The project will feature several actors sharing stories of their own or others to offer different perspectives from different generations and across the country on how finding their true identities has made them the people they are today. Photo: Lauryn Mackenzie / CHLY 101.7fm

A group of Nanaimo actors are coming together to celebrate pride and share personal stories of finding both their voice and pride.

The Rainbow Project: Searching for a voice, Pride stories through the decades highlights true stories of both the performers and other writers’ experiences with pride throughout their lives and how it shaped them into who they are today.

The project came in partnership with Vancouver Island University theatre department instructor, Robin Boxwell and playwright Bill Miner.

The project will feature several actors sharing stories of their own or others to offer different perspectives from different generations and across the country on how finding their true identities has made them the people they are today

CHLY got to attend an early run-through of the project at Le Brunch Cafe before the two performances at VIU’s Malaspina Theatre this weekend.

Bill Miner, Randy Humchitt, Christian Ouellet, and Jonathan Greenway will be sharing their own stories, while Wendy Wearne will share the stories of Gwen Spinks.

Artwork Spinks has made will also be showcased visually showing her connection with pride.

Each story starts off by introducing themselves and sharing tragedies members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community were facing at the same time of their birth

Miner said when he first spoke with Boxwell about working together on a project, Boxwell first suggested the idea of reprising the play The Laramie Project which tells the story of Matthew Shepard who was a victim of anti-gay hate crimes and beaten to death in 1998. The play is told through transcriptions of interviews with residents in Laramie, Wyoming following Matthew’s death.

“I thought, ‘No, I wanted to do something that resonated for myself and for the people in the middle and community,’ Miner said. “So I said to him I'd love to just reach out to a number of people–dear friends, people I've worked with–friends that represented a broad spectrum of experiences from different decades of experiences,”

When Miner reached out to Humchitt, Humchitt said he was excited to join in on the project.

“I felt encouraged by the prospect of telling my story, and in a way, it was interesting to revisit my past wreck, recalling my life,” Humchitt said. “But what I really hoped for this project was really to get the discussion going for people who are coming to watch and to reflect on their own lives, and keep these really important discussions at the forefront of our minds.”

As well for Ouellet he said he is an open book and said these stories are something important to tell.

“For me, I've always been an open book. I've always been who I am. Chris–the gay guy or the straight guy, or the nice guy or the not-so-nice guy,” Ouellet said. “I am who I am. And it's funny because, for me, it's looking back into 60 years or 50 years of growing up in the gay community and with gay people and being.”

But Greenway admits he was super nervous when he was approached about the idea of sharing his story. He said he was anxious to talk about his sexuality as he does not label himself which is something he talks about in the project.

“I'm just me, and to talk about that individualism and stuff,” Greenway said. “And it's a lot of just opening up about private occurrences that happen in your own sexual life that you do, either under the table or in plain sight one way or another.”

Artwork by Gwen Spinks will be showcased to visually showcase her connection with pride. Image provided: *The Only Way Through* by Gwen Spink

Wearne, who will be sharing Gwen Spinks’ story, said she believes in giving individuals a voice so others can listen and learn.

“So I was really keen to help out with this project, believe it's very important,” Wearne said. “When Gwen needed a voice because you couldn't be there this weekend, I was more than happy to step in and do my best as an ally.”

One topic featured in almost all the individual stories was the fear and deaths associated with the AIDS crisis that occurred in Canada and the United States throughout the 1980s.

Ouellet was deeply affected by the tragic passing of friends during the crisis.

“I also think that going through it in the 80s and witnessing so many beautiful young people dying, and when you're talking about maybe 17 of my close friends passed away, and you're 19 [years old], and you're 20 [years old], and you're 17 [years old]. I think it's shaped who we are today as gay or as a community. Without that history, I think it would be different,” Ouellet said. “It was a tough time, but we made it through and it's good for you for young people like you guys to know that too.”

Wearne, who is from Zimbabwe where homosexuality is still illegal, said that it is important to learn about the history and hear other perspectives from around the world.

“I think it is really important to as well let people know that in parts of the world–many parts of the world–this stigma is still killing millions of people,” Wearne said.

She shares that in Southern Africa people are still dying from stigma associated with homosexual discrimination and AIDS.

“It's not history, it is current affairs in many parts of the world, still today. I think that's important for everybody to know,” she said. “We learn because of what individuals have gone through and try and stop it from happening again.”

As a younger person who was not familiar with the AIDs crisis growing up, Greenway said it is important to recognize the AIDs crisis that happened and the tragedies that came from it.

“It just brings in an awareness that it's not that long ago, that it was a death sentence and is now not, and that that's because of the work of the community that [did] the work of people putting forward something so that people can be safer now,” Greenway said.

Miner said as the stories feature topics and discussions of anti-gay hate and deaths, suicide and other difficult topics that may affect audience members, the event will have support workers and resources available.

“I think, right off the bat, we were one of the touchstone components–imperative components for everyone here was that the opportunity to offer these stories came with the responsibility to be able to respond to those that may be listening and triggered or troubled or just want to reach out,” Miner said.

At the end of the performances, audience members will be invited to also share their own stories of pride and how encounters of it throughout their lives impacted who they are.

Miner said he hopes audience members will be able to take away a sense of hope in their own journeys with pride.

“But in the final outcomes, there's a transition and you’re left with being grateful, and feeling glad that you live the life you did,” Miner said. “If you could go through again, even the adversity because I think it does make us who we are, and just to allow that possibility to resonate for the audience. However, they take it in–even not at the moment, but later– as it percolates down as you give other thoughts and layer it onto their own experiences [it] could assist in that journey.”

The Rainbow Project will take place on Saturday, June 22nd and Sunday, June 23rd at 7 p.m. at the Malaspina Theatre lobby. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and admission is free for everyone.

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.