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Blissful State of Surrender


Image Description: A geometric cutout of a woman with long blonde hair raising her arms and looking at the man beside her. The man has a shaved head, is wearing a black jacket and shirt, and is holding his hand up in a ‘stop’ gesture, facing forward.

by Sanita Fejzić | The TACTICS Mainstage Series Presents: A Blissful State Production

GCTC requires that all audience members show proof of vaccination status before entering the theatre. This policy extends to the end of the 2021-22 Season. See our COVID-19 Protocols here.

“Blissful State of Surrender” is a dramatic comedy about a Bosnian-Canadian family and the larger-than-life culture clashes between the parents and their three grownup daughters. This humorous and haunted portrait of the Muslim refugee experience explores the lives of a family coping with family secrets, intergenerational differences and PTSD.

Content note: themes of genocide and sounds of explosions, bombings and sniper shots.

Soundtrack

Award-winning composer Saud Bushnaq’s soundtrack to “Blissful State of Surrender” is now available on Bandcamp, and all sales go to help Bosnian children through Charity Bosnian Kids.

TICKETS SOLD OUT

Tickets for “Blissful State of Surrender” are sold out. There are still tickets available for the next show in the TACTICS Mainstage Series, Heartlines.

Prices

“Blissful State of Surrender” tickets are now on sale at our Pick-Your-Price rates: $15, $25, $40 and $55.

Choose the price that makes the most sense for you. Your experience will be the same whichever you pick.

Show Times

Tuesday - Friday
8pm

Saturday
4pm and 8:30pm

Sunday
2pm

Runtime

“Blissful State of Surrender” runs approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes including a 15 minute intermission.

Program

Curious about the cast and company? Read more about the production in our program. Access the digital version of the program using the button below.

Raffle

GCTC’s 50/50 raffle for the 21-22 Season is now live and more digital than ever before! Tickets are $5 for 1 and $20 for 5. Enter the raffle using the button below.

Bosnian Cultural Exhibit

Be sure to take a look at the exhibit, courtesy of Sevdah, a Bosnian performance troupe, in the lobby when you attend the show! Or view it from home at the virtual exhibit below.

“An intimate portrait of a Muslim Bosniak refugee-immigrant family, Sanita Fejzic’s play reveals the love that both holds families together and tears them apart in the face of trauma, loss and precarity.”

— Rebecca Benson, TACTICS Co-Artistic Producer.

Accessibility

Audio Pre-Show Note

The Audio Pre-Show Note is a description of the set, props, plot and characters in the production. Listen to the Audio Pre-Show note for “Blissful State of Surrender” here and read a transcript here.

Relaxed Performance

During relaxed performances, you are welcome to get up, move, stretch, leave and re-enter the theatre as your body needs. These performances include a display in the lobby with pieces from the show, a chill-out space or a quiet room for you to use if you require a calmer space. They also feature a pre-show introduction to the play and the audience lights will be left on slightly. When you buy a ticket to these performances you will also be sent a digital access guide to use before you come to the show. Here are the relaxed performance dates for “Blissful State of Surrender”:

For limited Pay-What-You-Decide tickets to the relaxed performance, click here.

  • Tuesday March 1, 2022: 8pm

ASL Performance

Some people's access needs require American Sign Language interpretation (ASL). This means spoken English is interpreted into ASL. These shows will have ASL interpreters on the stage during the performance. Here is the ASL Performance date for “Blissful State of Surrender”:

  • Friday March 4, 2022: 8pm

Pay-What-You-Decide

These performances happen on the first Sunday of our mainstage production’s performance schedule. For these performances, you can choose the price that best meets your needs and budget. This is one of the many ways we at GCTC work to remove financial barriers to attending productions. Here is the PWYD performance date for “Blissful State of Surrender”:

  • Sunday February 27, 2022: 2pm

CAST

Anurag Choudhury | Jidu

John Koensgen | Emir

Andrea Massoud | Senka

Danielle Savoie | Agata

Kate Smith | Maja

Zvjezdana (Dana) Užarević | Suzana

CREATIVE TEAM

Suad Bushnaq | Composer

Laurie Champagne | Stage Manager

Sanita Fejzić | Playwright and Producer

Jennifer Goodman | Set & Lighting Designer

Vanessa Imeson | Costume Designer

Venessa Lachance | Sound Designer

Jamaal Jackson Rogers | Cultural Consultant

Laurie Shannon | Production Manager

Bronwyn Steinberg | Director

Arielle Voght | Assistant Stage Manager

Photo Credits

Photo of Zvjezdana (Dana) Užarević and John Koensgen by Tiny Marvels Photography

Earlier Event: November 30
Daisy (2021)
Later Event: February 24
The Runner