Burnt Thicket Theatre presents Delft Blue by Andrew Kooman re-release for Remembrance Day week

When Holland falls to the Nazis in 1940, Machiel and Sophia contend with impossible decisions: to choose between defiance and surrender, their quiet faith and unthinkable violence. Watch from the comfort of your home as seven local artists bring this gripping story to life. His family’s experience during WWII inspired this script for Andrew Kooman,  who also wrote We Are the Body and She Has a Name.

Remembrance Day Re-Release, commemorating the 75th anniversary of Holland’s liberation by Canadian

Re-release premiere: Monday, November 8 at 7pm CST (6pm MST / 8pm EST)     

Virtual Talk-Back following the premiere*

Stream on demand for free November 8-14

2021 EVENT OVER. Thank you for your interest.

Audience Advisory: Not suitable for young children

*Virtual Talk-Back on Zoom: After the Nov 8th premiere we’ll host a live conversation with the playwright, audience members and performers. The Zoom link will be shared with video audiences that night over live chat and on social media.

Featuring performances by:

Amanda Trapp*

Amanda Trapp is a settler and Cree and Saulteaux artist, member of the White Bear Band, who calls Saskatoon home. An actor and SATA nominated composer, she has been seen onstage most recently in Turn Turn Turn, Sum Theatre; The Invisible, Catalyst Theatre (Edmonton); The Fourth Wiseman, Dancing Sky Theatre; I Lost My Husband, Persephone Theatre. She’s also been seen on Zoom in The Tempest, with Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan. Hiy-hiy to Burnt Thicket for having me, as we continue exploring storytelling through this new media, and with such a beautiful story.

Tim Bratton*

Tim is an actor, playwright, sound designer, care-worker, musician, vinyl record collector and all around dilettante. With a broad range of training and experience in both theatre and theology, Tim is committed to helping people tell the stories that help us make sense of life. Acting credits include ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD, BOEING, BOEING, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and ‘ART’ (Persephone Theatre); GODSPELL (Pacific Theatre); WOLF AT THE DOOR (Otherwise Productions); WE ARE THE BODY (Burnt Thicket Theatre), and a self-produced Fringe Festival tour of the solo performance piece TOP TEN THOUSAND OF ALL TIME. Tim lives in Saskatoon with his lovely wife and fellow theologian, Amy, and their two very active sons.

Caitlin Vancoughnett*

Caitlin is thrilled to dive into a new play with such a lovely group of artists in these difficult times. She holds a BFA from the University of Saskatchewan and has performed all around the province. Some favourite credits include: Constellations (Persephone Theatre/Brick & Mortar), The Penelopiad (Ferre Play Theatre), Farmer Joe and the Money Trees (Dancing Sky Theatre), Twelfth Night (Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan), Root, Hog, or Die (Globe Theatre), A Christmas Carol, Trout Stanley, Urinetown, Little Women, Bite the Hand (Persephone Theatre), Lungs, Love/Stories (Live Five), The Marvelous Wonderettes (Souris Valley Theatre), and Waiting for the Parade (Lili Marlene Co-op).

Geordie Cowan

A proud Métis actor from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; Geordie is thrilled to be lured back to perform for Burnt Thicket Theatre. He graduated from Rosebud School of the Arts in 2016 and is currently working on a Linguistics degree at the University of Saskatchewan. Select Stage credits include A Christmas Story, The Miracle Worker, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Rosebud Theatre); How the World Began, Sarah & the Dinosaur (Fire Exit Theatre). Select Film credits include Pieces: Party (2018); The Tipping Point (2017). He hopes you enjoy the event and wishes peace in these troubling times. 

Paige Francoeur

Paige Francoeur (she/her) is currently finishing up her BFA Honours in Acting from the University of Saskatchewan. An aspiring playwright, actor, and creator of devised work,  Paige’s recent credits include Playhouse Creatures, The Grass Tomb, (Greystone Theatre) and The Romeo Project (YXE Fringe 2019). She is very grateful for the opportunity to do theatre despite the current challenges facing the industry, and looks forward to a future where we can gather together once more.

Kody Farrow

Kody (he/him) is an emerging theatre artist from Saskatoon who recently graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with his BFA in Drama. Past acting credits include Rooftops (DSA Production), The Romeo Project (The Studio), Machinal, Henry V, Arcadia, Spirit Wrestler, and The Beaux’ Stratagem (Greystone Theatre). Stage management credits: New Voices (Gordon Tootoosis Nikaniwin Theatre), Turn, Turn, Turn (Sum Theatre), and The Cripple of Inishmaan (Greystone Theatre).

Stephen Waldschmidt

Stephen works as a director, designer, and actor based in Saskatoon. Directing credits with Burnt Thicket Theatre include MY LITTLE PLASTIC JESUS, EVERY BRILLIANT THING, WE ARE THE BODY, SHE HAS A NAME, and HOCKEY DAD: A PLAY IN 3 PERIODS (which he co-wrote with James Popoff). Acting credits include Persephone Theatre’s THE RESISTABLE RISE OF ARTURO UI; Rosebud Theatre’s QUEEN MILLI OF GALT, THE ROAD TO MECCA, TENT MEETING; Pacific Theatre’s CHICKENS, THE CLEARING; and five summers playing the role of Jesus in THE CANADIAN BADLANDS PASSION PLAY. Stephen holds an interdisciplinary masters degree in fine arts and theology from Regent College and a BFA in drama from University of Calgary. He’s immensely grateful for Kirsten’s support along with their three beloved children.

Playwright Andrew Kooman

* The participation of this Artist is (these Artists are) arranged by permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the provisions of the Dance Opera Theatre Policy (DOT).

Andrew Kooman is an award-winning writer and producer whose work has been translated into more than ten languages and is regularly produced across North America. His critically acclaimed plays include She Has A Name, which toured Canada and in the United States, and We Are the Body, which was nominated for a Calgary Theatre Critic Award and toured Western Canada.

Andrew co-founded Unveil Studios with his visionary brothers Matthew and Daniel. Their indie film studio has produced both feature and documentary work to widespread acclaim, including E for Everyone, Dream, and Andrew’s screen adaptation of She Has A Name starring Will Yun Lee, Teresa Ting and Giovanni Mocibob. Unveil is currently developing new work, including the documentary series Breath of Life and Dream: Through the Fire.

Andrew lives in London, Ontario with his wife and two children. He daylights as the Director of Content + Creative at Compassion Canada.

From the Playwright

When my grandparents left Holland after surviving the Nazi occupation, they left everything behind, including most of their stories from the war. I gleaned a few gems along the way, but was mostly too young to know what questions to ask of my Oma and Opa about their experience. “I’m saddened that they took their accounts with them to the grave. I fear that a whole generation of stories are lost. From them we could have learned so much more about what it meant to survive, to resist, to be in lockdown, to be courageous and brave. Even the glint of knowledge I have of their lives strengthens me, reminds me I come from resilient stock. “Delft Blue is my attempt to salvage some of the sense of feeling, some of the meaning of living in that time. At its heart, it is a play that explores the impossible decisions people must make in impossible times, which seems especially relevant today. And underneath it all is a question about what it really means to resist and to live a good life when the world and everything around us has changed.

–Andrew Kooman

Audience Reactions to Delft Blue:

“Captivating, suspenseful, thrilling!” –Peter K.

“What a great production to present on Remembrance Day. I enjoyed it very much.” –Lynda B.

“Such a meaningful story. Thank you.” –Jenell P.

“I loved it!” –Angela S.

“We were captivated by the reading… We look forward to seeing Delft Blue live someday!” –Stewart K.

Recognition & Awards for Delft Blue screenplay by Andrew Kooman

• Finalist, Forest City Film Festival Screenplay Competition (2019)
• Finalist, Pitch Now Screenplay Competition (2019)
• Best Screenplay Nominee, Top Indie Film Awards (2018)
• Semi-Finalist Filmmatic Screenplay Awards (2018)
• Official Selection, Northeast Filmmakers Lab (2018)