HOLDEN & ARTS ASSOCIATES
SHARING STORIES AND CREATING PARTNERSHIPS SINCE 1983
JABBER
Produced by Geordie Productions
from Montreal, Canada
About the Company
Resources
At Fatima’s new high school, she’s the only one wearing a hijab. Her parents transferred her after graffiti reading “All Muslims must die” was found on the wall of her old school. But there’s plenty of ignorance and assumptions at her new school too. It isn’t until she begins an unlikely friendship with Jorah, a young man with a troubled reputation, that she starts to feel less like an outsider. How can she balance this new relationship with her family’s faith? What is it like to be 16 years old, a girl, a Muslim, and a refugee all at the same time?
Jabber engages teens, teachers and parents in meaningful discussions on the judgments and assumptions we make based on each other’s perceived differences. This story challenges stereotypes and encourages real conversation around race, religion and identity. Through its use of humor and creativity, the production brings a new, relevant and age appropriate story to a traditionally underserved High School audience.
This production has toured to over 40,000 students at high schools and colleges across Canada since 2012 and was presented as a spotlight performance at the International Performing Arts for Youth (IPAY) showcase in Pittsburgh, PA in January 2014 and showcased as a full performance in Montreal in January 2016.
Best for Grades 8th - High School
Audience Size: Medium to Large Venues
Please contact us to watch the full length archival recording.
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Company Background
Founded in 1980, Geordie Productions is one of Canada’s leading professional Theatre for Young Audiences companies. Its goal is to fire up the imagination, entertain and challenge audiences of all ages. Geordie believes in the power of theatre to encourage dialogue between youths and their parents, their teachers and amongst their peers, which is why every year the company produces plays which reflect the reality that young people currently live in.
Throughout its history, Geordie has retold classic stories, performed wild adventures and spun new myths, always paying close attention to the important role theatre plays in the lives of people of all ages. It celebrates the art of theatre by working with great artists of many disciplines and varied experiences to create plays that are vibrant and engaging. Geordie constantly reaches out to broaden its audience base by bringing productions to as many areas as it can reach, both by touring into schools and performing mainstage productions, offering over 300 performances every season to more than 40 000 kids.
For more information, please visit the company’s website: http://geordie.ca
Artistic Team
Written by: Marcus Youssef
Director: Amanda Kellock
Tour manager: Jessica Abdallah
Ensemble: Mariana Tayler, David Sklar, Aris Tyros
Critical Acclaim
We were thrilled with teacher interest in Jabber, which so far exceeded our estimations that we had to move the show from our BlackBox to our MainStage. Student and teacher feedback about the import and relevance of the show was potent and powerful. In fact, a YEAR later, one teacher shared that a few weeks after her students came to Jabber, a Muslim girl wearing a hijab transferred to their school. She and the other teachers attributed the smoothness of the new girl’s transition entirely to the impact of Jabber’s message on their students, whose respect, understanding, and empathy toward their new classmate demonstrated that they’d learned a lot from the show. That’s what you call IMPACT. That’s what we’re after. We highly recommend Jabber as an empathy builder and an antidote to the unsettling climate of fear that can be seen in far too many American communities.
—Christina Weakland,
The Flynn Center, Burlington, VT
[Jabber] is not afraid to deal with difficult subject matter such as discrimination, domestic abuse, sexuality, and the danger of online sharing on social media. Jabber is a great show to bring any high school age student to.
—Charlesbois Post Review,
November 2013
We were thrilled to put on Jabber, and the response has been truly wonderful. One of our ushers, who’s been here for over a decade, said, hands down it was one of the best shows we’ve put on for student matinees: accessible, smart, relatable, phenomenally written and acted. And the feedback we are getting from our schools reiterates this sentiment.
—Kat Redniss,
Student Matinee Series Coordinator, Burlington, VT
Being exposed to generalizations regarding religious beliefs, family status and unfamiliar customs of different nationalities was eye opening. To hear a student’s feelings about these things, and also having some of the customs explained, was a learning experience. The story being wrapped up in these difficulties, made learning painless. It was easy for the class to remain focused.
—High School Teacher,
Vermont
With Vermont's increasing diversity, this performance was very relevant to students' lives and touched them on a variety of other levels. All of my students commented that they enjoyed and connected with the performance. Thank you for the opportunity!
—High School Teacher,
Vermont
I wanted to take a moment to give some feedback about the play, "Jabber." Our 8th grade saw the performance and it was one of the best, most relevant plays they have seen yet in an Ovations performance. The themes of identity and social power were very strong and delivered in a way that was interesting and relevant to kids. Kids really enjoyed the performance! They were able to relate to the issues that the characters were facing, not just being in high school, but the complications of family, tradition, relationships and trying to figure out adolescence. This play is especially meaningful to our community because of the diverse cultural, social and religious students at Lincoln.
—Middle School Teacher,
Portland, Maine
The Show was very good and up-to-date. Kids could identify to the characters and story easily. Great topics, great tools, great show!
—High School Teacher,
Montreal
Teens can relate because any teen can go through that. Everyone can be judged and bullied.
—High School Student
Gallery of Past Productions
Year of Production: 2011 2016 Photographer: David Bacock Actors (left to right): Lucinda Davis and Alex McCooeye
Year of Production: 2011 & 2016 Photographer: David Bacock Actors (left to right): Lucinda Davis, Alex McCooeye, Eric Hausknost and Leni Parker
Year of Production: 2015-16 Photographer: Patrick Charron Actors (left to right): Gabriel Schultz, Patrick Émmanuel Abellard and Cheyenne Scott
Year of Production: 2011 2016 Photographer: David Bacock Actors (left to right): Lucinda Davis and Alex McCooeye
2016/2017 Dates
September 15, 2016 - Spotlight Showcase at the 2016 Arts Midwest Conference in Milwuakee, WI
February 28th 2017 at 10:00am , the Fredericton Playhouse in Fredericton, NB, Canada
March 1st 2017 at 10:00am, the Imperial Theatre in Saint-John, NB, Canada
March 3rd 2017 at 10:00am, Mermaid Theatre in Windsor, NS, Canada
March 6th – March 17th 2017 = Tentative touring in NY area schools
March 21st 2017 at 1:00pm & 7:00pm, part of the Geordie Theatre Festival in Montreal, QC, Canada
March 22nd 2017 at 7:00pm, part of the Geordie Theatre Festival in Montreal, QC, Canada
March 24th 2017 at 1:00pm, part of the Geordie Theatre Festival in Montreal, QC, Canada
March 25th 2017 at 7:00pm, part of the Geordie Theatre Festival in Montreal, QC, Canada
March 27th – 31st 2017 = Tentative touring in NY area schools
April 4th 2017 at 10:30am, Meadowsvale Theatre in Mississauga, ON, Canada
April 5th 2017 at 12:30pm & 7:00pm, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines, ON, Canada
April 7th 2017 at 10:00am & 1:00pm, Burlington Performing Arts Centre in Burlington, ON, Canada
April 11th 2017 at 10:00am & 12:30pm, Rose Theatre in Brampton, ON, Canada
April 12th 2017 at 10:30am & 12:30pm, the Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa, ON, Canada
Curriculum Connections
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Fine Arts: Dramatic Performance, Performance & Technology
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Emotional/Social Development: Perception, Stereotypes, Religion, Abuse, Racism and Tolerance, Compassion and Generosity, and Responsible Social Media Use
Minimum Technical Requirements
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Load In Time: 4 hours (with pre-hang and soft focus)
Crew Needs: 2 crew for load in; During show: 1 crew to run lights, 1 crew to run sound -
Min. Stage Size: 20’x20’ floor surface, 10’ height, with access to crossover space (can be adjusted to smaller or larger spaces)
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Sound/Video Needs: sound and video cues to be run from show laptop on Q-Lab 3.1.14 through the presenter’s sound system. Company will provide a projector and connector cable for the projector so that the technician can operate the projector from their position in the control booth (total distance up to 50ft, extensions possible up to 100ft). Company will also provide the appropriate USB cables (total distance up to 125ft) so that the technician can operate the webcam from the control booth.
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Load Out Time: 1 hour
Outreach and Workshops
Each performance comes with an optional 10 - 15 minute post-show talk back session led by the actors.
The company can also provide a variety of workshops that explore the prevalent themes in Jabber, and they can be held as a way to prepare for the show or to explore further after the show. These workshops can be held in-school or with the community, and could include:
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Workshops for Students/Youth - exploring steroetypes, perceptions, religion, tolerance, abuse, and regret
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Professional Development for Teachers
Sensory Friendly Performances:
This production may be offered as a “Relaxed” or “Sensory Friendly” performance for families and children with special needs, upon request and with specific direction and discussion with the company in advance as to what this means for your venue.