Singalong play aims to put a spotlight on toxic drug crisis
In one moment, Kat Wahamaa talks about safe supply, harm reduction, and the people dying in the toxic drug overdose crisis. In the next moment, she talks about humour and joy.
“In order to get through this, we have to have those things, no matter how dire the circumstances,” she said.
Wahamaa is the artist director behind Precarious: A Transformative Musical Tale set to hit the stage at Inlet Theatre on Wednesday.
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Billed as a community collage play, the sing-along show includes stand-up comedy, a history of prohibition, and elements of personal stories. The show is made by folks “with lived and living experience,” Wahamaa explains.
“I lost my son in 2016, so it’s very personal for me.”
Work on the play began in 2023. Rather than testimonials, the show includes bits and pieces of a multitude of stories woven together.
“It’s pretty much directed by the people that are engaged in it,” she said.
The show is meant to foster a deeper understanding of the toxic drug crisis, stated Tri-Cities Community Action Team program coordinator Roxanne Saxon.
“By sharing real stories, it touches our shared humanity, encourages open dialogue, challenges preconceived notions, and sparks our compassion,” Saxon stated in a press release.
That compassion is necessary to affect change, Wahamaa says.
“We’re in the dark ages in terms of our policy for drugs.”
As coordinator for the Mission Overdose Community Action Team, Wahamaa said she still encounters misinformation about safe supply and harm reduction.
“We’ve just been through a couple of elections where those words have been completely mangled for political purposes.”
In October, approximately 4.8 British Columbians died each day due to unregulated drug toxicity, according to B.C. Coroners Service. About half the deaths occurred in a private residence.
The crisis is more than a tragedy of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, Wahamaa emphasizes.
“That isn’t the story. There’s lots of stories.”
By sharing stories on stage with joy and humour, Wahamaa says she hopes the audience will be entertained while learning something.
“It can definitely make you cry, but it will make you laugh,” she promises.
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