July 6, 2022 – On Wednesday, I attended Roomers, my first Toronto Fringe play since the pandemic. Roomers, written by Diane Baker Mason, directed by E. Llana Nakonechny and produced by Govern Yourself Accordingly Productions, will be playing at the Factory Theatre Mainspace on Bathurst for the next two-weeks. Why am I blogging about a Fringe play? Because this play brings up some important societal issues and challenges that cities across Ontario are facing – and, it involves the law.
For several years I’ve been volunteering with Pro Bono Ontario, providing free legal advice on a variety of practice areas, including housing. Many of the calls I field come from Clients across Ontario who are in the very scenarios and predicaments that Roomers tries to tackle. Roomers personally touched me while striking at the heart of many social issues I care about: the housing affordability crisis, housing insecurity, a liveable minimum wage, differences in generational views to owning property. And, as lawyers do, Roomers points out obvious gaps that exist in the Residential Tenancies Act.
Roomers is about 6 residents of a rooming home in Toronto. The landlord is seeking to sell and cash in on the hot real-estate market while the tenants face difficult decisions – where will they live?
The tenants are all believable characters – accurate depictions of real legal aid/pro bono clients. Each faces an individual struggle to find a new place to live, showing the ugly side of Canada’s bloated real estate market. The characters all find themselves down on their luck for a variety of reasons and for all of them the circumstances of their poverty are beyond their control. The only character who finds himself in a situation of his own doing is Stu Lockyear, a musician (played by Ian G. Mason), who follows his love of music into poverty. Many artists, particularly those participating in the Fringe, can relate to this reality.
In Roomers, the ridiculousness of some prevailing views of the “go back to your own country” crowd are brilliantly introduced by the loveable character Ittak Hadi (played by Brent Vickars). Throughout the play we learn that Ittak, a Syrian refugee who wears an adorable Burger Barn shirt, has a stellar educational and professional background and though he works hard and speaks multiple languages, he faces many obstacles, including racism and poverty.
Keri Bennett plays the hateable Real Estate agent, Stephanie Lucas, whose interests are clearly commission driven. The landlord (Mark MacSween) is conflicted between caring for the tenants and kicking them out to cash in and keep up with the Joneses.
Overall, Roomers tackles some tough social issues and bluntly shows the audience where the law fails those who are most vulnerable. The solution is not paving our Green Belt and building more unaffordable cookie-cutter housing. The play teaches us that it is within all of us to come up with solutions and show some compassion for others.
On the night of the performance one of the actors came down with a bout of laryngitis. The cast improvised by the Director, E. Llana Nakonechny, stepping in to read the lines off-stage. Like sub-titles in a movie, this didn’t impede the performance and simply shows us that this Crew has resiliency and can pivot while pulling off a good performance.
All money raised by Roomers goes to the Lawyers Feed the Hungry program. This troop has raised over $18,000 to feed the under-housed in Toronto so far. Roomers raises these important issues but also follows through by attempting to tackle the problem. Go and see it so you can understand the reality of the housing situation in our province and how the law can serve as both a sword and a shield – and help to contribute to the solution.
