ENEMY LINES to Close Firehall Arts Centre’s ELBOWS UP Season

The Firehall Arts Centre will present ENEMY LINES by Mayumi Lashbrook to conclude its ELBOWS UP – Made in Canada season.

The live dance performance will run May 6 through May 9, 2026, bringing the season’s focus on Canadian voices to a close.

ENEMY LINES examines the incarceration of Japanese Canadians during World War II, when more than 22,000 people of Japanese descent were forcibly removed from the coastline of British Columbia following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Drawing on her own family history, Lashbrook explores how fear-driven policies reshaped lives and communities.

Through movement and performance, the work reflects on the lasting impact of these events, connecting past injustices to present-day experiences of fear, division, and disconnection. The piece also considers the human need for connection and the ways in which isolation can shape individual and collective identity.

The creative team includes dramaturgy by Denise Fujiwara, lighting design by Logan Cracknell, sound design by Heidi Chan, associate lighting design by Nathan Bruce, projection design by Jasmine Liaw, costume design by Alessia Urbani and Cheryl Lalonde, and stage management by A.J. Morra. The ensemble will feature Mayumi Lashbrook, Michael Mortley, Lucy Rupert, Denise Solleza, and Gerry Trentham.