The playwright Robert Chafe discusses his play Between Breaths, inspired by the life and death of Dr. Jon Lien, who devoted his career to saving over five hundred whales off the coast of Newfoundland, which plays at the Firehall Arts Centre (until 23 November 2025), with Joseph Planta.
Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:
I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.
Opening tonight at the Firehall Arts Centre is the Western Canadian premiere of Robert Chafe’s Between Breaths. It’s inspired by a true story, the extraordinary life of Dr. Jon Lien, the “Whale Man” who devoted his career to saving over 500 whales who were trapped in fishing nets off the coast of Newfoundland. I spoke to Robert Chafe earlier this week about this show, which debuted in 2018 produced by Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland, of which Mr. Chafe is its artistic director. I’ll ask Robert about his awareness of Lien and what he’s gleaned from writing the play, producing it and the interceding years since. It’s a story rooted in science and art, and particularly moving as it depicts Lien’s motivation and empathy, as well as his battle with dementia. I’ll ask Robert about the music in the show, which is written by The Once. Visit www.firehallartscentre.ca for tickets and information. The show runs until 23 November 2025. Robert Chafe is a writer, educator, actor, and arts administrator based in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where he joined me from. His plays include Oil and Water, Tempting Providence, Afterimage, Under Wraps, Between Breaths, Everybody Just C@lm the F#ck Down, and The Colony of Unrequited Dreams (adapted from the novel by Wayne Johnston.) He has been shortlisted three times for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama and he won the award for Afterimage in 2010. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Robert Chafe; Mr. Chafe, good morning.
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