Furpose and Punction
Navigating the rules and structures within two separate worlds, we investigate what it means to find fulfillment in these separate spheres and the spaces in between. Utilizing beloved tropes from absurdism and Restoration Comedy, Furpose and Punction explores the labour of living and, ultimately, what makes life worth living.
Furpose and Punction
- Director/Playwright: Aly Gouveia
- Production Designer: Emily Townshend
- Performers: Ethan Kast, Keauna Miller, Skye Rogers, and Danielle Soule
Special thanks to Katrina Darychuk, Deborah Farquharson, Olivia Gouveia, and the Ontario Arts Council.
Aly Gouveia (she/her) is an emerging director based out of North York, Ontario. She has trained at The Second City Training Centre and Randolph College of the Performing Arts, and is enrolled at Ryerson University in their Theatre Production program pursuing her undergraduate degree. Interested in exploring collaborative directing methodologies, Aly has set out to question and reimagine imposed theatre practices and to create an environment that is conducive to inclusivity in all regards. She wrote and directed Furpose and Punction which was workshopped and presented at Queer Cab (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre). Currently, Aly is the co-producer for It Happened At A Party by Caroline Coon, to be presented in June 2021 in New Brunswick, as well as a collaborating artist with new upcoming work, 5-Sided Rectangle.
Emily Townshend is a playwright, audio producer, and computer scientist currently based in Hamilton, Ontario. After a weird detour into engineering, they accepted that theater would always be their true passion (and they’ve only looked back a few times since). They were the 2018 recipient of the J.C.W Saxton Prize in Playwriting from the Dan School of Drama and Music (Queen’s University). Emily strives to create inclusive, dynamic theatre that appeals to a wide audience. Science can save the world, but only art will make the world worth saving. Recent credits include, as Extra: Nurses (Global TV). As Sound Designer: Dreaming Pink (YIKES! a theatre company). As Performer: Lailah, InCommon (FG Productions Inc); Janet Flanner, Goodbye Paris (Queen’s University). Follow along with Emily’s most recent projects online @storyranger.