We’ve been invited to present I love the smell of gasoline in Edmonton as part of the 2025 Expanse Festival! This is a milestone opportunity for us, and we need your help to make this DREAM come true!

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I love the smell of gasoline is an autobiographical overhead projector play by Claren Grosz — a show that investigates our personal and national relationships to oil and gas. In it, Claren attempts to reconcile her own Alberta oil-industry roots with the current environmental emergency. The project was born of a frustration with divisive Canadian politics, rampant hypocrisy, and a lack of team spirit when facing impending doom. She unpacks some of the forces that drive global warming and Western alienation in a personal account of what it is to live in a modern, capitalist environment, be a self-serving organism, and also care about the earth and fellow creature kind.

This opportunity presents a milestone in our careers, and a chance to expand our artistic practices to a national level. Touring to the capital of Alberta also provides a unique opportunity to present in the epicentre where oil and gas, government, art, and environmentalism collide.

We need your help to be able to take on this opportunity. Below you will find the kind of expenses we’re looking at. Can you help us out?

FAQ

Will I get a tax receipt for my donation?

We are not a registered charity or a non-profit, just a wee collective of artists. We unfortunately cannot issue tax receipts.

How will my donation be acknowledged?

We will include your name in the program and on our website. If you would like to donate anonymously or on behalf of someone else, there will be an option to say so as you place your donation.

I just want to donate regularly, I don’t want to “buy” a thing. Can I do that?

Of course! The registry is just a fun way to encourage donations. If you want something more straightforward, you can e-transfer us directly at pencilkitprod@gmail.com, or donate by clicking the button below:

What happens if you don’t reach your funding goal?

If we’re unable to secure our goal amount, we will have to scale back on the show. This could happen in a variety of ways — for example, simplifying the projections to be done with fewer projectionists or building a simpler set. There is also the possibility of hiring artists locally in Edmonton and reinterpreting the script on a smaller scale. All donations collected will still go to artist fees and project expenses.

How do you justify flying five artists across the country to present an environmental theatre piece?

Oof. Great question. I love the smell of gasoline is a piece that wrestles with exactly these kind of questions and the hypocrisy that plagues so many of our decisions. There’s no getting around the fact that flying is one of the worst things we can do for our carbon footprint. We’ve decided that the impact that touring this show will have on our careers as emerging artists is significant enough to justify these emissions. Is that fair justification? We’re not sure it’ll stand up in the face of climate apocalypse. We’ll have to wrestle with that guilt. I love the smell of gasoline is all about confronting the reality that the world we live in seemingly demands unethical decisions to move our lives forward.

I’d like to know more about the project!

Check out our show page here!