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GOLD: A brand-new socially conscious piece of theatre

Burlesque-theatre show, part of The Goddess Movement, comes to Abbotsford
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On a 30-hour plane trip to return home from Australia, Abbotsford’s Bailey Dodds was glued to her cellphone.

She wasn’t checking social media, reviewing her travel pics or sending out e-mails - instead, she was writing out a script, dialogue and dance numbers for a theatre-dance hybrid show.

Those moments on the plane, typing out her soul while in the skies, helped form the basis for GOLD - an original and brand new show which is set to be performed at The Goddess Movement in Abbotsford on Aug. 25.

The show combines burlesque, contemporary, hip-hop and circus movements, along with a theatre feel.

“People can expect that it’ll be very in your face, a little bit sexy and a little bit of raw theatre,” Dodds said.

Dodds said GOLD will be a socially conscious piece of theatre that hopes to shed light to the darkness of the entertainment industry.

The Abbotsford School of Integrated Arts grad said she was inspired by the time she spent at the Abbotsford dance studio where the play will be performed.

“A few yeas ago I danced with The Goddess Movement and did burlesque and some of their workshops and just fell in love with it,” she said. “I went travelling for a few years after that and when I knew I was coming back to Abbotsford I decided I wanted to incorporate my theatre background into something with The Goddess Movement. I wanted to bring in a storyline and develop characters within something socially conscious, as well as having it be a charitable event.”

Dodds, who excelled in drama and writing at ASIA and took musical theatre camp classes at UFV, then wrote most of the script out on that long plane ride. She worked on it non-stop for two weeks after returning to Abbotsford and it became a reality earlier this year.

Auditions for the play were held in May, and the last three months have been jam packed with rehearsals and perfecting the show. Talent from all over the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland will be hitting the stage in the show.

There are three main acting roles and 13 cast members, but there are a number of dance ensembles featuring plenty of local talent.

“It’s crazy how it all came together and having kind of a limited amount of time really lit a fire under me,” she said.

Dodds said working with The Goddess Movement helped fuel her creative side.

“Everyone knows each other and it’s a great place for women to come together in a judgement-free zone,” she said.

She added that 10 per cent of the proceeds from the performance will be donated to Women Against Violence Against Women (WAVAW), which is a rape crisis centre operating out of Vancouver that provides a 24/7 sexual assault crisis line for all of the Lower Mainland.

“I believe it’s easier to talk to someone on the phone and I appreciate the work they do,” she said. “The first step is talking to someone about sexual assault.”

The show, which is 18-plus, runs at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Aug. 25 at The Goddess Movement studio on 1919 Sumas Way.

Tickets are on sale now, and can be found at gold.brownpapertickets.com.



Ben Lypka

About the Author: Ben Lypka

I joined the Abbotsford News in 2015.
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