New feminist theatre in St. John’s set to open inaugural production

Persistence Theatre Company will stage its first production, Robert Chafe’s “Isle of Demons,” Sept. 27 at the Barbara Barrett Theatre in the St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre.

Some inspiration for the company came about when Newfoundlander Jenn Deon was in Washington Jan. 21 for the Women’s March, when millions of people took to the streets in not only Washington, but cities around the world to protest the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

The group, run by local women, responds “to the persistent and universal need for promoting, understanding and embracing the core beliefs of feminism” through the medium of professional theatre and related initiatives, the company stated in a news release.

“We only produce stories where 50 per cent or more of the text is spoken by female characters,” Deon stated in the news release.

“That may seem an easy baseline to achieve, but the reality is that, in the Western world, women are employed less often in professional theatre than men — and when you look at roles in leadership, that gap widens significantly.”

Of the nine individuals employed this month by Persistence Theatre, six are women, two are men and one is nonbinary. The theme of the plays chosen also must challenge stereotypes and discrimination in all forms.

Deon said she chose the theme of “Nevertheless, she persisted” to connect the four plays that comprise the first season.

The play stars Marie Jones, Allison Kelly and Evan Mercer, with direction by Jenn Deon, and runs from Sept. 27-Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee at 2 p.m. on Sept. 30.