Director's Message:

Back in the late 70’s, when I was a passionate young man bent on changing the world, I allied myself with Vancouver’s left wing movements. My friends and colleagues were radicals, feminists, anarchists, and (gasp) gays and lesbians. I marched in rallies, I participated in political action groups, and I read a lot. The people most influential to me and most welcoming of me were, without a doubt, the aging feminists who had been in the movement for many years. When I saw this play performed and when I read the script, these were the people who came to mind. I thought to myself that these people in this play could easily be the people I met in my early 20’s, people whose decades-long struggle had made my small contributions possible.

Perfect Arrangement is a deliciously funny comedy but it is also a peek into the political and social history that is responsible for the freedoms and rights we enjoy today among the LGBTQ2+ movement and its allies. It is so important to remember where we came from. It gives us a foundation for the work that still remains: exchanging shame for pride.

I am so appreciative to NTG for giving me the opportunity to tell a story that is so important to me, to my cast and crew who have so enthusiastically jumped aboard this cruise, and to you for coming to see it.

I dedicate my work on this show to my close friends and family (you know who you are) who have helped me over the years to understand the lived experience of those who have struggled against the kind of oppression we glimpse in this play. You have always been my inspiration.

Love and let love.

And enjoy the show.

Michael Armstrong