The Quarantettes Bring in the Spring for isolated East Vancouverites
The uplifting story of four roving artists cheering up neighbours in need
Photo by Reznek Creative
The Chop Theatre and Neworld Theatre present The Quarantettes from April 2 to 5
IT’S BEEN A long, ugly year—and here we find ourselves, in a third-wave lockdown just as spring has sprung.
Enter the Quarantettes, the inspired roving quartet who sing songs by local musicians and share an original story, taking the show to those who most need a boost.
Prepare for a feel-great story that could only have happened during a pandemic, and could only have happened in Vancouver’s arts community—in East Van.
Over the long weekend, the foursome will Bring in the Spring, a roving community event taking place throughout East Van, with performances on back porches and personal “curb visits” to celebrate the beginning of Spring. This community offering is free, outdoors, accessible and focused on folks who live alone or are in need of some hope and good cheer. Residents can submit requests for friends or family who are isolated and need a lift.
“The inspiration has always been the original traveling musician - people who brought stories and songs to their communities and neighborhoods, on foot and in the street,” explains Quarantette member (and celebrated local actor-playwright) Christine Quintana. “Losing indoor live performance venues has brought performance back to its roots.
“We are lucky to have a household bubble with each other, and it means a lot to us to go sing for people who might be more isolated, or are having a harder time at this moment,” she adds. “The pandemic has isolated us from our communities, and we want to go to people who might need a reminder that we, their friends and neighbors, are still here, still care about them, and can't wait to see them again.”
The group of musician-actors first pulled together in the earliest days of the pandemic, the brainchild of Drive-area roommates Quintana and violinist Molly MacKinnon.
“We came up with the idea of forming a barbershop quartet as a joke—and we rehearsed in open parks, and in an empty swimming pool where we could be distanced but still hear each other,” explains Quintana. “Then, we started walking to our friends and neighbour's places and sang to them, and we were surprised at how much people loved it—thus, the ‘Quarantettes' were born.”
Composer and sound designer Mishelle Cuttler and session musician-percussionist Sally Zori came on board to fill out the four. Cuttler and MacKinnon penned five songs set to the words of women poets for a Quarantette program performed at different socially distanced outdoor locations through the summer.
Call it the little, heartwarming project that grew. Come winter, The Chop Theatre and Neworld Theatre got involved. Chop’s co-artistic director Emelia Symington Fedy says her theatre company had heard about the Quarantettes through social media and seen them performing for our friends in early COVID days. “I remember sitting in my back yard and discussing with my husband if if would be weird to hire them for my birthday. Then our friend Marcus Youssef called us [The Chop] and said ‘Is there any way you want to get involved? The Quarantettes were just singing in my alley and I’m crying from the beauty,’ the well-known local theatre artist says. “So [co-artistic director] Anita Rochon and I called Neworld and we quickly put our pennies together to make a little ‘touring show’ for Winter Solstice.”
That cold-weather rendition found the troupe travelling around East Van sharing songs, coupled with a holiday story by playwright Youssef, performing for individual family bubbles.
Fast forward to third-wave spring. “For everyone involved, it felt important to mark the Spring Solstice as well,” says Quintana. “The pandemic has made us so much more connected to the seasons and the outdoors, and these seasonal shows feel like an extension of this relationship. These natural cycles have a lot to teach us about how to weather the storms of life—pandemics included.”
The community offering is is free, outdoors, and focused on those who live alone or are in need of hope.
Whether the short production takes place in a garage, back alley, or front lawn, the setup feels like a mini-show, with a covering and a few lights.
“We are all about making the experience as special as possible—people crave surprise, live performance, and a little theatre magic these days,” Quintana says. “Even though the show is short, sweet, and socially distanced, we'd love to make the moments as fun and memorable as we can.”
“From a producing standpoint, we wanted these artists, who were already roving around the city singing to strangers, to be paid,” Symington Fedy adds. “We wanted them to feel safe and supported in this gift they were offering. And we wanted to get the word out—to anyone who lived alone or was feeling isolated—that here was an opportunity for a bit of light. So, we literally strung up some lights. This is an example of theatre magic. It doesn’t take a lot, and we’re all willing to pitch in. But, as an independent theatre company, who’d just lost some funding ourselves, our main impulse around making it more of a ‘show’ was to get some money into our friends pockets as quickly as we could.”
The song list this time out include “History of Happiness” by Jenny Ritter, “Mockingbird” by The Ruffled Feathers, and “When I Sing” by Sarah Jickling.
Note that show are limited: the Quarantettes will sing to a total of 24 family bubbles this time out. To request a spring serenade for you or someone you love, fill out this form. The group will select its viewers on the basis of need, safety and location.
For her part, Symington Fedy has loved the DIY feel of the show—a switch from the regular world of live performance that’s in hibernation right now. “For the first time, getting bums in seats is not a problem. Because who’d say no to a ‘home performance?’” she reflects. “All you have to do is open a window and lean out and listen. And as a theatre company whose work is all about making connections with people, it’s been a great relief to be part of making art that is live, simple and effecting.
“That said, the issue is, it’s such a personal performance and we’re so COVID aware, in terms of distance and bubbles, that there aren’t enough ‘Quarantettes’ in the city to get to all the audience who wants to access a performance,” she adds.
And if your heart feels full just hearing about the project, Symington Fedy invites you to donate to The Chop here, where 100 percent of funds will go to making more live and safe art in the city, and putting money directly into the hands of artists—who could use a little lift of their own.
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