About The Chop
The Company.
The Chop is a company that brings together artists to create new Canadian theatre. It was founded in 2006 in Vancouver, BC by Emelia Symington Fedy and Anita Rochon. The Chop is recognized for work that is sophisticatedly “simple” – that is, the artistic propositions are spare and clear so that complexities come from the depth of the investigation. Productions are characterized by an intentionally live and direct connection with the audience. Now led by Emelia Symington Fedy, The Chop has moved our creation hub to the Shuswap BC. The touring of new works starts from our office space in Vancouver, but all creation, mentorship, residencies and community involvement happens rurally. With 19 new works toured nationally and a strong international profile for our “carbon lite” programming, we’re enjoying this additional role as rural artistic support system.
Mandate
The Chop strives to explore the landscape of personal connection in theatre. It aims to foster artistic growth by facilitating education around contemporary approaches to making new work, by producing workshops and providing opportunities for dialogue and development. The Chop endeavors to work with innovative and incredible individuals of various artistic backgrounds with a long-term goal of artistic growth and continued collaboration.
Artistic Objectives
- To explore new methods of creation that are relevant to the content of the work,
- To create work that is relevant to an audience,
- To develop a diverse audience at home and abroad through touring locally, nationally and internationally,
- To nurture an audience and performer relationship that is passionate, compassionate, challenging and vital,
- To foster a company infrastructure and environment that allows work to reach its potential at home and on tour.
The Chop Theatre gratefully acknowledges the ongoing support of our funders: Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council and the City of Vancouver Office of Cultural Affairs.
The Chop gratefully creates work on two stolen territories. The unceded (stolen) traditional territory of the Secwepemc People and the unceded (stolen) traditional territory of the Coast Salish people Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.
Artistic Director.
Emelia Symington Fedy
Emelia Symington Fedy is artistic director and founder of The Chop. Lead writer and performer on over thirty new productions across Canada, she is also a documentary producer and storyteller with CBC radio.
Her first book ‘Skid Dogs’ was on the BC Best-Seller list for 16 weeks, and is nominated for the Yukon & BC Book Prize in 2024.
Emelia is a guest lecturer at UBC new media program, a graduate of Studio 58 and The SFU Writers Studio and SFU Creative Writing Graduate Program.
Co-Founder.
Anita Rochon
Anita Rochon is co-founder and artist emeritus at The Chop. A performance director primarily focused on the creation of new work, from 2006-2024, she was co-Artistic Director of The Chop with Emelia Symington Fedy, producing numerous new works and touring nationally and internationally. Anita is now artistic director of Green Thumb Theatre.
Fundraising Director.
Rachel Aberle
Rachel Aberle is an award-winning playwright, dramaturge, director, and she served as the Artistic Director of Green Thumb Theatre for three years during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Her plays Still•Falling and The Code have toured across Canada and the U.S. Still•Falling received a Jessie Richardson Theatre Award for Significant Artistic Achievement, and The Code received the Sydney J. Risk Award for Outstanding Script by an Emerging Playwright and a Jessie for Outstanding Production.
Rachel’s favourite directing credits include Cranked: The ReMix and Like It or Not for Green Thumb Theatre, and I Know What I Saw for Studio 58.
Rachel makes her home in Quesnel, BC on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Lhtako Dene People. She lives with her husband, daughter, and two very ridiculous chihuahuas.
Company Strategist & Therapist.
Naomi Campbell
We’re grateful to have Canada’s one and only Naomi Campbell as our company strategist and therapist. She has worked with Nightswimming, Mammalian Diving Reflex, DVxT Theatre, the late Paul Bettis’ Civilized Theatre, VideoCabaret, Luminato, and many, many festivals across Canada.
Operations Manager.
Kayleigh Sandomirsky
Kayleigh Sandomirsky is a stage/production manager, producer, curator and performer; as well as the Operations Manager for The Chop. Kayleigh works in both theatre and dance, and has toured productions across Canada. She is also starting to dabble in design and tour management, and loves to constantly shake things up artistically.
Show History
| 2024. | Tour Playing Fields to Hong Kong Arts Festival, and Dublin Theatre Festival |
| 2022. | Creation and presentation of The Quarantettes across East Vancouver |
| 2021. | Tour of Pathetic Fallacy to Hong Kong Arts Festival, and Rumble Theatre (Vancouver BC) |
| 2020. | KISMET, things have changed: PuSh International Performance Festival, Vancouver, BC; Belfry Theatre, Victoria, BC (cancelled due to COVID-19) |
| 2019. | How to Disappear Completely: High Performance Rodeo Pathetic Fallacy: PuShOFF, Vancouver; Farnham Maltings, Farnham, England; Festival of Live Digital Art, Kingston, Ontario; Offta, Montreal; CanadaHub at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Edinburgh KISMET, things have changed: Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Burnaby |
| 2018. | Pathetic Fallacy: Festival of Live Digital Art, Kingston, Ontario; Darwin Festival, Darwin, Australia How to Disappear Completely: Undercurrents Festival, Ottawa; Tmuna Theatre, Tel Aviv, Israel; Khan Theatre, Jerusalem, Israel West End Originals: Three Quarters Full Cafe, Vancouver |
| 2017. | Through the Gaze of a Navel: High Performance Rodeo, Calgary How to Disappear Completely: Winnipeg Jewish Theatre, Winnipeg and Segal Centre for the Arts, Montreal |
| 2016. | Through the Gaze of a Navel: Belfry Theatre, Victoria Sonic Elder: Penthouse Nightclub Vancouver |
| 2015. | Through the Gaze of a Navel: Spark Festival, Belfry Theatre in Victoria and the Magnetic North Theatre Festival in Ottawa. How to Disappear Completely: Belfry Theatre in Victoria, Usine C in Montreal, JW3 in London, England, Sick! Festival in Manchester and Brighton, MayFest (MayK) in Bristol and Colchester Arts Centre in Colchester, England. |
| 2014. | Through the Gaze of a Navel: Yukon Arts Centre in Whitehorse, Crow’s Eastside Culture Crawl in Toronto and Boca del Lupo’s Micro Performance Series in Vancouver, BC. How to Disappear Completely: Battersea Arts Centre in London, England, Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, Dublin Fringe Festival in Dublin, Ireland, Pivot Festival in Whitehorse, Gateway Theatre in Richmond, TBA Festival in Portland. |
| 2013. | How to Disappear Completely: On the Boards in Seattle, Uno Fest in Victoria, The Stratford Festival of Canada (Forum series), SummerWorks Festival (International Series). |
| 2012. | How to Disappear Completely at the Factory Theatre in Toronto and at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts in Burnaby. KISMET one to one hundred at the Gateway Theatre in Richmond, BC. |
| 2011. | KISMET one to one hundred at Spark Theatre Festival in Victoria BC, Magnetic North Theatre Festival in Ottawa and Presentation House in North Vancouver. Last Dance Tango Salon at PuSh International Theatre Festival Opening Gala. How to Disappear Completely at Chutzpah! Theatre Festival (premier). |
| 2010. | Premier KISMET at Rumble Production’s Tremors Festival in Vancouver and at The Theatre Centre’s Freefall in Toronto. |
| 2008. | Premier Townsville, co-produced with Studio 58 at Magnetic North. |
| 2007. | Premier Last Dance Tango Salon – Tremors, Rumble Productions. |
| 2006. | 2 Truths +1 Lie = Proof – HIVE, Vancouver (co-presented with Rumble Productions) Company-in-Residence at Rumble Productions Remount Patti Fedy in Lovers’ Rock! for Intrepid Theatre (Victoria) Presents ‘The Patrika Sisters in Saving the World‘ – The Firehall Arts Centre (BC Buds) Create & present The Voyageurettes, an all ages community workshop |
| 2005. | Tour Patti Fedy in Lovers’ Rock! to Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Victoria & Vancouver Produce two workshops: Baby Clown with John Turner & Bouffon with Karen Hines |
| 2004. | Tour Patti Fedy in THE HUNT to Winnipeg, Victoria & Vancouver |
| 2003. | Produce two workshops in Vancouver with John Turner: Advanced Clown (November) & Intro and Baby Clown (May ’04). |
| 2002. | Tour Patti Fedy in Be Prepared to Fall in Love to Edmonton, Victoria and Vancouver |