100 Watt's '12' Youth Ensemble Responds to 'The Chemical Valley Project'

Responses to The Chemical Valley Project by the 100 Watt Youth Ensemble, GCTC Resident Artists:

[Image Description: A sketched drawing of 5 faces looking in the same direction. There are numbers above their heads from 1-5.]
Art by Sophie Dean.

We were thrilled to have the Artists in Residence from 100 Watt Youth Ensemble join us at the Dress Rehearsal for “The Chemical Valley Project”. Keep reading to hear their thoughts on the show and what they took away from it. We only have a few shows left! To get your tickets for the rest of the run, click here.

These wonderful artists will take the stage May 4-6, 2023 for “12”: an urgent love story between generations – and towards the planet we share. To purchase tickets, click here.

A photo of a person with short, cropped hair and glasses. They are wearing a brown zip up hoodie and Queen graphic tee. They are angled slightly to the right and smiling widely at the camera.

“I really loved the audience interaction in the performance. It really made me feel like I was a part of it, like I could get involved. It’s a great show that makes you want to both laugh and cry at times. I’m very glad I got to see it.”

Jax Young

A photo of a person with short, curly hair. They are wearing glasses and a knitted crewneck sweater. They are angled slightly to the left and smiling slightly into the distance.

“I was really surprised by Kevin [Wong]’s ability to make us learn while still very clearly performing and entertaining! He explains facts with the help of artistic language therefore increasing our level of empathy and understanding!”

Sebastien Cimpaye

Photo of a person with short, wavy hair and earrings. They are wearing a letterman jacket and smiling slightly at the camera, their body angled as if taking a selfie.

“I really liked how it was all presented and played, all the facts and things like that. I also thought the bicycle lock part where he asked a member of the audience to hold a key was funny. I liked that he gave out free chocolates :)”

Marisol Cavas

Photo of a person with medium length wavy hair. They are wearing a sleeveless top and angled slightly to the right. They are looking intently into the distance.

“Seeing the show made me feel a lot of things: disgust, sadness, a lot of fear, but also a sense of hope and wonder. I was particularly intrigued by how his play was presented, with the minimalistic props and protections, and acting with the recordings as if the conversations were happening in real time. It was told with so much respect and thought and dedication, and the sincerity of it all just shone through like a beacon. The words that stuck with me most are words that were said to him when he was doubting his validity to tell the story: "you're from a colonized place too." Those words really stuck with me because I often feel the same when I write stories. Should I really be writing or speaking about this? And I've also struggled with the subject of my own heritage, wondering exactly what I am. White, Hispanic, or otherwise--who am I? So those words really, really resonated with me. Kevin is such a wonderful person, I spoke to him one-on-one after the show and I remember it clearly to this day. So a really big thank you from me :)”

Sophie Dean

Photo of a person with short, straight hair, who is wearing a white button up shirt and a necklace. They are smiling slightly, looking just to the left of the camera.

“I really loved the show! It was very meaningful, I deeply appreciated his work and exploration of colonialism and the environment, the multimedia work was also astonishing!”

Mia Cheng

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”I really felt how much Kevin cared about the cause he was speaking about and the people who were affected by it. His passion made me care too.”

Anna Wiebe

Photo of a person with medium length brown hair. He is angled to the left and looking slightly past the camera.

“I think what gave me the most reaction during the performance was the actual information about the Chemical Valley and how much of a health hazard it is to simply live there.”

Ethan Whidden

Photo of a person with long, wavy hair. They are wearing a white knit sweater and are smiling at the camera.

“The CVP is a hilarious yet haunting and humbling telling. It reveals the vulnerability of discovering how one belongs within chaos and brings to light how unwise decisions are reverberating in Indigenous communities.”

Ana Clara Bouffard Lima

“Kevin tells this story and interacts with the audience with such charm. Although he is the only actor on stage, the stage never seemed empty or lacking in anything. The light projections and the video effects were really well done, something I had never seen before in a play.

I learned a lot about pollution and colonization. It really opened my eyes and made me want to know more about the ongoing effects of colonization on indigenous communities and how I can help. This show made me laugh, made me sad, made me angry... but gave me hope. Kevin guides us through all of this with ease. It felt like he was hugging the audience. The Chemical Valley Project has such an important story and is incredibly well told, I highly recommend seeing it.”

Brianna Lortie-Chartrand

Photos by Brigitte Pellerin

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