Program

In the garden, cherry blossom petals float to the grass. A light breeze kisses the trees tops. It’s still cold, but sun has returned to Victoria just in time. My friends and I stand at the gates of Finnerty Gardens, where we began this project nearly 3 months ago. Then, we were classmates, wandering amongst the flora, wondering what we had gotten ourselves into. Now, we're a theatre company, anxiously anticipating the premiere of our first production. 

Between us there is trepidation and stress, but also camaraderie and trust. I feel a genuine awe for my collaborators and the story we are about to bring forth. Together, we embarked on one of the wildest group projects a cohort of students could attempt: to collectively write and produce a piece of site specific theatre that somehow combines 11 distinct creative voices into one. It is for that reason that I, as director, hesitate to share my individual vision for the show, because Infinity Gardens is not an individual undertaking. It is, the result of many weeks of exploration, experimentation, trying, questioning, doubting, writing, and re-writing, and re-writing, and re-writing to craft a show that all of us have nurtured in one way or another. Through it all, the garden has been here, holding us, guiding us. 

As you choose a path into the carnival of the mind that lays ahead, listen for the call of the garden, it might be something different for each of you, a quiet humming, the crunch of leaves, a whistle, a chime. When we pack up on the last day and the show becomes a memory, the garden will remain. The garden will help us remember how lucky we are, to have shared a moment within its embrace. Thank you for joining us in that moment. 

- Eliza Blue Musselwhite 

Elena Audrey Mae as Azvameth

(She/Her) Elena is a storyteller, a soup-maker, and a people-lover. She is a student of the mind and heart in both psychology and writing at the University of Victoria, but she has also studied theatre creation at Red Deer College and acting at the William Esper Studio in New York City. She is grateful to be on the wild ride that is Infinity Gardens and for GutPunch, delighting her senses at every turn.  

Director: Eliza Musselwhite

Production Manager:  Kaitlyn Alderson

Assistant Directors: Jasper Mallette and Lara Mullings

Costume Design: Lara Mullings

Set Design: Laura Wallace

Lighting Design: August Kirste-Yee

Sound Design: Sophie de Kergommeaux

Stage Manager: Augustìn Aldama

Script Supervisors: Elena Audrey Mae and Jasper Mallette

Marketing Team: Daria Bester, Molly Hughes and Elena Audrey Mae

Stage Crew: Raine Oceanbolter