As we draw closer to the winter season—and weather—one way to stay cozy is to curl up with the newest production from Winterbird Arts: Joys and Splendors. An audio drama set in a dystopian Ottawa, this three-episode spy thriller is bound to add some excitement to these cold and dreary months.
Written by Kate Werneburg and directed by Mary Ellis, this story uses the city of Ottawa as inspiration for its setting and tone while featuring a stellar cast, including local favourite Maryse Fernandes and Shaw Festival veteran and TV sensation Ben Sanders. Werneburg sat down with Apt613 to talk more about the real-life connections to this story’s inspiration, plus the value of an audio-only production experience.
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Born in Ottawa, Werneburg says her creative journey began with auditions for community theatre as a young teen, which led her to attend Canterbury High School in the city and pursue further studies at Toronto Metropolitan University.
She later lived and worked in Toronto for several years, but managed to take her craft across the country.
Playwright Kate Werneburg. Photo provided.
“In Canada, the theatre landscape is one that involves a lot of travel, usually—a lot of touring,” she says. “So I’ve toured all through the prairies with various shows, and done a lot of work in Ontario… I create my own work a lot as well, both as an actor and as a writer. I do a lot of site-specific stuff, and I’ve been delighted to work in Ottawa as well over the years.”
Joys and Splendors is a thriller that follows the story of a soldier and a spy caught up in the fallout of a total war with the United States. The characters meet in a house on the Ottawa River in the middle of a frigid winter, struggling to survive both the elements and this new political landscape.
“It’s largely about, who do we trust, and why?” says Werneburg. “What does it mean to be loyal, or disloyal, to a national body? And, we’re seeing on both a grand sweeping scale, but also on a very intimate scale, a personal and professional relationship.”
Werneburg began writing Joys and Splendors as a stage play over 12 years ago before it transitioned into an audio drama. She says the audio format allows listeners to take their imaginations to the limit.
“It can be individual for each different person in a way that theatre or film isn’t,” she says. “And as much as I love theatre, this provides us with the unique opportunity to be really intimate with the audience and for them to imagine what we’re talking about as realistically or fantastically as they like.”
Werneburg also says while the plot and setting for this play are largely fictitious, there are some real-life themes and inspirations that helped guide the tone of this audio thriller. She says the subject of climate change is broached, serving as a backdrop for the piece. It not only reflects the uneasy atmosphere of the drama, but also of this current political moment.
There is also a personal connection, Werneburg shares, with setting this piece in Ottawa.
“The location that the play opens in is a real place—a place I know quite well that I went to often as a teenager… It was this beautiful little jewel box of a house along the Ottawa River Valley,” she says.
She asked herself what it would be like living in this old house if it had been abandoned or in some alternate reality.
“And as the drama unfolds, you’re going to hear a lot of real places, and they’re going to talk about actual, physical location, and businesses, and landmarks,” Werneburg says. “So it’s going to be really easy to picture the journey. And it’s a bit of a love letter to the place that raised me.”
From the intense narrative to the star-studded cast and familiar settings, Joys and Splendors will keep you on the edge of your seat—no matter where you’re listening from.
“You can expect a high-quality production that you’re emotionally invested in, and it’s going to make you think,” says Werneburg. “So, I hope that [audiences are] going to be excited and really ready to click play on the next episode as soon as the first one’s done.”
Joys and Splendors will premiere on Nov. 18 on podcatchers everywhere. Listen to an excerpt of the first episode here.
Trigger warning: This audio drama begins with the sounds of an explosion, and themes of war are discussed heavily. You can find more information on their website.
