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 current Artistic Directors 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.

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.

We acknowledge that The Chop Theatre’s main operations take place on unceded Indigenous land belonging to the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish),Stó:lō  and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

  • Emelia Symington Fedy

    artistic director.

    Emelia Symington Fedy

    Emelia Symington Fedy

    Emelia Symington Fedy is a theatre creator and producer based on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish Peoples. She is the founding co- artistic director of The Chop and tours nationally and internationally to critical acclaim. Emelia has been lead writer and performer on over thirty new theatre productions across Canada, collaborating with companies such as Caravan Farm Theatre, Neworld, Leaky Heaven Circus and Radix Theatre to name a few favourites.

    Emelia is also a veteran writer and host with CBC radio and has an ongoing column about “trying” with the Sunday Edition where she won honourable mention at the New York Doc Festival for her documentary ‘The Tracks’ about girlhood and sexual assault in her hometown of Armstrong BC. This doc is now being adapted into her first novel/memoir.

    Emelia is a guest lecturer at UBC new media program, a consultant for UBC theatre and education department is a graduate of Studio 58 and The SFU Writers Studio and SFU Creative Writing Graduate Program.

  • Anita Rochon

    artistic director.

    Anita Rochon

    Anita Rochon

    Anita Rochon is a performance director primarily focused on the creation of new work. Since 2006, she’s been the Artistic Director of The Chop with Emelia Symington Fedy. The Chop has produced numerous new works and tours nationally and internationally.

    Anita freelance directs in a range of styles from classical texts to documentary work to relational installations to contemporary dance. She collaborates with some of the country’s exceptional companies including Theatre Replacement, Electric Company Theatre, Bard on the Beach, Théâtre la Seizième, The Shaw Festival, Belfry Theatre, Vertigo Theatre, Globe Theatre and The Belfry Theatre.

    She mentors and directs at Studio 58 and the National Theatre School of Canada, and is an alum of both institutions. She was awarded the Ray Michal Prize for an Outstanding Body of Work by a New Director, the Siminovitch Protégé prize (awarded by Kim Collier) and a Mayor’s Arts Award (awarded by Donna Spencer).

    Show History

  • 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 CompletelyOn 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 WorldThe 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.