The Rainbow Flame Pride Storytelling Event

Celebrate Pride in Surrey at The Rainbow Flame Pride Storytelling Event. Enjoy a very special evening as a raft of diverse, talented, new, and established storytellers from the LGBTQ2S+ community share part of their lives, all with some original music stirred in.

Funny, gripping, poignant and embarrassing; true stories told by the people who lived them. This Flame event will be an evening that's human and entertaining. Hosted by the Flame’s Artistic Producer, Deb Williams, and friends, this will be a safe, inclusive, and exciting storytelling performance for you, your friends, and family.

Age rating: The Rainbow Flame Pride Storytelling Event is recommended for ages 16+.

This special evening is part of Pride in Surrey Shines Through, a day of celebration presented by Surrey Civic Theatres and Surrey Archives certain to overflow your rainbow cup with love! See the full schedule of Pride in Surrey Shines Through events.

Attend both The Rainbow Flame Pride Storytelling Event and the screening of Emergence: Out of the Shadows and save! Both events: $20. Use promo code RAINBOW at the online checkout when you add both events to your cart or call the box office 604-501-5566.

If you are experiencing financial barriers but still wish to attend, we want you to be there! Please contact us at surreycivictheatres@surrey.ca and we will be happy to set a ticket aside for you.

About The Flame

The Flame began in Deb Williams and Bruce Kennedys’ East Vancouver living room in 2009. Together with co-creator Joel Wirkkunen, they invited 20 people to each share a personal true story. In return, the tellers were offered wine, cheese, and a warm place to gather. The storytellers, mostly professional performers, arrived self-conscious with acute stage fright. They told their stories, heard others, and left exhilarated; filled, and wanting more.

The Flame caught fire. In the thirteen years since, the Flame has enjoyed numerous successes, including being a monthly live storytelling event at Main Street's iconic Cottage Bistro. The Flame has also travelled to other theatres across BC including the Belfry Theatre, Massey Theatre, Surrey Civic Theatres and the Cultch. The Flame produced five holiday TV specials with Metro Vancouver, based on the theme of "creating memories, not garbage." Many Flame stories were played on stories on CBC Radio and became a series hosted by Martin Strong on Railway Radio. 

​The Flame continues to grow and change; co-founder, Joel Wirkkunen, moved on to other creative projects. The pandemic forced live performance online and Eugene Dong to sell the Cottage Bistro. Deb Williams began to teach and produce The Flame online in conjunction with arts organizations and partnering with other not-for-profit groups. Now that restrictions are being lifted, Deb is delighted to be tending the Flame in person once again.