Homeless youth portray life on the streets in musical 'Death in a Dumpster'
Waterfront Theatre show based on a play adapted and set to music by at-risk youth
Death in a Dumpster is a musical about what it means to be young, vulnerable and living on the streets of Vancouver — something most of the show's cast knows about.
The performance, which opened Nov. 7 with shows on Nov. 11 and 14 at the Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island, features a group of youth, many of whom are homeless or street-involved.
"[It's] a theatrical expression of a reality about homelessness. We want to provoke the audience as much as we want to entertain them," said Elka Yarlowe from Access to Music Foundation, which provided professional mentorship to the youth.
"Our message is no one is disposable."
Art mirrors life
The musical follows the character Danny, who is on a journey from the Maritimes to find his long-lost mother, but finds himself broke on the streets of Vancouver.
While there he meets an array of other characters, including a person with schizophrenia, an alcoholic and a trans-gender sex worker.
Yarlowe said it was challenging for the young actors to play characters experiencing difficulties that they could relate to.
"Someone with an addiction problem is playing an addict, someone who is struggling with alcoholism is an alcoholic in real life, the lead character's story was that he was abandoned and taken into child protection services, and that is true for the majority of the cast," she said.
"Throughout all these challenges ... they've managed to show up two or three times a week, on time, for six hours and rehearse.
"And as one of the youth said back to me, 'I can come here and step outside of myself and forget what I have to deal with, for six hours.'"
Two years in the making
The project originated through Directions Youth Services, which runs media and arts programs for street-involved youth.
It was based on a play by anti-poverty activist Sheila Baxter, and has been in development for two years — rewritten and set to music by the youth themselves.
Colin Ford, a musician and composer who works with Directions Youth Services, said he has seen how this project — and the other media projects his organization runs — have changed the lives of vulnerable youth.
"They start to build a little confidence, and through that confidence they're able to make positive choices in their lives moving forward," he said.
To hear the full interview listen to the audio labelled: Death in a Dumpster musical has homeless youth portray the harsh realities of life on the street