For those of you who know me, you know that my sister’s name is Abigail. If I ever get married, she’ll be my maid of honour/Best Woman. However, my Abigail goes by Abi instead of Abbey. The Abbey of CLINK is named after someone else, someone so special who isn’t with us anymore.
Two and a half years ago, the U of W Womyn’s centre took on a fundraising campaign for (what was then called) Osborne house. One of the initiatives was a production of The Vagina Monologues, which I directed. This production is how Reba (my co-producer) and I met, along with many other feminist allies who are still near and dear to my heart. One of these sharp women was Abbey Ruchkall.
When Abbey walked into the audition room, I knew she was a force. She was wearing this killer fur coat, a stylish dress and her signature red lips. She was young, but I recognized the spark of potential in her. She knew who she was and she wasn’t going to compromise that.
The Vagina Monologues came and went. The last event of the fundraising campaign was a social at the Mondragon. I wrote a series of monologues into a short scene called “Toasted Toasts” most of which went on to form parts of Clink. I played the part of Sam, Elsa Reesor-Taylor played the bride, Eric Reid played the groom, and Abbey stepped in on the day of to play the laryngitis-affected maid of honour, Tina.
Abbey was talented, warm and the girl showed up.
Later that summer, Abbey found out she was accepted into the Humber acting program.
Not long after that, Abbey died of a grand mal seizure. An entire community went into mourning. We lost one of the good ones. A star went out in the universe.
Abbey’s was the first funeral I had been to in fifteen years, since my brother’s own. We filled up the ballroom at the Holiday Inn to celebrate her life and listen to her sing for one last time.
So when I sat down to write CLINK and Iw as thinking through the character’s new incarnations, I wanted to pay tribute to one shining star. Although Abbey isn't the main star of the show, she's definitely a cast favourite. Quippy and cynical, she has some of the funniest lines, while still playing the straight man, but she loves her best friend and will fight to the death for her.
I thought Abbey would like that.
