Food, life, connections. These ideas are at the core of ‘Supper Club,’ a play by Willow Kean and directed by Nicole Rousseau, performed at the LSPU Hall last weekend and now touring the island.
The play is a comedy about the intersections of friendship, food and women. It follows five women over the course of five meals, all hosted in their respective homes, as they learn about each other and their lives.
The wide cast of characters, a 20-something vegan, a hockey mom, an anthropologist, a Cuban artist and a doctor, each prepare a meal reflective of themselves as they explore life through food. Kean and I sat down at the LSPU Hall to discuss the play, the collaborative process and great meals.
Food
Kean and I discussed the importance of sharing food and how it is represented in the play. “I don’t want people to come to this thinking that it’s a play about food snobs,” says Kean. “There are people in the play who are food snobs, but it’s not a play about fine food.”
Mashed potatoes, veganism, duck breast, each character is represented by what they serve. “It’s all about comfort and what brings you comfort and like what you’re bringing to the table, might not be what this person cooks, but it’s still quite good.”
We talked about exploration through food, “I was kind of late to my food discovery,” explained Kean. “So, you know, I grew up in Lab West, and, you know, the food selection there wasn’t what it is now.” She recalls the first time she tried cilantro, at the now-closed Sultan’s Tent in Calgary “It was a meal that kind of made me go, Oh, there’s so much more out there,” she says, “It was the first time I ever had cilantro. And it was just a little like marinated tomato salad. And I was like, what, what is, what does that taste? And everyone’s like cilantro, you dork!”
Friendship
For Kean and Rousseau, the play comes from the heart. The pair have been friends for nearly 30 years, and much of their friendship has been defined by shared culinary experiences and curiosity.
The pair met in 1994 and became fast friends the following year while studying at Memorial’s Grenfell campus.
Kean spoke about their early days and the food exploration they would take part in, saying, “Maybe it wasn’t until we went to Harlow together in our fourth year that we both were kind of like, ah! London and food and curry and kebab! She kind of brought me out of my shell in terms of different foods, like when we were in London or when we were in Harlow, I ate Indian food for the very first time with Nicole, and, I was with her the very first time I ever ate lamb.”
Since then, the two have continued to bond through meals, “So we really bonded over food, and we really love food, it’s such an important way to bring people together.” Kean said that Rousseau is the perfect partner for this project. Rousseau, Artistic Animateur of the RCA Theatre Company, has years of experience directing and creating.
Women
With an entirely female cast and a majority female crew, the play explores the complex intricacies of women’s lives. The characters in the play come from different backgrounds, have different lifestyles and are different ages.
A wide spectrum of womanhood is represented in the play, clashes and all, “the point is that it’s all these women who are like, in theory, like very diametrically opposed, even in terms of their food habits,” says Kean.
On the ages of the characters, Kean said, “The ages are all over the map, right? twenties to fifties. You know, that was something that was really important for me in writing this, bringing the generations together. It’s important as a young woman to have older women in your life. And it’s really important as an older woman to have younger women in your life.”
Kean also talked about the lack of roles for older women on stage and screen, “It’s better than what it was, but we need to see more of it. That’s part of why I’m really proud of this play.”
Though it is a female-centric story, Kean says that it is for everyone, not just women, “some people are like, you know, it’s not a play for me because I’m a dude or whatever, but it’s not that. I don’t want people to think it’s an anti-vegan anti-men play.” Everyone can enjoy the play, it’s a fun comedy about life and all the different ways of living it.
This is the second run of the play. It first premiered in November 2021 and was the first play at the LSPU Hall able to operate at full capacity following the COVID-19 pandemic. Three of the original actors are reprising their roles, while two new actors join the fold.
Kean talked about the exciting process of revisiting the production with the fresh perspective of the new cast members. “It’s great to be in a remounted production because you have two new cast members who just bring new, new things to the table, different ideas and different dynamics.”
Kean also said, “Some moments have changed completely from the last iteration,” bringing new moments to the story while staying true to the original. Kean says, “This is conflict, it’s a play, it’s life, but at the end of the day, everybody enjoys everyone’s company. Everybody walks away in good shape, and the friendships are still intact.”
Don’t miss out!
‘Supper Club’ was performed at the LSPU Hall in St. John’s on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and is now going on a cross-island tour with performances in Gander on November 1st, Grand Falls-Windsor on November 3rd, Corner Brook on November 6th and Stephenville November 9th.
Visit lspuhall.ca for St. John’s tickets and artsandculturecentre.com for all other dates.
