“We are talking about emotional connection and understanding; we’re talking about frontline social workers and refugees and asylum seekers,” says Derek Chan, director of The Frontliners. The play showcases the sobering realities of refugee resettlement in the face of housing crises and systemic barriers – all told through a humanizing and humorous lens. A creation of local playwright Zahida Rahemtulla, the play premieres May 1 to 11 at Firehall Theatre.

“I saw the workshop production of The Frontliners back during the pandemic,” Chan recalls. “I just developed a really great admiration and respect for the way Zahida tells very important social stories but wraps it in such an accessible, relatable, often humorous and warm manner.”

A collaborative production between the Blackout Art Society, Firehall Arts Centre and Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre, The Frontliners stars Janavi Chawla, Francis Dowlatabadi and Adrian Neblett. Chan will also facilitate a panel discussion with the playwright and cultural consultants on May 4 at Firehall Studio.

Humour as relief

Set in early 2016 at an East Vancouver hotel, the play follows three employees working to house Syrian refugees. Despite addressing delicate themes, The Frontliners is described as a “comedic drama.” For Chan, humour is both a narrative strategy promoting character growth and a coping mechanism providing relief.

“For each of the characters, the playwright is trying to say that [they are also] all human beings,” he adds. “Finding that coping mechanism in however little humor [there is] in the heavy, tough work that they do.”

The director attributes these funny moments to the playwright Rahemtulla’s clever way of engaging the audience. Rahemtulla’s debut feature, The Wrong Bashir, explored themes of religion, family and intergenerational connections. Comedic moments serve as a mirror, reflecting not just the struggles of its characters but also the audience’s own assumptions and responses.

“There’s so many moments of humor that make you laugh and then make you very quickly realize the actual point that the playwright’s trying to make with the joke,” Chan observes.

The Frontliners highlights the feeling of ‘hope’ as a pivotal tool for activism. In one of Chan’s favourite scenes, a character perseveres against hardship – demonstrating the power of ‘hope.’

“What’s beautiful about being young [is] that you always think it’s going to be better; that there’s hope,” he says about a scene featuring the character Yusuf’s reflections. “That regardless, we have to fight because it’s not just for ourselves; it’s for whoever comes after us.”

Bridging art and activism

The Frontliners also explores empathy and engagement as means to activism. Chan hopes audiences leave with more than just a sense of accomplishment for having watched a socially conscious play: he would like to see them inspired to learn more about events around the world.

“For me, [it’s] to walk out having a curiosity of the world and go, ‘oh, I really want to research what happened [and] what is still happening now,” he adds, citing current situations in Syria, Ukraine, Hong Kong and Congo as potential areas of research.

Chan’s desire to work on The Frontliners is no surprise: his past projects have bridged the arts with sociopolitical issues and activism. While his early years spent in Hong Kong were largely separated from politics, he began to take an interest in social causes after moving to Canada in 2005 for theatre education.

But the Hong Kong protests of 2014 and 2019 were pivotal, prompting Chan to tell himself: “No, Derek, you have to do something.” He hopes the production connects with people’s hearts – sparking curiosity and encouraging collective care.

“We really only have each other; there’s no other planets with sentient beings around,” he adds. “So, let’s treasure each other; let’s take care of each other to take care of the future.”

For more information about the play: www.firehallartscentre.ca/event/the-frontliners