FALL WHoS PLAY 2025
Baile de la Familia (Dance of the Family) is WHoS' 2025 theatrical experience created by the residences of William Head! An exploration of some of the many true stories and experiences that form that simply-complex reality of family. Blood Family, Chosen Family, Adopted Family, Thrown-Together-Against-Your-Will Family. And lets face it, it is always a dance. An enmeshed codependant tango or parallel, you-do-you country line-dance.
A breakdancing throwdown competition or a tippy-toe around it, ballet. The beautiful, touching, raw, and true stories performed by the people who lived them, infused with deep honesty, cultural perspective, and family heritage.
Baile de la Familia (Dance of the Family) a coproduction with William Head on Stage and Full Spectrum Art Society.
Directed by Deb Williams, award winning co creator of Mom’s the Word and The Flame.
A breakdancing throwdown competition or a tippy-toe around it, ballet. The beautiful, touching, raw, and true stories performed by the people who lived them, infused with deep honesty, cultural perspective, and family heritage.
Baile de la Familia (Dance of the Family) a coproduction with William Head on Stage and Full Spectrum Art Society.
Directed by Deb Williams, award winning co creator of Mom’s the Word and The Flame.
2025 Show Dates:
October 10, 11, 17, 18*, 24, 25*, 31 and November 1, 2025
Gates Open at 6:15 pm, Gates Close at 7:15 pm, Show starts at 7:30 pm.
*Extra Matinee Shows on the 18th and 25th.
For Matinees, Gates Open at 11:45 am, Gates Close at 12:45 pm, Show starts at 1:00 pm.
WHoS is Located inside a Federal Institution.
YOU MUST PRINT AND BRING A PAPER COPY OF YOUR TICKET.
YOU MUST HAVE THIS TICKET PRINTED AND YOUR GOVERNMENT ISSUED PHOTO ID TO BE ADMITTED. THERE WILL BE NO LATECOMERS ALLOWED ENTRY.
You are entering a correctional facility. You must be 19 or older, have valid government-issued photo ID, and your pre-paid ticket. You cannot bring in any personal items, including wallets, purses, cell phones, smart watches, money, smoking products, medicines (exceptions may be made for potentially life-saving medicines).
** You must buy tickets in advance and have a printed copy.
***No tickets available at the door.
Click here to sign up for our email list
October 10, 11, 17, 18*, 24, 25*, 31 and November 1, 2025
Gates Open at 6:15 pm, Gates Close at 7:15 pm, Show starts at 7:30 pm.
*Extra Matinee Shows on the 18th and 25th.
For Matinees, Gates Open at 11:45 am, Gates Close at 12:45 pm, Show starts at 1:00 pm.
WHoS is Located inside a Federal Institution.
YOU MUST PRINT AND BRING A PAPER COPY OF YOUR TICKET.
YOU MUST HAVE THIS TICKET PRINTED AND YOUR GOVERNMENT ISSUED PHOTO ID TO BE ADMITTED. THERE WILL BE NO LATECOMERS ALLOWED ENTRY.
You are entering a correctional facility. You must be 19 or older, have valid government-issued photo ID, and your pre-paid ticket. You cannot bring in any personal items, including wallets, purses, cell phones, smart watches, money, smoking products, medicines (exceptions may be made for potentially life-saving medicines).
** You must buy tickets in advance and have a printed copy.
***No tickets available at the door.
Click here to sign up for our email list
WHOS SHORT FILM SCREENINGS 2024
William Head on Stage Prison Theatre Society's first short film series, Common Threads, co-produced with SNAFU, has been selected and will screen at this year's Short Circuit Pacific Rim Film Festival in Victoria, BC. These short films were created, produced and performed by the WHoS incarcerated artists and filmed INSIDE William Head Institution during the pandemic shutdown.
"They Found Us" - Thursday May 2nd, 2024 @ 8:30 pm
(Screened as part of the Locomotion program)
Led by Johnny Aitken
"Sounds Within" - Saturday May 4th, 2024 @ 8:30 pm
(Screened as part of the Fountain of Youth program)
Directed by Pedro M. Siqueira
"The Red Blanket" - ongoing during the festival
(Screened on a loop as part of the Odeon Alley outdoor mini cinema)
Directed by Jeni Luther and Carole Klemm
Live at the Vic Theatre
808 Douglas Street, Downtown Victoria
"They Found Us" - Thursday May 2nd, 2024 @ 8:30 pm
(Screened as part of the Locomotion program)
Led by Johnny Aitken
"Sounds Within" - Saturday May 4th, 2024 @ 8:30 pm
(Screened as part of the Fountain of Youth program)
Directed by Pedro M. Siqueira
"The Red Blanket" - ongoing during the festival
(Screened on a loop as part of the Odeon Alley outdoor mini cinema)
Directed by Jeni Luther and Carole Klemm
Live at the Vic Theatre
808 Douglas Street, Downtown Victoria
This creative arts experience affected me so deeply, with a real and lasting raw honesty…Needless to say I have grown as a person since becoming a part of W.H.o.S. I have reconnected with parts of myself that I thought were lost forever.” - P.H. W.H.o.S. Incarcerated Artist 2021
PROJECTS in 2022
In May 2022, WHoS co-produced a live event downtown at the Salvation Army ARC Building. Audiences experienced compressed history – four decades of standing ovations, stage fright, and singing in public for the first time – at a walk-through gallery and shadow puppetry performance celebrating the past 40 years of prison theatre. Documented in photos, posters, crew T-shirts, news articles, costume pieces and handcrafted giant puppets—these artifacts of prison theatre history decorated four hallways of the gallery tour, one hallway for each decade, starting in the 1980s up to present day.
Victoria’s William Head Institution has been the home of WHoS Theatre Company for forty years, led by incarcerated artists who create and perform plays for the general public. Normally each fall, thousands of people buy tickets, drive out through Metchosin and sit in the prison gymnasium to witness the hard work of the incarcerated actors, builders and musicians. As we were unable to do a play in 2021, instead the incarcerated artists designed and built the Prison Theatre Time Machine: a gallery installation that we shared with public audiences at the Salvation Army Addiction and Rehabilitation Centre in downtown Victoria May 26-29, 2022.
The tour begans, guided by an audio soundtrack of the voices of William Head on Stage (W.H.o.S.) artists past and present. Like Alice down-the-rabbit-hole, you follow the shadow of a person chasing a butterfly through each hallway of prison theatre artifacts.
Victoria’s William Head Institution has been the home of WHoS Theatre Company for forty years, led by incarcerated artists who create and perform plays for the general public. Normally each fall, thousands of people buy tickets, drive out through Metchosin and sit in the prison gymnasium to witness the hard work of the incarcerated actors, builders and musicians. As we were unable to do a play in 2021, instead the incarcerated artists designed and built the Prison Theatre Time Machine: a gallery installation that we shared with public audiences at the Salvation Army Addiction and Rehabilitation Centre in downtown Victoria May 26-29, 2022.
The tour begans, guided by an audio soundtrack of the voices of William Head on Stage (W.H.o.S.) artists past and present. Like Alice down-the-rabbit-hole, you follow the shadow of a person chasing a butterfly through each hallway of prison theatre artifacts.
As men we don't often allow ourselves the opportunity, or have the opportunity, to be vulnerable, express how we feel, and share that with others. It was incredible to witness that by the cast [of W.H.o.S.] tonight. Thank you for sharing that with us.” - Parker, W.H.o.S. audience member 2019
It was powerful to watch the stories of individuals and the community be woven together … to see the joy, the humour, the sweetness of hearts behind the costumes. … I believe these moments are truly healing for everyone on stage and off. Thank you for sharing this work!” - Carmelle, W.H.o.S. audience member 2019
DARK TRAVELLER
CANADA'S FIRST PODCAST CREATED BY INCARCERATED ARTISTS
Official podcast launch (with more episodes every week) June 2nd, 2021 on all Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Breaker, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic
William Head on Stage theatre company (or WHoS) and SNAFU Society of Unexpected Spectacles are excited to release their latest co-production, Dark Traveller. The podcast consists of 3 episodes; each is approximately 40 minutes. It features the team performing the radio play The Northern Lights, a science-fiction radio play initially written in 1949 by Wyllis Cooper, behind the scenes interviews with the incarcerated artists about the process of creating the podcast and an original sequel inspired by the old radio show, and a mix of creative writing inspired by the Northern Lights themes & workshops.
William Head on Stage theatre company (or WHoS) and SNAFU Society of Unexpected Spectacles are excited to release their latest co-production, Dark Traveller. The podcast consists of 3 episodes; each is approximately 40 minutes. It features the team performing the radio play The Northern Lights, a science-fiction radio play initially written in 1949 by Wyllis Cooper, behind the scenes interviews with the incarcerated artists about the process of creating the podcast and an original sequel inspired by the old radio show, and a mix of creative writing inspired by the Northern Lights themes & workshops.
Already listened?
Click here to leave a comment for the incarcerated artists
Show Credits
Radio Play “The Northern Lights” written by Wyllis Cooper.
Creative Writing, Commercials, and Commentary created by incarcerated artists Midnight, Paul
Dark, Dr. Percy, and The Captain.
Edited by Kathleen Greenfield.
Workshop Facilitation and additional voices by Anne Cirillo, Kathleen Greenfield, Ingrid Hansen,
Jeni Luther, and Kate Rubin.
Dark Traveller cover art is by Carolyn Moon as part of our pen-pal art exchange between ‘outside’
and incarcerated artists.
A big heartfelt thank you to the staff and team at Correctional Service of Canada for their
support with this project.
SNAFU and WHoS would like to thank the generous support of the CRD Arts Commission, The Canada Council for the Arts, and the BC Arts Council.
Click here to leave a comment for the incarcerated artists
Show Credits
Radio Play “The Northern Lights” written by Wyllis Cooper.
Creative Writing, Commercials, and Commentary created by incarcerated artists Midnight, Paul
Dark, Dr. Percy, and The Captain.
Edited by Kathleen Greenfield.
Workshop Facilitation and additional voices by Anne Cirillo, Kathleen Greenfield, Ingrid Hansen,
Jeni Luther, and Kate Rubin.
Dark Traveller cover art is by Carolyn Moon as part of our pen-pal art exchange between ‘outside’
and incarcerated artists.
A big heartfelt thank you to the staff and team at Correctional Service of Canada for their
support with this project.
SNAFU and WHoS would like to thank the generous support of the CRD Arts Commission, The Canada Council for the Arts, and the BC Arts Council.
ABOUT THE COMPANY - William Head on Stage (W.H.o.S.
William Head on Stage (or WHoS) is Canada’s longest-running prison theatre company. Since 1981, the incarcerated artists have staged a play each fall and invited the general public. Anyone 19 or older can buy a ticket, go through security, enter the prison gymnasium and experience the show performed by the incarcerated artists.
“WHoS is a safe place where we don’t have to wear a mask or project an image,” says one incarcerated artist. “Going through prison...there are many messages we get put into our heads that you are inhuman...The process slowly chips away at you. I didn’t realize how deep it went until I was exposed to the community. Oh yes, this is what it is like to be treated like a person…we need normal human contact without an agenda.”
Questions?
Contact [email protected]
“WHoS is a safe place where we don’t have to wear a mask or project an image,” says one incarcerated artist. “Going through prison...there are many messages we get put into our heads that you are inhuman...The process slowly chips away at you. I didn’t realize how deep it went until I was exposed to the community. Oh yes, this is what it is like to be treated like a person…we need normal human contact without an agenda.”
Questions?
Contact [email protected]
“One of the best performances I have seen. It took terrific heart and courage for these men to get up onstage, do something new, and share a piece of themselves with the audience. I would go again in a heartbeat.”
- The Charlebois Post
“W.H.o.S. is a testament to
the power of theatre to change lives.”
- The Globe and Mail
the power of theatre to change lives.”
- The Globe and Mail
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A heartfelt thank-you to our supporters,
