Introducing Asha Deboran-Hotrum - The Radium Painter in Burning Vision

Who do you play in Burning Vision? I play Frances a radium painter living in the 1920's. She is an intuitive young woman who is struggling with her fate and attempting to find answers in any way that she can.

What drew you to this show? I was drawn to Burning Vision for it's story. Hiroshima, although it is something that has affected many lives, is not something that we hear about too often. This play rectifies that in the most beautiful way managing to represent many perspectives and demonstrating just how big a ripple effect it had on the world.

What is your background in theatre?  Although this is my debut in a play that the Walterdale is putting on this is not my first time working with the Walterdale. Last year I co-directed a high school one act which I had the pleasure to direct on the Walterdale stage. We won first place in the High School Cities One Act Festival allowing us to go on to perform in the Provincial One Act Festival at Red Deer College. I am honoured to have this opportunity to once again return to the Walterdale stage.

Burning Vision deals with a piece of Canadian History that is not as well known, but which has had a long lasting impact on many people environmentally and culturally.  What has working on this show made you think about with regards to our impact on the environment and people's cultures? Working on this show has made me realize just how much about our history is unknown. This is a sad fact and one that I hope changes in the future. It is hard to fully comprehend just how huge an impact this had on people but it is imperative that we try. Our history is created by the stories of these people and our history is what forms our future. Without stories like this to remind us of our past mistakes our present and our future are bound to be laced with poor decisions. 

What has been the biggest challenge of working on this show? The most enjoyable aspect? Attempting to understand the struggles of this character has been difficult. I, thankfully, have never experienced hardships on this scale and in order to portray this story I have done my best to put myself in her shoes.  I do however, have an amazing cast and crew that have been utterly wonderful, supportive and inspiring.