Young Love in Early 90’s Saskatchewan

WINNIPEG — Prairie Theatre Exchange is proud to present the second production of the 2023/24 Season, THE WALTZ by Marie Beath Badian. Originally produced by Factory Theatre in Toronto and directed by Nina Lee Aquino, the sequel production to Badian’s Prairie Nurse is a romantic comedy between teenaged, second-generation Filipino-Canadians. The entire production, including castmates Ericka Leobrera and Anthony Perpuse, will make its way from Toronto to Winnipeg for a 2-week run this November 14 – 29, 2023.

It’s August 1993.  Eighteen-year-old Romeo Alvarez is travelling across the country from Ontario to British Columbia to attend University, when he makes a pit-stop in Saskatchewan to connect with some of his mom’s old friends. His journey leads him to a remote cabin, where his unexpected arrival is greeted by a suspicious Beatrice Klassen. The two don’t know it yet, but their histories are serendipitously interwoven.

It is here, on the doorstep of a rustic cabin at dusk, that two teenagers spend one evening with a boom box under the magnificent Saskatchewan sky.

The Waltz is a continuation of Badian’s hit 2013 play, Prairie Nurse (presented by PTE in 2018).  A comedy of errors, taking place during a wave of Filipino immigration to Canada in the late 1960’s, Prairie Nurse told the story of 2 young women move to Canada from the Philippines to work as nurses. Badian was directly inspired by her mother in writing the piece, whose story as a newcomer to the Prairies in 1967 closely resembles the experience of the young Puring and Penny in Prairie Nurse.

The Waltz takes place 24 years after Prairie Nurse, and is told through the eyes of the nurses’ respective children, the teenaged Bea Klassen (Puring’s daughter) and Romeo Alvarez (Penny’s son) – neither aware of the history that connects them. Naturally, what ensues is a classic, heartwarming and humorous story of young love, under a Prairie sky. “It is your classic romantic comedy about two stubborn young people who come in guarded and, in the end, share a bit of themselves,” said director Nina Lee Aquino.

“The Waltz is a beautifully crafted romance that reflects the country’s fascinating tapestry of cultures, intermingling and
ever-evolving through the generations.”

– The Globe & Mail

Photo by Dahlia Katz

Herself a lifelong fan of romcoms and classic 80’s coming-of-age films, Badian saw an opportunity to fill a longstanding gap in the genres. “I wanted to see two brown people fall in love,” she said in and interview with Intermission Magazine. The Waltz, peppered with references to Filipino language, culture and customs throughout, is Badian’s gift to her family and community, as well as her younger self.

“This is something I can do for my kid,” Badian said, “I can put not just a story of falling in love on stage, but I can add a little bit about who they are and where they came from within this sandbox of a romantic comedy.”

“It invites audiences to look back at their experience of young love,” said Aquino, “We weren’t old enough or wise enough to be ourselves. We didn’t have the tools yet to be real, and we made idiots of ourselves. But regardless, it was love all the same.”

“The Waltz is my coming-of-age-love letter to the Saskatchewan Sky [and] growing up second gen in the 90s.”

– Marie Beath Badian

THE WALTZ will be presented in the Cherry Karpyshin Mainstage Theatre at Prairie Theatre Exchange from November 14 – 29, 2023. Tickets for all performances are available now at PTE.mb.ca, or by contacting the box office at 204-942-5483 or boxoffice@pte.mb.ca.