When The Walls Come Down

Last year’s digital smash hit, When The Walls Come Down, returns to our festival — this time live on stage!

Inspired by Caroline Hebert's life story, the performance sheds light on stereotypes and difficulties that many Deaf Canadians may face. We learn of her childhood as she shares that her parents never learned to sign and that she felt extremely alone and isolated. She tells us about the birth of her daughter and the pressure she was under to give up her baby because she is a Deaf mother. As Caroline grows older, she slowly finds her community and true sense of self. It’s impossible to not fall in love with her honesty and vulnerability throughout the performance.

With stunning lighting design by James Proudfoot, the stage is transformed to reveal glimpses of memories that have impacted Caroline’s life. The performance integrates projects in unexpected ways and features an animation created by a team of five talented artists from the Vancouver Film School.

Through contemporary dance Caroline's stories come to life. Evan Rapaport and Racheal Prince, both former artists with Ballet BC, dance the leading roles in the work alongside Caroline.

The work is performed in ASL with English voice overs, making it equally accessible for hearing and Deaf audiences.

We are excited to continue sharing this work so that everyone may experience an imaginative, thought provoking journey that helps to educate and potentially connects audience members to a community outside of their own.

• Dance
• $25.00 inc $3.00 fee
• March 31, 2023-April 1, 2023
• 60 minutes
• La Cité Francophone
• La Cité Francophone Theatre
• General (G)