after the show, demonstrating the need to approach teenage experiences compassionately.

“We forget how hard it was, we forget how painful it was,” she adds. “Being a teenager is really hard; it’s really complicated, and when you give them a chance to speak to it, they are really eloquent about it.”

Fedy hopes the performance also encourages people to remember the simplicity of play. By listening to these teenagers’ stories, she sees the audience lightening up, enjoying the space and bringing out the teenager in themselves.

“I did not realize that a playing field was a right,” the co-director shares. “It is a need for children and teenagers to have access to a space they can run on anytime they want.”

This performance of Playing Fields is part of BC Culture Days.

For more information on Playing Fields, see www.gatewaytheatre.com/events/playing-fields

For more information on The Chop Theatre, see www.thechoptheatre.com/plays/playing-fields