I walked into this show not knowing what to expect. I walked out with tears in my eyes and the cathartic feeling of getting to see myself represented on stage as a non-binary student.
The theatre company Of the Sea Productions opened its first show, Violets Bloom in April and Marigolds in Autumn, on Feb. 1 at the Rotunda Theatre. Violets is written by Grace Delamere, ArtSci ’25, and is an unconventional theatre experience reflecting everyday people’s struggles.
Violets had its start at Queen’s during the 2022 Fall term installment of Dan Studio Series (DSS). Over the last year, the show has doubled in length and become an entirely different viewing experience.
“A lot of what’s in this show is either experiences I have gone through or seen other people go through,” Delamere said in an interview to The Journal. “Unfortunately [our generation] has a lot of struggles. I wanted to put it into a piece that’s poetic and artistic to show even though times like this can be difficult, [they] can still be beautiful.”
Violets showcases the individual yet interconnected struggles of five university students. The show is narrated by the fourth wall-breaking, poetic narrator, April, played by Elsa McKnight, ArtSci ’24.
Be it depression, gender identity, or an existential crisis, these five characters each touch on what it means to be a young adult in modern society.
On one side of the story are Violet and Bloom, a brother and sister duo played by Cassian Manderson, Con-Ed ’26, and Valeriya Hinich, Sci ’25. Violet struggles with depression and Bloom wants nothing more than to fix her brother. Bloom sees the beauty in everything, while Violet only believes the glass is half empty. The two characters are constantly trying to convince the other to let go of their fears.
The flip side of the story is the complicated love story of Marigold and Autumn.
Upon first introduction, Autumn, played by Daniella Ghokasian, HealthSci ‘25, seems to be hopelessly in love with the unattainable and outgoing Marigold, played by Kyra Mevis, Con-Ed ’24. It soon becomes clear Marigold is terrified of falling in love because of their crippling gender dysphoria and depression.
The fear and conflict in Marigold gripped the audience. While some people in the theatre may have found the character “annoying” or “chronically indecisive,” I saw myself on stage for the first time in my life as a thespian.
I’ve never felt included in the staged stories of the LGBTQ+ community. Gender dysphoria has had a chokehold on me since middle school and nothing defines the gender identity struggle like wanting complete control but never having a grip on reality.
Mevis delivered a performance that reminded me of nights spent sobbing on my bedroom floor and uprooted memories of the first time I fell in love with a woman and didn’t know how to act because I didn’t understand who I was.
Violets is a show that reflects real struggles—not what society thinks struggle looks like for Gen Z.
The acting in Violets was arguably some of the best acting I’ve seen at Queen’s. The discipline, mannerisms, and vulnerability of each character made it feel like these were real people on stage and not characters curated from Delamere’s mind.
In of character arcs, April and Marigold were the two strongest characters in the show. April was a perfect mix of anxious and intelligent. Her quirky and loveable nature made her narration a seamless transition in and out of her world.
Bloom had a lot of potential for speaking to the fixers and perfectionists in the world, but fell short because she didn’t bare her soul to the audience.
Autumn was the one character I desperately craved to see in full action. Autumn resembled a lovesick puppy and ended the show a heartbroken puppy. The unconditional love she had for Marigold was great, but the drive to be in love was lost on the audience. Autumn’s character felt like an afterthought compared to the other characters on stage.
The blocking added to the unconventional theatricality by combining simple choreography with everyday conversations. I think continuing to build on the choreography to make the movement feel more surreal would elevate the poetic and unrealistic setting of these very real stories.
The set design seemed simplistic, but upon further inspection, the splotchy array of colour and curvaceous lines are a metaphor for life.
Nothing about living is linear and change is inevitable.
As a completely student-created and produced show, Of the Sea Productions is a new theatre company making its way into the Queen’s theatre community without the direct of the DAN School. Being an independent theatre company allows for more flexibility and creative liberty, as described by various of the Violets’ production team.
“I think it was nice we got to be independent because we didn’t have to worry about the [Queen’s] financial situation. It’s obviously not looking great for all the arts students and programs at Queen’s, which is stressing me out, but I think it’s good we had an independent company and independent show,” Director Annabelle Brophy, ArtSci ’25, said in an interview with The Journal.
With the Faculty of Arts and Science undergoing many changes to battle the University’s financial deficit, many DAN School of Drama and Music students are worried about what that means for their artistic ions.
“Seeing what students are capable of I think is going to be a huge driving factor to keep the arts open and keep funding it. Having shows like what we [Of the Sea Productions] are doing is hopefully going to open a lot of people’s eyes to what we could be capable of,” Brophy said.
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