From Managing Artistic Director & Facilitator Kelty McKerracher:
“On the opening night of the Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival, the Roundhouse Community Centre stage played host to the debut performance of Illicit: Stories from a Harm Reduction Movement.
Co-researchers performed to a very nearly full house; the audience was a healthy mix of our ever-supportive DTES community, as well as the wider public. Courageous performances from the cast were met with a standing ovation.
Consensus in the post-performance conversation was clear:
- This work is needed.
- Illicit should not only be developed further, but should also be shown in different spaces to help educate, not only the public, but professionals about the emotional reality of drug use and the overdose crisis.
- A call was made to make explicit that this is a Canadian problem, not just a DTES one.
- “Canada needs to change its drug policies NOW”.
For more information on Illicit and future performances, read more on their blog.