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Concord Floral
Winner of the 2015 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play Winner of the 2015 Carol Bolt Award Finalist for the 2016 Governor General's Literary Award for Drama The Decameron meets I Know What You Did Last Summer in this suburban thriller in which ten teenagers flee a plague of their own making. Concord Floral is a one-million-square-foot abandoned greenhouse and a refuge for neighborhood kids; a place all to themselves in which to dream, dare, and come of age. But hidden there is a secret no one wants to confront, and when two friends stumble upon it they set off an unstoppable chain of events, from shadows in parking lots to phone calls from the grave. It's time for the teens of Concord Floral to start talking.
156 pages, Paperback
First published March 7, 2016
About the author
Jordan Tannahill
18 books101 followersJordan Tannahill is a Canadian novelist and playwright based in London.
His debut novel, Liminal, won France's 2021 Prix des Jeunes Libraires. His second novel, The Listeners, was a Canadian bestseller, and was shortlisted for the 2021 Giller Prize.
Tannahill is the author of several plays, and the book of essays, Theatre of the Unimpressed.
In 2019, CBC Arts named Tannahill as one of sixty-nine LGBTQ Canadians, living or deceased, who has shaped the country's history.
His debut novel, Liminal, won France's 2021 Prix des Jeunes Libraires. His second novel, The Listeners, was a Canadian bestseller, and was shortlisted for the 2021 Giller Prize.
Tannahill is the author of several plays, and the book of essays, Theatre of the Unimpressed.
In 2019, CBC Arts named Tannahill as one of sixty-nine LGBTQ Canadians, living or deceased, who has shaped the country's history.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 30, 2024
“Ten per cent of the population is cruel, no matter what
and then per cent is merciful, no matter what
and the remaining eighty per cent can be moved in either direction”.
I really liked the climax in chapters 8 and 9; however, the ending felt disappointing. The playwright built up the intensity of the situation so well that I could feel my heart racing, scared that something terrible was about to happen. Unfortunately, all that intensity vanished in the final chapter, leading to a letdown. Still, I can appreciate the effort the playwright put into visualizing the stage. I can definitely sense that this play could be visually stunning when brought to life on stage.
and then per cent is merciful, no matter what
and the remaining eighty per cent can be moved in either direction”.
I really liked the climax in chapters 8 and 9; however, the ending felt disappointing. The playwright built up the intensity of the situation so well that I could feel my heart racing, scared that something terrible was about to happen. Unfortunately, all that intensity vanished in the final chapter, leading to a letdown. Still, I can appreciate the effort the playwright put into visualizing the stage. I can definitely sense that this play could be visually stunning when brought to life on stage.
September 17, 2023
This is the 4th of Tannahill's plays I've read, and he's definitely talented - but this is somewhat hampered by being written for and to be enacted by a group of teenagers; hence it lacks the sophistication of some of his other work. It's also a mite confusing to read, since the characters are all numbered rather than given names, which made it hard to follow who was who initially. It seems it really plays well though, and I'd be interested in seeing it performed. But as reviews state, it is also already a bit dated in its messaging about online bullying.
https://www.thestar.com/entertainment...
https://nowtoronto.com/culture/review...
https://www.thestar.com/entertainment...
https://nowtoronto.com/culture/review...
January 24, 2021
I’m playing 9 (Greenhouse) in my university’s theatre club production in a couple months. This is honestly a great play, and is very intense. Gotta say that the central/final event is pretty triggering. I can relate a little too literally to Bobbie.
November 29, 2023
The meat of this thing was a bit all over the place. I enjoyed the live production of this but I think that script itself was weaker than the wonderful set design, lighting, and acting I viewed. It's a coming of age story wrapped up in some kind of techno-horror, and further framed by an... underdeveloped environmentalism theme. I think the latter could have been lessened for a more impactful story, but even then, I think I'm a bit too old for some teen supernatural plot. Also... In what world are Canadian suburban kids having grand, drug and alcohol-fuelled benders? Like? The character's situations were often all a bit too college-level for believability.
April 23, 2019
Wow, wasn't expecting that. What a wild ride.
February 10, 2020
It was at best... alright
July 26, 2022
I've seen this play twice, and this is the second time I've read it as well. I have always been blown away by the poetic, rapid dialogue which falls into slow monologue, the characterization which emerges so clearly from only a few lines of text, the way every part of this play becomes an integral part of the story even if it is not integral to the plot. How can a play have so much plot and still have these moments of contemplation that contribute nothing in terms of dramatic action, but everything in terms of character and momentum? I don't think I could ever emulate Jordan Tannahill's style, but I take this as an inspiration for structure and intersecting narratives which culminate in something terrible and astounding all at once. Surprised tears when watching and reading, the emotions are just so true. And that epilogue? Stop. I am fully envious of the writing in this play and how much it gets performed, but boy, I'm also so glad it was written.
February 5, 2023
Realistically 2.75
Kids can be cruel. And horny, and reckless and rebellious and all that. High school is a time of experimentation and a lot of dramatic things happen. I was uncomfortable with the bit about the kid talking about advertising for a hookup and the buyer was a dad of one of his schoolmates because it didn’t seem to have anything to add to the story. It was just kind of….there.
Otherwise the flashback and the animals and the personification of the couch and the greenhouse and the whole sweater thing was cool.
Kids can be cruel. And horny, and reckless and rebellious and all that. High school is a time of experimentation and a lot of dramatic things happen. I was uncomfortable with the bit about the kid talking about advertising for a hookup and the buyer was a dad of one of his schoolmates because it didn’t seem to have anything to add to the story. It was just kind of….there.
Otherwise the flashback and the animals and the personification of the couch and the greenhouse and the whole sweater thing was cool.
September 22, 2022
This play is wild, dark, and oddly good (despite some of the crazy scenes). Its back and forth dialogue makes for a great way of storytelling, keeping the audience on their toes the whole time. Overall, the play has an important message on bullying, but some of the scenes were a little too out-there for me. Definitely worth a read though.
December 31, 2022
UGH IM SO SAD. I love Jordan Tannahill. I read 'Late Company' early this year, and I read 'The Listeners' (stan the chs drama department's script library, that place has gotten me through some hard times) and I LOVED both of them. 'Late Company' was one of my favourite reads of the year. But of course, this had to happen. Maybe its my fault? I didn't read it in one sitting, which I typically do with scripts because I believe thats how they are supposed to be read. It was a pretty confusing, and the whole number thing threw me off. I found all the changes between characters equally hard to follow. But, as always, Tannahill pulled through with his diction and astounding wordsmithing.
December 11, 2018
Loved it.
May 18, 2021
aaaaaa i miss sound design can i sound design this pls.
March 10, 2022
played rosa mundi (5) in a production in the summer of 2018. one of my all time favourite roles i’ve ever played.
January 10, 2024
Haunting, open ended, and captivating from start to finish. I want to be in this play so much
August 6, 2024
would love to see this staged!
October 13, 2016
I wish like anything that I'd seen the play first, then read the Concord Floral script.
I was quite excited to read this, given the buzz its received, but found that the numbering of the characters rather than actual names made it very difficult to follow - who was doing what at any given time? I think we were meant to be following characters 5 and 6 in a different way than the others, but I kept having to flip back to remind myself - who is 5 again? Who is 3, were they around when this happened? What's 4 doing here now and how are they related to 5 and 6? Is it 9 that's the narrator or 10? It became especially problematic when the one character begins to see and hear the girl at the bottom of the well. I had no idea who was seeing what!
This is a complex work, with a lot of things happening all at once: really complicated non-linear story telling; narration by characters in the moment that, on the stage, actually works; some heavy themes; a simple yet brilliant use of light to carve up and change the stage; great dialogue and a big jolt of energy.
But, on the page, the characters all sounded the same (which, in truth, might be entirely in keeping with how teens are).
I got to the end and felt sort of numb. So, a girl is haunted by what she thinks is a body at the bottom of the well and we as the audience learn that its not a body, its the clothing they took from a classmate in a horrible, mean-spirited prank in which they were all complicit, not one person standing up for, defending or coming to the aid of their poor, home-schooled classmate. And then... they all promptly forgot about it? Would these horrible teens literally never have thought about the girl they forced to walk home naked if they hadn't found her sweater arranged around sticks in a way that made it seem like a body? You, narrator, may want to end on a note of hopefulness but the lack of any reform (or, in some cases, remorse) amongst the characters left me feeling really bummed.
Watching the play, it was a bit of a different experience.
The show - at least the one in Toronto - opens with a haunting kind of opera, setting a creepy tone. The use of light and sound really made the play pop; it felt like so much was happening in the dark, or in the shadows, or in the lonely spotlight of a street lamp. At times there was a great atmospheric hum of passing highway traffic and the natural sound of bugs calling and scratching and otherwise making bug music. The play was much funnier delivered than on the page and the scenes that wowed me in the performance were the girl's seizure - an absolutely mesmerizing rat-tat-tat delivery of the yes/no questions and answers in a way that seemed convincingly part of the seizure - and the couch calling out its list of unseemly sights, which was echoed by a soaring, haunting operatic chorus. It was both hilarious and grounding, giving the list a kind of gravitas that it needed.
After the performance, my companion mentioned the "stand and deliver" technique and I realized, bingo, so much of this play is exposition. It's not happening in scene. The characters aren't "acting," they're re-telling. The most powerful moments were ones in which things were happening right then. I wished there had been a single scene in which the students had actually been changed in some way by their actions or lack of actions.
I was quite excited to read this, given the buzz its received, but found that the numbering of the characters rather than actual names made it very difficult to follow - who was doing what at any given time? I think we were meant to be following characters 5 and 6 in a different way than the others, but I kept having to flip back to remind myself - who is 5 again? Who is 3, were they around when this happened? What's 4 doing here now and how are they related to 5 and 6? Is it 9 that's the narrator or 10? It became especially problematic when the one character begins to see and hear the girl at the bottom of the well. I had no idea who was seeing what!
This is a complex work, with a lot of things happening all at once: really complicated non-linear story telling; narration by characters in the moment that, on the stage, actually works; some heavy themes; a simple yet brilliant use of light to carve up and change the stage; great dialogue and a big jolt of energy.
But, on the page, the characters all sounded the same (which, in truth, might be entirely in keeping with how teens are).
I got to the end and felt sort of numb. So, a girl is haunted by what she thinks is a body at the bottom of the well and we as the audience learn that its not a body, its the clothing they took from a classmate in a horrible, mean-spirited prank in which they were all complicit, not one person standing up for, defending or coming to the aid of their poor, home-schooled classmate. And then... they all promptly forgot about it? Would these horrible teens literally never have thought about the girl they forced to walk home naked if they hadn't found her sweater arranged around sticks in a way that made it seem like a body? You, narrator, may want to end on a note of hopefulness but the lack of any reform (or, in some cases, remorse) amongst the characters left me feeling really bummed.
Watching the play, it was a bit of a different experience.
The show - at least the one in Toronto - opens with a haunting kind of opera, setting a creepy tone. The use of light and sound really made the play pop; it felt like so much was happening in the dark, or in the shadows, or in the lonely spotlight of a street lamp. At times there was a great atmospheric hum of passing highway traffic and the natural sound of bugs calling and scratching and otherwise making bug music. The play was much funnier delivered than on the page and the scenes that wowed me in the performance were the girl's seizure - an absolutely mesmerizing rat-tat-tat delivery of the yes/no questions and answers in a way that seemed convincingly part of the seizure - and the couch calling out its list of unseemly sights, which was echoed by a soaring, haunting operatic chorus. It was both hilarious and grounding, giving the list a kind of gravitas that it needed.
After the performance, my companion mentioned the "stand and deliver" technique and I realized, bingo, so much of this play is exposition. It's not happening in scene. The characters aren't "acting," they're re-telling. The most powerful moments were ones in which things were happening right then. I wished there had been a single scene in which the students had actually been changed in some way by their actions or lack of actions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 2, 2023
I portrayed number 9 for a professional play, me and my group were the first to ever professionally do it in French! Was a fun ride:) I would say that this play had a deeper meaning and it is actually a pretty one! Funny but also serious!
April 11, 2016
Super interesting play.
October 27, 2023
Spoiler alert… la pièce que je vais jouer.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews