Acclaimed drama SEEDS starring Corner Gas’ Eric Peterson tours Lower Mainland.
The ACT Arts Centre, the Kay Meek Centre and Surrey Arts Centre present SEEDS, a Porte Parole production, written by Annabel Soutar, directed by Chris Abraham, starring Eric Peterson, Bruce Dinsmore, Mariah Inger, Alex Ivanovici, Manon Adler, Cary Lawrence, Amelia Sargisson.
SEEDS is the dramatic retelling of the legal battle between a Saskatchewan farmer Percy Schmeiser and international bio-tech giant, Monsanto.
In the late 1990s, Monsanto Canada accused the small-town farmer of patent infringement for planting their genetically modified canola seed without a license. Schmeiser fought back. What ensued was a four-year legal battle that went all the way to the Canadian Supreme Court. A genuine David vs. Goliath tale; SEEDS asks the important question, “Who Owns Life?”
Based on the court trial transcripts, interviews with Percy Schmeiser, Monsanto representatives, and with farmers, academics, lawyers and scientists from all across Canada, SEEDS leads us through a suspenseful labyrinth of legal conflicts around patent rights, and property clashes between farmers and the biotech industry.
Thought provoking and fast paced, SEEDS is part court-room drama and part social commentary. The play seeks to inspire debate and discussion about the intended (and unintended) uses of genetically modified crops. SEEDS asks all the right questions, and lets the audience decide. SEEDS has garnered critical acclaim since it was first staged in Montreal in 2005 with subsequent runs in Toronto as well as Centaur Theatre (Montreal), and was also featured at the 2014 PuSh Festival in Vancouver, BC.
For more information please visit our website at www.kaymeekcentre.com
