Peter Zednik’s Sandsprite brings a late-life coming-out story to Western Gold Theatre
The North Vancouver playwright’s comedy reveals that love and personal acceptance can occur at any age
(Left to right) Playwright Peter Zednik says actors Allan Morgan and Adam Henderson play characters that reflect different versions of his own life.
Western Gold Theatre presents Sandsprite from November 12 to 29 at PAL Studio Theatre
COMING -OUT STORIES have long been a fixture of queer theatre, often exploring the struggles of young people coming to terms with their sexuality and braving societal challenges. But what happens when that journey doesn't begin until someone is in their 60s?
That’s the idea examined in Sandsprite, a touching comedy by North Vancouver playwright Peter Zednik. Presented by Western Gold Theatre, the play soon makes its mainstage premiere at PAL Studio Theatre.
Directed by Christopher Lam, Sandsprite follows Brogan and Si, once teenage lovers who reunite after 50 years, having taken vastly different life paths. As old feelings resurface, the two men must confront buried truths, missed opportunities, and the possibility of a second chance at love.
For Zednik, who wrote the play in 2019, the inspiration came from reflecting on the relative invisibility of older gay men in storytelling.
“If there's an older gay character, they're often not at the centre of a story,” he says. “They're on the
sidelines. They might be the gossipy next-door neighbour, or they're the first victim in a murder.”
Determined to challenge that convention, Zednik created two complex characters whose experiences reflect different versions of his own life.
Growing up in a small Ontario town during the 1970s, Zednik was an accomplished figure skater, competing at the national junior level at 14. At a time when triple jumps were exceptionally rare, he was among only a handful of male skaters in Canada capable of landing them.
Despite his athletic achievements, skating brought painful experiences of bullying and homophobia.
“I was often the only boy on the ice. I felt so alone and secluded, and if any of the boys from my school were playing hockey right afterward, I got taunted,” he recalls. “I got name called. I was teased mercilessly.”
An injury eventually ended his competitive career, but performing remained central to his life. He transitioned from storytelling on the ice to the stage, initially as an actor and eventually as a playwright. His writing has since earned numerous accolades, including a Jessie Richardson Theatre Award in 2000 for outstanding script by an emerging playwright, three first prizes in the Canadian One-Act Playwriting Competition, and a 2025 Theatre BC playwriting award (for the one-act 63 Dates).
Zednik's personal coming-out journey also helped shape Sandsprite. After spending five years dating a woman and getting engaged as a young adult, he eventually embraced his sexuality and moved to Toronto.
“I flew out of the closet,” he says. “I overdid everything for a long time because I just wanted to make up for lost time.”
One character in Sandsprite represents the life he ultimately chose, while the other reflects the man he might have become had he married and remained closeted.
For director Christopher Lam, the opportunity to explore intimacy between older gay men was particularly compelling.
“I was excited about a queer story that centered on two senior men,” he says. “There’s the element of a love story, and I just don't think we see a lot of stories like this.”
Starring veteran performers Allan Morgan and Adam Henderson alongside emerging actor Alek Toledo-Cisak, Sandsprite builds on a staged reading presented during Western Gold's Have a Senior Moment Festival in October of 2025.
Although the play tackles painful themes of homophobia, repression, and regret, Lam emphasizes that its humour emerges organically from the characters' circumstances.
“The play is deeply entrenched in drama, but it has these sorts of absurd, comical moments because of the situation,” he notes.
The production is a natural fit for Western Gold Theatre, whose mandate centres on amplifying the voices and stories of artists aged 55 and older, while creating opportunities for seasoned professionals to continue their craft. The company also fosters intergenerational collaboration, bringing emerging artists together with veteran performers to exchange knowledge and experiences.
For Zednik, that commitment makes the staging of Sandsprite especially meaningful.
“It's a play about older characters, and it's written by an older character,” he says. “I'm just really grateful for the experience.”
Lam hopes audiences leave with a renewed appreciation for the importance of living truthfully, regardless of age.
“The play is really about preserving the authentic self,” he says.
In giving voice to a generation whose stories have too often gone untold, Sandsprite promises that it's never too late to embrace one's true self, revisit the past, or discover new possibilities for love and happiness. 
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