Precious Little by Madeleine George
as part of the Dramatic Works Series
at the Vancouver Fringe Festival
September 6-16, 2018
in the Culture Lab at The Cultch
1895 Venables St
“A crisp, fast-moving, tough-minded but often comic play about love, language, memory, culture and commitment.”
Brodie, a gifted linguist, learns unsettling news about the baby she carries. Unable to get comfort from her girlfriend, she finds it in the two least likely sources imaginable: the elderly speaker of a vanishing language…and a gorilla at the zoo. Madeleine George’s irreverent and charming new play reveals the beauty and the limits of human language.
Directed by Mika Laulainen
Stage Managed by Nico Dicecco
Performed by Sara Andrina Brown, Thérèse Champagne,
& Elizabeth Holliday
Scenography by Jared Raschke
Costume Design by Michelle Bowes
Sound Design by Zoë Wessler
REVIEWS
Vancouver Fringe Festival Review: Precious Little
– Kathleen Oliver, The Georgia Straight
“Director Mika Laulainen directs a solid cast: Sara Andrina Brown is a grounded, no-nonsense Brodie; Thérèse Champagne’s irrepressible warmth imbues her multiple supporting roles, including Cleva, one of the last speakers of the dying language, and the Ape, who wears a black dress and pearls. Elizabeth Holliday’s multiple roles could be better differentiated in terms of pace and intensity. Laulainen creates some beautiful stage pictures, supported by Jared Raschke’s set and lighting and Zoë Wessler’s wistful music. Recommended.”
Fringe review: Precious Little is an acting marathon
– Katie Gartlan-Close, Vancouver Presents
“With direction from Mika Laulainen, the three performers seamlessly transform into ten different characters. Their performances are strong and they make this task seem easy. […] Thérèse Champagne plays an endearing old woman, and her portrayal of an ape is oddly engaging. Sara Andrina Brown holds the story together as Brodie. Elizabeth Holliday does a superb job playing five very different characters.”
12. Precious Little
– Lillian Jasper, Two Cents and Two Pence
“Precious Little is daring and provocative in a quiet, thoughtful way. It concerns Brodie, a pregnant lesbian in her early forties, who is faced with a decision that is more difficult than she anticipated. The magic of this play comes chiefly from two elements – first, the incredible sound design work of Zoë Wessler. It’s immersive, but not overwhelming. Second, is the understated brilliance of Thérèse Champagne. She plays various roles, but her performances as Cleva and the Ape are transcendent. Her physicality, her demeanour, her compassion and generosity as a performer are worth the price of admission ten times over.”
PREVIEWS
FRINGE FESTIVAL 2018 PREVIEW: PRECIOUS LITTLE
– Ella Adkins, SAD MAG
“It is a harmonious hybrid of natural and institutionalized spaces, and the entirely female intergenerational cast embodying unexpected roles challenges the conventional characters that are created for women in theatre. This is a work that navigates the abstract ways in which we place meaning in language and the ways in which we genuinely communicate. Prepare for a beautifully complex and thoughtful 90 minute whirlwind.”
#FringeDuJour: Precious Little
– Fringe Du Jour
“Why should someone come see [this] show? Because you want to see a professional script with incredible character work. Or because you want to support a show written, performed, and directed by women. Either way.”
Maternité préoccupante au Fringe de Vancouver
– CBC Radio Canada
“L’œvre permet notamment d’aborder des questions sure les limites de la communication.”
star star theatre 