by Bryden MacDonald

Directed by Cameron Mackenzie

February 13 – 22, 2009, PAL Theatre

Zee Zee’s first production, Whale Riding Weather captures a small moment in the smaller life of Lyle an aging gay man trapped in a downward spiral. This critically acclaimed production established Zee Zee Theatre as a force to be reckoned with, and a testing ground for young artists to work alongside Vancouver’s finest theatre veterans.

by Dave Deveau

Directed by Cameron Mackenzie

Produced in Association with Screaming Weenie Productions as part of the See Seven

October 23 – November 1, 2009, PAL Theatre

An examination of those exploring the space in between genders, Nelly Boy perhaps best represents the kind of work the company creates: provocative, engaging, challenging and heartfelt.

by Dave Deveau

Directed by Cameron Mackenzie

Part of the Neanderthal Arts Festival

July 21-25, 2010, The Culture Lab

The challenges of a gay couple trying to have a baby come to life in a comedic and heartfelt look at how we find out who we are through our relationship to procreation. Another critical and audience hit, Tiny Replicas has recently been optioned to become a feature film by Sociable Films Inc.

by Dave Deveau

Directed by Cameron Mackenzie

April 15 – 30, 2011, PAL Theatre, Vancouver

Developed by Zee Zee Theatre, My Funny Valentine looked at the ripple effect of one small action on the community surrounding that person. In keeping with our mandate of exploring the stories of the marginalized, this show explored the effects of hate and polarization in the wake of a horrible act. Taken from the 2008 headline story of the Lawrence King murder, My Funny Valentine became one of the most acclaimed shows of the season and we are pleased to be bringing it back to the stage.

A Workshop Presentation

by Dave Deveau

Directed by Cameron Mackenzie

Dramaturgy by Patrick McDonald

November 24, 2012, Carousel Theatre

Harmony is slowly recovering from a messy divorce and ends up on a date with Peter, an insurance salesman. But after a blissful booze-filled night, Harmony finds Peter in bed with her seventeen year old son Trevor. Lowest Common Denominator examines intergenerational relationships and delves into the human darkness that exists just underneath a thin skin.

A PLAY READING

by John Logan

Presented in association with Hardline Production

November 12 & 13, 2012, Carousel Theatre

“Logan’s script deftly paints a portrait of two individuals trapped in a destructive relationship of emotional and sexual dependency.“Variety

In 1924, two young millionaires abducted and killed a fourteen year old boy, horrifying a nation. Never the Sinner is John Logan’s brilliant documentary play about the infamous Leopold and Loeb case, known in its time as the “crime of the century” and still one of the most notorious.

Performed by Dave Deveau, Genevieve Fleming, Sean Oliver, Allan Gray, Robert Olguin.

A Cabaret of Concerned Canadians

Co-presented with Qmunity, BC’s Queer Resource Centre

Sunday, October 27, 2013, Granville Island Stage

In May 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin ushered in new anti-gay legislation that has received public outcry worldwide. Zee Zee enters the conversation with a cabaret of new work by esteemed queer and allied playwrights from across the country.

Followed by panel discussion of politicians, community leaders and former Olympians moderated by Qmunity Executive Director Dara Parker.

Featuring new work by Ronnie Burkett, Jan Derbyshire, Dave Deveau, Mark Leiren-Young, Shawn Macdonald, Morris Panych, Colin Thomas, George F. Walker, Deborah Williams & Marcus Youssef.

A workshop presentation

by Sean Harris Oliver

Dramaturgy by Dave Deveau

Directed by Cameron Mackenzie

Co-presented with Hardline Productions

November 28 & 29, 2013, Carousel Theatre

Arianna and Alexandra are a live-in couple whose relationship is on the rocks. When Carston, Arianna’s former-boyfriend-turned-gay-best-friend comes to stay with them for the weekend, a fun night out quickly gets serious. Drugs, booze, and a cute club take-home named Josh push the party – and the partiers – past their limits; and there will definitely be hell to pay in the morning.

Performed by Genevieve Fleming, Dallas Sauer, Gaelen Beatty, Pippa Mackie.

Vancouver’s Drag Herstory Live Onstage

by Dave Deveau & Cameron Mackenzie

Part of the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival

January 24, 2014

Performance Works

by Dave Deveau

Harmony is trying to get back on her feet post-divorce, and ends up on a blissful, booze-filled date with Peter, an insurance salesman. But when she walks in on her seventeen year old son Trevor kissing him it unleashes something powerful and sacred in her. Their three lives are set in motion – perpetually intertwined. Lowest Common Denominator explores the often-controversial world of intergenerational relationships and unleashes the darkness that exists just underneath a thin skin.

Directed by Cameron Mackenzie

March 13-30, 2014, Performing Arts Lodge

Performed by Deborah Williams, Shawn Macdonald & Dallas Sauer

Set Design by Marina Szijarto

Costume Design by Sydney Cavanagh

Lighting Design by Kyla Gardiner

Sound Design by Cameron Mackenzie & Theo Bell

Stage Management by Stephanie Elgersma

by Stop the Violence (Copenhagen)

Curated by Dave Deveau
Presented with Vancouver Public Library and The PuSh International Performing Arts Festival

January 18, 19, 25, 26, February 1, 2, 2014

VPL Central Branch

Free Event

Enter the Vancouver Public Library’s Central Branch and head up to the third floor where a special circulation desk will register you with your own Human Library card and offer to lend you one of thirty possible human books. In choosing from titles like “Invisibly Disabled” and “In Polygamy’s Shadow”  you’ll sign one out and be connected to the person behind that title. A one-on-one, twenty minute informal conversation will begin and the rest is up to you.

By connecting people who under normal circumstances might not have had a chance to sit down and talk, the library enables groups to break stereotypes by challenging common prejudices in a positive and humorous manner.

Human Library was started by a group of five individuals who founded the organization Stop The Violence after a brutal attack on a mutual friend. The first Human Library was held in Denmark in 2000 and the concept has since gained huge popularity and momentum. Over the past twelve years in over sixty-five countries, thousands of “human books” have connected with “readers” of all walks of life.

THIRD ANNUAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROJECT

by Stop the Violence (Copenhagen)

Curated by Dave Deveau
Presented with Vancouver Public Library and The PuSh International Performing Arts Festival

January 24, 25, 31, February 1, 7, 8, 2015

VPL Central Branch

Free Event

One of the biggest hits of last year’s PuSh Festival returns as 40 new human books await their “readers” at the Vancouver Public Library. Check out a book, discover a person.

Enter the Vancouver Public Library’s Central Branch and head up to the third floor where a special PuSh Festival circulation desk will register you with your own Human Library card and offer to lend you one of thirty possible human books. In choosing from titles like “Born Again Christian,” “Transgender Poet” and “Cultural Pirate” you’ll sign one out and be connected to the person behind that title. A one-on-one, twenty minute informal conversation will begin and the rest is up to you.

The Human Library initiative is an international phenomenon, started in Copenhagen as a project to fight hate in communities. It is designed to promote dialogue, reduce prejudices and encourage understanding. By connecting people who under normal circumstances might not have had a chance to sit down and talk, the library enables groups to break stereotypes by challenging common prejudices in a positive and humorous manner.

A Play Reading

by Dave Deveau

November 27 & 28, 2014, Playwrights Theatre Centre Test Kitchen

When an uncle she’s never met commits suicide, Phyllis inherits his rural house and buys a one-way ticket to the middle of nowhere. She meets Bee, the executrix of the estate and as they sort through the house, Phyllis discovers her uncle’s secrets through the things he left behind. Perhaps her uncle was afraid of the same things that she’s been running from. A ghost story for the modern age, Dead People’s Things explores the tenuous relationship between death, intimacy, and the Holy Spirit.

Featuring Alex Rose, Deborah Williams and Emma Slipp

North American Premiere

by Brad Fraser

Directed by Cameron Mackenzie

Co-produced with Ruby Slippers Theatre

May 12-28, 2016, PAL Theatre

“What a joy to see five veteran Vancouver actresses do their thing at close quarters in Cameron Mackenzie’s very good production”Jerry Wasserman, Vancouver Plays

“Fraser’s script has a big heart, it features vivid characters, and it delivers a ton of raucous laughs—many of which are ribald…. Veena Sood is stellar… Beatrice Zeilinger is impressively subtle… in the darker parts of the script, the rage and self-loathing, (Deborah) Williams is fearless”Colin Thomas, Georgia Straight

“5@50 is sharp and funny. I laughed in spite of myself.”Jo Ledingham

“What a tremendous pleasure to see five performers at the height of their powers chewing through such complex material. And the intimacy of the PAL theatre gives you plenty of opportunity to enjoy the depth of the performances.”Erika Thorkelson, Vancouver Sun

“Though there are plenty of laughs in 5 @ 50, it would be misleading to call it a feel-good show. But beneath all the darkness, the crude dialogue, and Fraser’s trademark hedonism is a touching sincerity and an underpinning of resilience that is actually pretty inspiring.”Erika Thorkelson, Vancouver Sun

When Olivia loses control at her fiftieth birthday party, her three best friends decide to intervene once and for all, much to the irritation of Olivia and her lover, Norma. 5 @ 50 is a raw and darkly comedic portrayal of turning fifty in contemporary society, and of the friendships we can’t live without.

Performed by Diane Brown, Veena Sood, Deborah Williams, Donna Yamamoto & Beatrice Zeillinger

Set & Costume Design by Marina Szijarto

Lighting Design by Kyla Gardiner

Stage Managed by Jill Perry

FOURTH ANNUAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROJECT

by Stop the Violence (Copenhagen)

Curated by Dave Deveau
Presented with Vancouver Public Library and The PuSh International Performing Arts Festival

January 23, 24, 30, 31, February 6, 7, 2016

VPL Central Branch

Free Event

The triumphant return of Danish company Stop the Violence’s theatrical movement about sharing real stories from the lives of incredible people. Check out a human book from our collection of 30 titles and have a one-on-one life-changing conversation. 

A Play Reading

by Erik Fraser Gow

November 18, 2015, Playwrights Theatre Centre’s Test Kitchen

When the United States elects its first openly gay president, his husband is cast in the difficult role of pioneering expectations. Come see the first major work by one of Vancouver’s most exciting new voices.

Performed by Greg Armstrong-Morris and Ghazal Azarbad

Part of Studio 58’s Emerging Company Partnership

Book & Lyrics by Dave Deveau
Music & Lyrics by Anton Lipovetsky

Directed by Cameron Mackenzie
Musical Directed by Anton Lipovetsky

March 19-29, 2015, Studio 58

Elbow Room Café: The Musical offers a candid look inside the world of Vancouver’s iconic Elbow Room Café, home of raucous service, celebrity sightings, and a heart of gold. This show explores how we age together in a technicolour world. With Elbow Room, playwright/lyricist Dave Deveau (Lowest Common Denominator, My Funny Valentine), composer/lyricist Anton Lipovetsky (Cool Beans, Broken Sex Doll, The Park) and director Cameron Mackenzie (Lowest Common Denominator, Karaoke: The Musical) sink their teeth into the whimsy and heart of café owners Patrice and Bryan as they manage the hectic world of one of Vancouver’s most recognizable eateries. Partners in business and life, they are the heart and soul of the piece and anchor an eclectic and campy cast of misfits, drag queens, and the perpetually hung over.

Working in a development model with Studio 58 students will enable musical and textual experiments with new material showcased every night. Come get an inside look at how new Canadian musical theatre is made.

Featuring David Adams, Allan Zinyk and the Studio 58 students.

Vancouver’s Drag Herstory Live Onstage!

by Isolde N. Barron (Cameron Mackenzie) and Peach Cobblah (Dave Deveau)

December 9, 2017, XY Nightclub

Originally commissioned by PAL Theatre in 2012, Tucked & Plucked unearths Vancouver’s rich drag queen history in a talk show-style performance led by drag queens Isolde N. Barron & Peach Cobblah. In the telling of small stories from the mouths of the very legendary queens who experienced them, the layers behind the glamour were peeled away, revealing the very humanity of the artform.

With special guests Myria LeNoir, Imelda Mae Santos and Kendall Gender

A Play Reading

by Erik Fraser Gow

November 24, 2017, Playwrights Theatre Centre’s Test Kitchen

When the United States elects its first openly gay president, his husband is cast in the difficult role of pioneering expectations. Come see the first major work by one of Vancouver’s most exciting new voices.

Performed by Graham Coffeng and Ilana Zackon

A cabaret of Canadians concerned about Chechnya

Co-presented with Qmunity, BC’s Queer Resource Centre

May 8, 2017, Granville Island Stage

In 2013 after Putin introduced his anti-gay “propaganda” laws in Russia, Zee Zee asked playwrights from all over Canada to create 10 minute pieces in response. The result was tremendous and we were able to send thousands of dollars to the Russian LGBT Network who were funding people’s legal battles.

We are now in 2017 and with reports of gay concentration camps in Chechnya, and Chechen Leader Ramzan Kadyrov wanting to “eliminate” Chechnya’s gay population by May 26, we have no choice but to organize…

All proceeds from this event will be donated to Rainbow Railroad who are working with the Canadian government and assisting in getting queers out of Chechnya.

Book & Lyrics by Dave Deveau

Music & Lyrics by Anton Lipovetsky

Directed by Cameron Mackenzie

Presented by The Cultch

March 2-12, 2017, The York

Elbow Room Café: The Musical offers a candid look inside the world of Vancouver’s iconic Elbow Room Café, home of raucous service, celebrity sightings, and a heart of gold. This show explores how we age together in a technicolour world. With Elbow Room, playwright/lyricist Dave Deveau, composer/lyricist Anton Lipovetsky and director Cameron Mackenzie sink their teeth into the whimsy and heart of café owners Patrice and Bryan as they manage the hectic world of one of Vancouver’s most recognizable eateries. Partners in business and life, they are the heart and soul of the piece and anchor an eclectic and campy cast of misfits, drag queens, and the perpetually hung over.

FIFTH ANNUAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROJECT

by Stop the Violence (Copenhagen)

Curated by Dave Deveau

Presented with Vancouver Public Library and The PuSh International Performing Arts Festival

January 21, 22, 28, 29, February 4, 5, 2017

VPL Central Branch

Free Event

The Human Library initiative is an international phenomenon, started in Copenhagen as a project to fight hate in communities. It is designed to promote dialogue, reduce prejudices and encourage understanding. By connecting people who under normal circumstances might not have had a chance to sit down and talk, the library enables groups to break stereotypes by challenging common prejudices in a positive and humorous manner.

Human Library was started by a group of five individuals who founded the organization Stop The Violence after a brutal attack on a mutual friend. The first Human Library was held in Denmark in 2000 and the concept has since gained huge popularity and momentum. Over the past twelve years in over sixty-five countries, thousands of “human books” have connected with “readers” of all walks of life.

Six years into the journey of this Vancouver edition of the international sensation, lives are being changed, 20 minutes at a time. Choose one of the titles in our collection of amazing humans and change your point of view.

BORROW A BOOK. DISCOVER A PERSON.

A Guest Presentation

by AnimalParts (NYC)

Presented with the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival

January 28, 2017, The Fox Cabaret

“Sexily disturbing” Time Out NY CRITIC’S PICK

“A nightmare worth witnessing” Next Magazine, NY

Someone is killing the heterosexuals! As dozens of brutal slayings engulf the city in panic, a young gay man rises to fame in underground rap clubs. WARNING: Adult content, extreme violence, and graphic heterophobia. A follow-up to Tenderpits, AnimalParts’ ‘avant-garde autobiography‘, Revenge of the Popinjay is an experimental rap-horror show in which Anthony struggles to cope with the loss of his sister while uncovering a frightening link between himself, his lover, and an illusive gay rap star/serial killer targeting heterosexuals.

Revenge of the Popinjay combines storytelling, stand-up, physical theatre, performance art, and original live rap music to create a one-of-a-kind theatrical event. Popinjay satirizes the clichés of homophobic culture and questions the capacity for evil in all of us.

A Workshop Presentation

by Dave Deveau

Directed by Cameron Mackenzie

Presented with Playwrights Theatre Centre and Gateway Theatre

March 30, 2018, Gateway Theatre

Playwright-in-Residence Dave Deveau continues his exploration of what we discover about the dead from the things they leave behind. Part ghost story, part meditation on loss, Dead People’s Things invites an audience to consider the tenuous relationship between death, intimacy and finding holiness.

Dramaturgy by Kathleen Flaherty

Performed by Emma Slipp & Karin Konoval

Sixth Annual Community Engagement Project

by Stop the Violence (Copenhagen)

Curated by Dave Deveau & Adele Noronha

Produced by Emily Neumann

Presented with Vancouver Public Library and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

January 20-21, 27-28, February 3-4, 2018, 12-4 pm

VPL Central Branch

Free

The triumphant return of Danish company Stop the Violence’s theatrical movement about sharing real stories from the lives of incredible people. Check out a human book from our collection of 30 titles and have a one-on-one life-changing conversation. 

Please note, checkouts happen on a first come, first served basis. There is no charge to participate.

Our circulation assistants will start checking books out at 11:30, with the final reading of the day starting at 3:30.

A Guest Presentation

by Saga Collectif and Buddies in Bad Times Theatre (Toronto)

Presented with The Cultch

Jan 16-20, 2018, The Cultch’s Historic Theatre

A raw, intimate, and timely exploration of queer male Blackness. Three individuals seek a deeper understanding of themselves, of each other, and of how they encounter the world, subverting the ways in which gender, sexuality, and race are performed.