From Page to Stage: Approaching Text as a Practitioner

VLACC is pleased to present a special community event, From Page to Stage: Approaching Text as a Practitioner, led by director and dramaturge Luciana Silvestre Fernandes and playwright-performer Luis Bellassai.

The session will begin with an introduction to the historical and creative foundations of the I am 108 play, followed by a conversation on shared histories. Participants will then work in pairs with a script excerpt to explore how text informs staging, considering elements such as setting, character, and design. With guidance from Luciana and Luis, each group will develop their own interpretation of the piece, with time for sharing and reflection. This interactive session offers a unique opportunity to explore the creative process behind their upcoming production, I Am 108, premiering May 8 at the Scotiabank Dance Centre.

Open to theatre-makers, students, and curious minds alike, this workshop offers a practical and engaging introduction to turning text into performance. No prior experience is required, just a willingness to explore, imagine, and create.

Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Time: 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm

Location: East Studio - The Post at 750 (750 Hamilton St #110, Vancouver, BC V6B 0E9)

Free Event

About the Play

is a new play by Luis Bellassai that blends documentary history with personal narrative through the electrifying presence of Juanita Bang Bang, a comedic drag performer. The play revisits the story of “108,” a number historically associated with the persecution of homosexuals under Paraguay’s Stroessner dictatorship, while investigating the unresolved M**der of Bernardo Aranda Valdez. Through music, performance, and storytelling, the work moves between past and present, ultimately revealing a deeply personal reflection on migration, identity, and belonging.

This community event invites participants to engage directly with the text of I Am 108 as both readers and creators.

About the Facilitators

Luis Belassai Gauto is an artist from Paraguay based in Vancouver, whose work is a blend of creativity, resourcefulness, and cross-cultural influences. With a background in architecture and a Master of Fine Arts in Scenic Design, Luis creates immersive environments that merge technical precision with artistic vision.

As an architect, art director, and theater actor, his perspective is multidisciplinary. He thrives in collaborative settings and in pushing artistic boundaries, in particular through innovative material use. Luis represented Canada and Paraguay at the 2022 World Stage Design Exhibition in Calgary and spoke at The ABCDE Conference 2023, sharing his creative process and resourcefulness with the local art community.

His most recent work is a one-person show, developed with Brazilian director Luciana Silvestre, where he was writer, performer and set designer. This project was part of the STAND FESTIVAL 2024 and supported by the BC Arts Council.

More about him at: https://luisbellassai.myportfolio.com/

Luciana Silvestre Fernandes is a director who also acts, produces, dances and models. Now calling BC home, she has come from Brazil via NS, and is known to hop between the east and west coasts. She completed her MFA in Directing at UBC (2020) with the support of a SSHRC grant, and also holds a Theatre Studies and English degree from Dalhousie (2012).

Luciana joined Neptune Theatre in 2018-19 for the Chrysalis project as a Director, 2b theatre as their emerging artist in residency (2020-22). She was also a board member for Eastern Front Theatre (2021-23). She is now part of Touchstone’s Early Career Playwright’s Cohort. Fueled by spite and care, Luciana loves obscure Jacobean and Elizabethan plays, the classics interpreted through movement, and new work development.

More at: https://www.lucianasilvestrefernandes.com/

In Partnership with Blackout Arts Society.

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