Quest Theatre pushes through strike to tell a story of international friendship

A friendship story for young audiences was nearly derailed by this fall’s teacher strike.

Quest Theatre has a special public performance of original show The Understandable Girl Nov 21 and 22 designed for ages kindergarten to Grade 6.

But, it almost did not make it past first rehearsal, as that was the same day the teacher strike started. Quest performs primarily in classrooms with imaginative, curriculum-connected storytelling.

Artistic director Nikki Loach says the province-wide teacher was a massive hiccup this fall.

“There was a period there where we’re like, we should just cut our losses, just stop, you know… because every week you’re paying the artists and if you’re not getting any revenue, all that sort of stuff,” she said.

But, Quest pushed through.

“We stuck it out and fortunately they got back into schools and we’re back into schools and we’re touring the province… with this piece,” she explains.

The Understandable Girl is about two students, one Canadian, one Ukrainian, who despite their language gap, manage to play together.

Loach wrote it from an early childhood memory she’s carried for decades.

“When I was about seven or eight, I have this, I have this story in the back of my mind… there was a new girl at school and I think maybe she was Spanish, but she didn’t speak any English. And I remember wanting to befriend her because I thought she was really pretty,” she recalls.

“So I started speaking to her in mock Spanish and she, without, without a beat, she started responding back to me in, in, in Spanish. Like she pretended like she understood me… And so we developed this friendship of nonverbal, playful communication.” 

That memory resurfaced when Loach visited an Alberta school during the early months of the war in Ukraine.

“A principal said, yeah, we have a, we have a population of 200 kids and 68 of them have arrived from Ukraine.” 

The provincial context reflects that reality.

In a 2024 letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau requesting additional refugee allotments for Alberta, Premier Danielle Smith wrote that 57,000 Ukrainian refugees had already arrived in the province since Russia invaded, and the province was preparing to welcome more. The influx reshaped classrooms, creating a need for stories that support newcomer students and the children welcoming them.

Soon after, Loach was contacted by actor and newcomer Snejana Bora.

“An actress called Snejana Bora came to me and she was like, ‘I’m a Ukrainian refugee. I’d like to meet with you.’ And I was like, ‘Oh…’ And so all of those stories kind of came together in this way.” 

With Bora and dramaturg Lyudmyla Honcharova, Loach built a show grounded in creativity and care.

“It was very important to Snejana… she was very adamant, it’s like, we do not want to traumatize any kids. We don’t want to talk about the war too much… The intention is that we want to, um, show a story that shows the importance of a first friendship between a young Canadian girl and a young Ukrainian refugee.” 

“It sort of demonstrates how little imagination it takes to understand someone if you really listen to them.” 

Quest’s tours remain one of the most accessible ways for Alberta students to see live theatre.

“We travel all over Alberta. We throw the set in a van… my joke is it’s all very glamorous,” Loach laughs. “We unload into a gymnasium. We set up the set, the kids come in and sit and watch the show. And then we have a little question and answer period after.” 

The response, she says, has been remarkable.

“One teacher said it was just relevant for our entire population… the Ukrainian students were just thrilled and they talk about that uncertainty… and then slowly they become understandable and the need for friendship, and the gratefulness when someone befriends them.” 

For families not seeing the show in school, The Understandable Girl will be performed at cSPACE Marda Loop Nov. 21 and 22. More information here.