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Bees have become a symbol of environmental decline, but an upcoming Vancouver theatre production imagines what might happen if only a handful were left. Running July 16 to 25, The Apiary is an eco-horror play by Canadian playwright Kate Douglas that imagines a future where the planet’s environmental collapse has left humanity scrambling to preserve one of its most essential species.
Set 22 years from now, the story unfolds inside a crumbling and underfunded research facility tasked with caring for the world’s remaining captive bee population. As Earth continues to deteriorate, the institution’s priorities appear increasingly misplaced, with more attention directed toward lunar colonization than toward protecting what’s left at home.
The play follows Zora, a highly qualified new employee whose expertise seems at odds with her entry-level role maintaining the hives. Alongside veteran worker Pilar, she uncovers a controversial method to revive the bee population. Their discovery offers a glimmer of hope, but also raises difficult ethical questions, particularly as they attempt to keep their work hidden from a supervisor more interested in corporate interests than ecological survival.
Described as equal parts horror, comedy and environmental cautionary tale, The Apiary explores what people are willing to sacrifice when faced with a world in decline.
The production is being mounted by The Apiary Collective, a group of Vancouver theatre artists who have come together to independently produce the show. Adding to the atmosphere is a live score performed by Jessie Award-winning violinist Molly MacKinnon, who uses looping and layered soundscapes to create the sonic presence of the bees throughout the production.
For audiences looking for something stranger than the typical summer theatre offering, The Apiary promises a mix of dark humour, body horror and environmental anxiety wrapped into one unsettling package.
When: July 16 to 25
Where: Vines Den
Tickets: $15+, available here