THEATRE PREVIEW

OCTOBER 2025 | Volume 256

 

Firehall Arts Centre Presents Western Canadian Premiere of Robert Chafe's
Between Breaths, Produced by Newfoundland's Artistic Fraud

The Firehall Arts Centre is proud to present the Western Canadian premiere of Between Breaths from Wednesday, November 12 to Sunday, November 23, 2025.

Inspired by a true story, Between Breaths is a profound play that sails through the extraordinary life of Dr. Jon Lien – known to many as "The Whale Man" – who devoted his career to saving whales trapped in fishing nets off the coast of Newfoundland. Over the years, he rescued more than 500 whales, bridging the divide between science and the local fishing community with empathy and respect. But as the play traces Dr. Lien's legacy, it also reveals his most personal struggle: a battle with dementia that slowly threatened the very core of his identity.

Set to a hauntingly beautiful live score by celebrated Newfoundland indie folk trio The Once, Between Breaths is a powerful meditation on memory, loss, and the deep connections that endure even as everything else fades. It is a play about hope, endings, and the human spirit's quiet resistance against disintegration.

"Bringing Between Breaths to the Firehall stage was to have happened in 2020 but now, five years later, the play holds its power, its humour, and is even more relevant," says Firehall Arts Centre's Artistic Producer, Donna Spencer. "With the involvement of some of Canada's top tier theatre artists, led by one of Canada's most exciting, visionary directors, Jillian Keiley – founder of Artistic Fraud and former Artistic Director of National Arts Centre Theatre – and with a script by award-winning playwright Robert Chafe, this work is a true theatrical treat and is not to be missed. East Coast meets the West in a truly Canadian coastal story."

Credits for Between Breaths

Playwright:  Robert Chafe 
Director:  Jillian Keiley
Original Music Composed & Arranged by:  The Once
Cast:  Darryl Hopkins (as Wayne), Steve O'Connell (as Jon Lien), & Bernardine Stapleton (as Judy Lien)
Band:  Andrew Laite (vocals/guitar), Valmy Assam (vocals), & Josh Sandu (mandolin/bodhran/harmonica/vocals)
Dramaturg:  Iris Turcott
Additional Dramaturgy:  Sarah Garton Stanley
Stage Manager:  Crystal Laffoley
Sound Designer:  Brian Kenny
Associate Sound Design/FOH Audio/Techncial Director:  Pat Dempsey 
Costume Designer:  Shawn Kerwin
Assistant Director:  Sharon King-Campbell
Additional Orchestration:  Duane Andrews
Music Director:  Kellie Walsh
Producer:  James Richardson/Artistic Fraud

November 12-23, 2025 | Firehall Arts Centre| 280 E. Cordova Street
Opening Night:  Thursday, November 13 at 7:30pm 
Preview Performance:  Wednesday, November 12 at 7:30pm 
Performance Times:  Tuesday-Saturday at 7:30pm | Saturday & Sunday at 3:00pm | PWYC Wednesday at 1:00pm
Matinees:  November 15 & 16 at 3:00pm | November 19 at 1:00pm |November 22 & 23 at 3:00pm
Post Show Talkback:  November 20
Tickets:  From $30 at firehallartscentre.ca | 604.689.0926

For more information on The Firehall, please visit the following platforms:

Website: www.firehallartscentre.ca
Facebook: www.facebook.com/firehallarts 
Instagram: www.instagram.com/firehall.arts

 

 

 

 

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