The Arsonists


DATE
Wednesday January 29, 2025 - Saturday February 8, 2025
TIME
7:30 PM - 9:10 PM
COST
$13 - $27

Artwork by Jonathan Wood

The Arsonists

by Max Frisch
Translated by Alistair Beaton
Directed by Stephen Heatley

Telus Studio Theatre at The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
January 29–February 8, 2025 | 7:30 PM

The town is plagued by acts of arson, yet upstanding businessman and model citizen Biedermann remains unperturbed. Ever the hospitable host, he welcomes two new guests into his home. He’s so accommodating, he even helps them store drums of gasoline in his attic and offers them a light. Originally written as a reflection on the rise of both Nazism and Communism, The Arsonists is a timely political satire about the cost of complacency.

Schedule

Preview
Wednesday, January 29
7:30 pm

Opening Night
Thursday, January 30
7:30 pm

Talkback
Friday, February 7
7:30 pm

Performances
Thursday, January 30–Saturday, February 8
7:30 pm

No performances on Sunday, February 2 or Monday, February 3 

Location

Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
6265 Crescent Rd, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1

We acknowledge that the UBC Vancouver campus is situated within the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Musqueam.

Ticket Prices

Adult: $27 Senior: $20 Student: $13
(All fees, service charges, and taxes included)

For any questions, please contact our box office: 604.822.6835 or box.office@ubc.ca.

Max Frisch was a Swiss playwright writing in the mid-20th century. The Arsonists (Biedermann und die Brandstifter) was first presented as a radio play in 1953 and found its way on to the stage in 1958. You may remember that Switzerland, famously, has always taken a neutral stance in world affairs. You may also remember that Switzerland is bordered by France, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria…and Germany. And that some substantial events took place in Germany in the 30s and 40s. During these turbulent times on the European continent where a mass murder was taking place, the neutral Swiss never intervened. I feel quite confident that this absolute lack of action by his home country in what turned out to be a moral disaster of epic proportions is what motivated his play.

Frisch calls it “A Moral Play Without a Moral”. This subtitle has been a guiding phrase in our exploration of The Arsonists. Early in the rehearsal process, we asked each other if we had ever made a mistake and then, rather than admitting it, coming clean and starting over, we actually doubled-down on the mistake until we were so far in, we couldn’t get out. (I told the story of losing my way in a car as a teenager, following what I thought were “directional signs” on to a sketchy-looking under-used logging road thinking it was the right direction to the cottage I was looking for, and actually getting out of the car to move a rotten log off the road so I could proceed. I was eventually bogged down in a swamp!). Today, the world is facing so many conflicts and conundrums; political ones, ethical ones, moral ones. Some of them are taking place across the world from us. Some are taking place in our own backyard. Mistakes are made. Whether we like it or not, each of these mistakes will eventually demand that we ask of ourselves, “as a citizen of the world, what is my responsibility to address the mistakes that have been made – or will I just pretend that they didn’t happen?” This is the question the Biedermann of our play is wrestling with.

Directing The Arsonists has been a real privilege. I have loved the opportunity to re-engage with the concept of a theatrical chorus. How does this invested group connect to and reflect on the unfolding story, and how do they connect to you, the audience? And, as always, it is a delight to work with the next generation of theatre artists who have chosen to study with us at the University of British Columbia. Working on a production is the absolute best way to learn your craft as an artist, and the actors, designers, stage management and running crew have brought their “A” game to this process and learned so much through it. I thank them all for their dedication and commitment to presenting this story to you in as thoughtful and theatrical a way as possible. And thanks to all of you for joining us.

Stephen Heatley
Director

Credits

Chorus, Widow Knechtling Ava Albaisa
Chorus Riya Chahal
Eisenring Ekaterina De Boni
Chorus Leader Dahlia-Raphael Kerr
Schmitz Baltzer Musherure
Gottlieb Biedermann Miles Davies
Anna Paula Goldie
Babette Yan Ching (Rainbow) Hui
Chorus, Dr. of Philosophy Isabel Salazar
Chorus, Police Officer Japnaam Sarang
Chorus Fiona Silvis

Director Stephen Heatley
Assistant Directors Jenna Lee, Asa O’Connor-Jaeckel
Scenic Design Amy Currie
Asst. Scenic Design Amelia Wagenaar
Lighting Design Kaitlyn Fernandes
Asst. Lighting Design Hana Yaguchi
Sound Design Maddie Steppler
Asst. Sound Design Hana Yoneyama
Costume Design Teylor Pierre-Corno
Asst. Costume Design Vincie Lin
Stage Manager Camila Newton
Asst. Stage Manager Stacey Kok, Naina Sharma
Production Assistants Holly Theobald, Hana Yaguchi

Head Scenic Artist Lee Funnell
Asst. Scenic Artist Marília Saito, Luella DeGreer
Head Electrician Damien Kwan
Asst. Electrician Amelia Wagenaar
LX Board Operators Diego Camacho Chemor, Carol Tu, Michelle Lee
Sound Board Operators Jonah Marshall

Set Build Crew
Thorn Austin, Nia Chauhan, Raina Compton, Kaitlyn Fernandes, Irena Hoti, Olivia Niese, Emily Nash, Jasper Oberst, Marilia Saito, Cristian Twist, Amelia Wagenaar, Hana Yaguchi

Set Run Crew
Jasper Oberst, Nia Chauhan

Costume Build Crew
Wren Harlow-Gillespie, Eunsong Huh, Elly Ich, Emma McDonald, Emily Nash, Jasper Oberst, Lauren Rankin, Willow Tiessen

Costume Run Crew
Monet Ghinis, Wren-Harlow Gillespie, Galen Leftwich

Paint Crew
Annika Chan, Eunseong Huh, Olivia Niese, Maddie Steppler, Jaddi Sze, Sylena Wong, Stephanie Zheng Feng

Props Build Crew
Thorn Austin, Luella DeGeer, Kaitlyn Fernandes, Wren-Harlow Gillespie, Irena Hoti, Cole Joliat, Judy Lee, Emma McDonald, Jasper Oberst, Willow Tiessen, Cristian Twist, Helena Ventosa

Lighting Crew
Camila Newton, Maddie Steppler, Diego Camacho, Sylena Wong, Michelle Lee, Carol Tu, Raina Compton

Department Head Kirsty Johnson
Direction Leora Morris
Scenic Design Emily Dotson, Patrick Rizzotti
Technical Direction & Crew Brad Powers
Scenic Paint Advisor Lorraine West
Lighting Advisor Mimi Abrams
Sound Advisor Mishelle Cuttler, Patrick Parra Pennefather
Costume Advisor Jacqueline Firkins
Stage Management Advisor Susan Miyagishima
Movement Advisor Daisy Thompson
Vocal Coach Alana Hawley Purvis
Intimacy Coach Natasha Martina

Academic Advisor Mia Booth
Production Manager Borja Brown
Film Program Administrator Sarah Crauder
Administrator Cam Cronin
Assistant to the Head Kirsten Dougans
Head of Wardrobe Jodi Jacyck
Audience Services Manager Tony Koelwyn
Head of Properties Amanda Larder
Film Collections Coordinator Dmitri Lennikov
Film Program Technician Stuart MacFarlane
Stage & Lighting Specialist Ryan Murcar
Communications Specialist Linda Pitt
Department Secretary Karen Tong
Technical Director Jeremy Vreeken
Wardrobe Cutter Holly Anderson
Costume Shop UAA Madeleine Polak

Costume Assistant Lauren Rankin
Properties Assistant Lee Funnell
Costumes/Props Asst. Jenna Lee
Communications Assistant Aidan Scott

Graphic Designer Jonathan Wood
Photographer Javier R. Sotres
Department Doggos Gracie, Lolo, Oz, Teddy, Vegemite