PREVIEW
The Ballad of Peachtree Rose
Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre
Oct. 30 to Nov. 10
Backstage Theatre
10330 – 84 Ave.
Tickets: $10 to $40. Call 780-420-1757 or at tixonthesquare.ca
Are women victims in crime? Or are they criminals too? And if so, what is their psychology and motivation?
Those are some of the questions asked in The Ballad of Peachtree Rose, a world premiere from Workshop West Playwrights' Theatre running Oct. 30 to Nov. 10 at Backstage Theatre.
Edmonton playwright Nicole Moeller (An Almost Perfect Thing) explores crime and criminality, a topic we normally associate with men. It’s gender bias on our part. Women become involved in crime, but we speak about it less.
Moeller did the research, and in The Ballad of Peachtree Rose, she looks through the lens of women and focuses on the causes and how women find themselves in certain situations.
“Nicole is a fabulous playwright and the opportunity to work with her was exciting. I love that it’s all women and it’s about the story of Peach’s survival. The subject matter spoke to me and what it asks of the audience at the end,” said director Brenley Charkow (Blood: A Scientific Romance).
Although hesitant to reveal too many details about the upcoming world premiere, Charkow let drop a few tasty morsels. Peaches (Alex Dawkins) is a young street kid who was just kicked out of her grandmother’s house.
“From a young age she was involved in small, petty crime – B & E, shoplifting, drugs. She’s a survivor,” Charkow said.
Max (Laura Raboud) instead is highly placed within an organized crime family.
“Max is a badass. She’s worked hard to get where she is now. She always walks around with $1,500 cash in her pocket. She is a confident, powerful woman.”
The two meet in Toronto after both win an all expenses trip to see a Tragically Hip concert. After the event, the two return home where they bump into each other and establish a connection.
Raised in the comfort and safety of St. Albert, Dawkin’s life operates on a very different level from Peaches day-today threadbare existence.
But after watching Girls Incarcerated, a Netflix documentary that looks at young female offenders in the criminal justice system, Dawkins felt prepared.
“I want to portray Peaches as a person and not a caricature. This is a human being put in a position where she has to survive. Some people walk past or shut down street people. My goal is to bring the heart, life and soul of this human being to the stage.”
Dawkins exploration of the character leads her to believe some people make bad choices, but there is also an inherent failure in the system.
“The justice system lets people fall through the cracks. People who are incarcerated all face irreparable trauma since an early age. I get to take my costume off at the end of the day. But the person who lives this life doesn’t get to take off a costume. To get home, I drive past Boyle Street every day. I see street people and I realize I must be accountable to who I play on stage.”
Three post-performance salons are: Crime and Entertainment, Ethics in the Age of True Crime, Nov. 5; Victim No More, The Healing Power of Restorative Justice, Nov. 7; and Running in Heels, Women in Crime, Nov. 10.
