"Thank you. Tomorrow, when someone talks to me, I will listen better."

We landed in Dawson city on Friday morning. For some of us, it was the first time being there. For me it wasn't new anymore. But the beautiful thing about watching someone discovering a place for the first time is that you might remember the feeling of seeing with fresh eyes. Making it possible to see again the details you stopped noticing because of habit.

I remembered the first time I saw Fall in the Yukon. The vibrance of the leaves. That specific shade of orange of the balsam poplars. And the overwhelming admiration I had for it. The mountains. And how it became part of my everyday and faded out in its intensity.

In rehearsal, I hear the actors discovering and rediscovering their lines, making their intentions fresh, and acting as if they were saying those words for the first time. And I am inspired to listen for that new quality, that new discovery when I call cues.

We had the first show of our tour on Saturday night in Dawson city.

And in front of that new audience, I was blown away by how suddenly some parts of the show started resonating and coming alive in a new way.

And during talkback, someone commented that the show inspired them to listen better.

And I remembered that it is that simple.

~ Léa Roy Bernatchez (Whitehorse, YT)

Busted Up: A Yukon Story 2018