Here for Now Theatre’s Love Us Most shines spotlight on women behind the curtain

From June 17-28, Stratford's Here For Now Theatre will present the world premiere of Love Us Most, a sharp and darkly funny new play by Stratford Festival favourite Sara Farb.

While Stratford audiences know Farb for her acclaimed work as an actor, she is also an accomplished writer, having previously written the books for musicals including Kelly vs. Kelly and Way Out There.

Love Us Most offers audiences an opportunity to engage with a different aspect of her artistic practice through a play that draws on her years of experience in the theatre industry.

Director and friend Sabryn Rock, who worked with Farb and shared a dressing room early in her career during her time at the Stratford Festival, said she is excited to bring the production to Stratford and shine a light on the behind-the-scenes experiences of female actors in theatre.

"It's unique and feels like a full-circle moment because she's written a play that takes place entirely in the dressing room of a prestigious fictional theatre institution," she said. "They're performing King Lear, but the focus is on the three women who share the dressing room, playing Lear's three daughters."

The play follows three actresses navigating ambition, power and survival in a system that wasn't built for them.

"You get the backstage view of what might happen in one of those dressing rooms," said Rock. "Two of the characters are more seasoned actresses who've been there for many years, and then the actress playing Cordelia, or the one we call C in the play, it's her first season. She's a Black woman, so as the play unfolds, it starts to look at the dynamics and politics of being a woman and being a Black woman in a predominantly male space."

Although the setting is fictional, Rock said her time in theatre has shown her there are still misogynistic undercurrents in the male-dominated industry.

"There were times when I felt like my voice didn't matter in the same way and felt like I had to stifle my Blackness in order to fit in with this vision because it's classical theatre," she said.

As always, Here For Now Theatre's production of Love Us Most aims to leave audiences with a lasting impression. Alongside misogyny within the arts, the play explores the experiences of women of colour, as well as ageism in the industry.

"I know people understand that these imbalances still exist in theatre," said Rock. "The patriarchy is still a thing, but this play really puts into perspective that this is still happening in these institutions. Being able to see it from a new perspective, if you're not a person of colour, and gain a better understanding of how difficult it can be for someone to come to a place like this, fit in and not feel like they're compromising important parts of themselves, is huge."

Funny, insightful and especially resonant in a theatre town like Stratford, Love Us Most offers an insider's perspective on the realities of working in the arts.

"Sometimes we shift and change to fit into a box society wants us to be in, but I don't think that serves anybody," said Rock. "I think the play really highlights that and offers a new perspective."