
Bear & Co.’s Upcoming Production ‘The Children’ Poses Questions That Hit Close-to-Home
Self-described as an equity-actor collective that adapts to the needs of each new production, Ottawa’s Bear & Co. is a professional group founded in 2012. Known for performing “Compelling theatre. Close to home,” the company stages productions across Ontario and Eastern Canada.
The Gladstone Theatre will host their latest production, The Children by Lucy Kirkwood, beginning on February 19. The story follows three retired nuclear physicists in the wake of a nuclear disaster. Best described as a black-comedy-drama with serious undertones and unexpected laughs, the play asks a profound question: What is the cost of love? Time Out London described the play as “Tantalisingly hard to define: it is about ageing and responsibility.”
Ottawa Life recently had the opportunity to sit down with the cast to discuss both Bear & Co. and The Children as they wrap up rehearsals for what promises to be a compelling and thought-provoking production. The play was written in response to Japan’s 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Director Eleanor Crowder examines the themes through both contemporary and historical lenses. She draws parallels to past nuclear crises, including the Three Mile Island disaster and Chernobyl. Reflecting on her own childhood in Belfast during the Cold War, she recalls her parents stockpiling canned peaches in case of nuclear catastrophe. Cast member Rachel Eugster spoke to the relevance of the play’s themes: “I think everyone on this planet has got to remember the terrible things that happened with nuclear energy and meltdowns. I think everyone who sees the play thinks about it—and everyone should.”
Crowder and Eugster first discovered the script after auditioning cast member Beverley Wolfe for a different play. Wolfe had been drawn to the powerful nature of a monologue in The Children, particularly because the role was intentionally written for older women—something rare in theatre. “It’s very rare to get roles for older women,” Wolfe says emphatically. Yet, despite her many years of experience, she radiates youthful energy, filled with excitement about the production.
Kirkwood’s dialogue emphasizes the natural, human quality of the characters in a script that is composed as precisely as a musical score. The actors are called up to interrupt each other, and lines overlap, adding to the realism. Crowder describes the play as tightly structured, much like “an Agatha Christie.” And like the works of the prolific British detective novelist, moral dilemmas are not shied away from. Since the play takes place in the aftermath of a nuclear disaster, one of its most pressing questions is: When we harness nuclear energy, what responsibilities do we have? Who will bear them?
As an outside observer, it’s evident that these descriptions are true to both the script and the cast. Their energy is dynamic, and even in a room filled with laughter, when asked about the play’s target audience, a more reflective undertone remains. With the median age of the performers well above 50, Wolfe is keenly aware of how unique The Children is. After all, she used a monologue from the play to audition for Bear & Co.
The only male cast member, Hugh Neilson, is quieter in comparison yet somehow matches Wolfe’s presence and energy. Eugster, meanwhile, has a reflective quality, as though already looking back on a play that has yet to open. Even within our short conversation, the group’s chemistry was theatrical in itself, making the experience thoroughly engaging.
When The Times of London reviewed a local production of The Children, it described the original production as “Somewhat menacing and often funny.” This Ottawa cast seems poised to bring that very tone to life.
For director Crowder, the play is particularly relevant to the times we live in. “Black comedy deals with serious questions,” she says, adding that she believes theatre should challenge the status quo, particularly in “this particularly odd world we find ourselves living in, in 2025.”
Compelling theatre. Close to home is particularly poignant as Ontario residents are forced to come to terms with the new Chalk River near-surface disposal facility for nuclear waste 180 kilometres Northwest of Ottawa that is set to open on Algonquin First Nation land.
The play runs from Wednesday, February 19 (preview), until Saturday, March 8, 2025, at the Gladstone Theatre, 910 Gladstone Avenue in Ottawa.
Tickets to Bear & Co.’s production of The Children are available on the Gladstone Theatre website at varying prices, including pay-what-you-can Tuesdays, to ensure an accessible production for all.
For more information or to purchase tickets, click here or call 613-233-4523.