Vancouverscape, a Vancouver based blog covering travel, tech, and lifestyle

Big Stuff, an autobiographical portrait now on at the Arts Club’s Olympic Village Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre, is rooted in Naomi Snieckus and Matt Baram’s experiences while sorting through their parent’s physical remains following their passing.

From sentimental objects to donation-ready goods, the couple weaves their way through their parents’ lives via everyday clutter and memory-filled keepsakes. It’s something that most of us have either gone through personally or will face in the future, so the story is very relatable.

This light-hearted, fast-paced comedy, directed by Kat Sandler, raises the profound questions of where do we store everything, and why can’t we let go of things that maybe we should?

Beginning with their own stories, memories, and the actual stuff they’d inherited, the comedy duo tested their stories “anywhere that people would let them”.

As for casting, Big Stuff was always going to be told by Matt and Naomi, since most of the story was directly derived from their marriage, families, and shared history. As comedians, their aim was to try to make sense of the “strange, beautiful, and sometimes absurd things people leave behind”. Through the process of creating the production, they eventually realized that they were also writing a love letter to one another as well as to those they’ve lost.

[Naomi Snieckus, Matt Baram in Big Stuff at the Arts Club]

Trying to find meaning in loss through laughter, awkward silences, and tenderness, Big Stuff is both moving and inclusive: The audience is occasionally invited to reflect on or to share their own stories about a personal object that reminds them of someone else, provided by blank cards and a pencil left at each seat before the show.

Naomi and Matt are lovely and come around to collect the cards before going on stage. I have a chance to briefly chat with Naomi who informs me that the show will continue to New York City and early next year to London. They were equally excited to have a full house the previous evening on opening night.

[Post-show, leave your message on the big yellow phone in the lobby!]

Arts Club Theatre’s Big Stuff continues at the Olympic Village Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre through November 1. The cast invites you to send photos and stories of your own Big Stuff to biggstufftour [at] gmail [dot] com!

Cast photos by Dahlia Katz. All others ©️ Ariane Colenbrander/Vancouverscape.