Two buddies, theatre artists and long-time friends Marcus and James, sit at a table and pass the time together playing a made-up game in which they name people, places, or things - Pamela Anderson, microwave ovens, their fathers, Goldman Sachs - and debate whether they are successful or not; in other words, whether they are winners or losers. Each friend seeks to defeat the other, and because one of these men grew up economically privileged, and the other did not, the competition very quickly adds up.
Winners and Losers showcases the work of two giants of the Vancouver indie theatre scene. James Long's Theatre Replacement develops work specific to particular places and the people who live in them. Marcus Youssef's Neworld Theatre investigates questions of power, culture, and belonging.
Their first collaborative work is a staged conversation that embraces the ruthless logic of capitalism, and tests its impact on our closest personal relationships as well as our most intimate experiences of self.
The debate quickly becomes personal when individual, family, and class histories are decided as winners or losers.
