North Island Zone
Drama Festival Schedule
Announced
Port Alberni - Portal Players Dramatic Society is hosting the 2009 Theatre BC North Island Zone Drama Festival in Port Alberni this May, and has announced the performance schedule for the competition. The Festival opens on Monday, May 18 with a total of five plays being performed through to May 22. The week-long event culminates in an Awards Banquet on Saturday, May 23 with the announcement of all awards, including Best Production. The winner of that award will advance to Theatre BC's Mainstage event, being held in early July in Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows.
Festival entries are:
• Monday, May 18: ECHO Players, Qualicum Beach presents
"The Stillborn Lover" by Timothy Findley
When a Russian youth is found murdered in a Moscow hotel room, the repercussions unravel the past of a respected career diplomat. "The Stillborn Lover" is an examination of love, loyalty, betrayal, political ideology and ambition. Though fictional, the play is set within the context of historical fact. "The Stillborn Lover" is a beautifully crafted play, and a true Canadian classic by one of Canada's best-loved authors, Timothy Findley. This play is suitable for adult audiences, contains adult themes and discreet nudity.
• Tuesday, May 19: Nanaimo Theatre Group presents
"Kiss The Moon, Kiss The Sun" by Norm Foster
In this heart-warming play filled with wit, humour and pathos, the story told is one of a mother's love and dedication to her 35 year old son, who has the mental capacity of a 7-year old child. The son meets a young woman who is going through a difficult time and, as the play unfolds, they find they can help each other persevere against the odds. "Kiss The Moon, Kiss The Sun" is written by Canada's most-produced playwright, Norm Foster. This play is suitable for all audiences.
• Wednesday, May 20: Portal Players Dramatic Society presents
"Loot" by Joe Orton.
"Loot" is a scathing attack on money, the police, the Catholic Church and several other sacred institutions, constructed as a Wildean drawing room comedy of the blackest hue. The corpse in the coffin in the front parlor is the mother of a young bank robber. He and his accomplice, an undertaker's assistant, must find a place to hide the "Loot". The wild adventures that occur among the thieves, a nurse who was with the dead woman at her death, the widowed husband, and a corrupt and brutal police inspector make for a vitriolic, deadly serious black comedy that makes most other drama in this genre seem genteel. This play is suitable for adult audiences, and deals with adult themes.
• Thursday, May 21: River City Players, Campbell River presents
"No Great Mischief" adapted by David Young from a novel by
Alistair MacLeod.
"No Great Mischief" is a Canadian saga of one family's struggle to survive and prosper in the "New World" on Cape Breton Island. Steeped in Scottish Celtic Heritage, it mirrors the joys and trials of all who would carve out a living in Canada's fishing and mining communities. This play has an adult theme with a notice for occasional coarse language. It is not suitable for young children.
• Friday, May 22: Courtenay Little Theatre presents
"Biloxi Blues" by Neil Simon.
"Biloxi Blues" is the second in a three-play cycle of Eugene Morris Jerome, alter ego of the youthful Neil Simon. When we last met Eugene, he was coping with adolescence in the 1930's in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. Here, he is young army recruit during the Second World War, going through his basic training, learning more about Life, and developing his "Writer's Sensibility" at boot camp in Biloxi, Mississippi in 1943. Eugene and his fellow enlisted recruits suffer under a hard-nosed sargeant, partake of the daily "mess" served up for meals, join together for a visit to the local whorehouse and officially Become Adults. Eugene also confronts the ugly spectre of anti-Semitism; and, for the first time, falls in love. "Biloxi Blues" won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1985; it carries a notice for adult language.
All plays will be performed at The Capitol Theatre, 4904 Argyle Street in Port Alberni. The box office will open for ticket sales at 5:30 pm on show nights; theatre doors will open at 7 pm; and plays begin promptly at 7:30 pm.
Each play will be given a brief public critique after their performance by festival adjudicator Kathryn Shaw, who is the artistic director of Studio 58 at Langara College in Vancouver. The following morning, Shaw will meet with the cast and crew of the previous night's play during a "coffee critique" session, where she will debrief the cast and crew with her thoughts. As an active adjudicator, Shaw will work with the production team and actors during the critique to offer options that may help to improve the overall performance.
Tickets are on sale now, with flexible pricing depending on how many festival plays are being attended, or how large a group purchase is. Individual show tickets are $15 each; a "pick three plays" option is available for $36; and a "full festival pass" can be purchased for $50. Theatre BC members may purchase individual show tickets for only $12, while group purchases of five or more tickets can be as low as $10 per person. A limited number of Awards Banquet tickets will also be available for the public to purchase.
Advance ticket purchases are through The Graphics Factory in Port Alberni from 9 am to 5 pm weekdays. Charge by phone (Visa/MasterCard) purchases for out-of-town buyers can be called in to 250-723-6227. Ticket orders can also be sent by e-mail to capitoltheatre@shaw.ca but must include a telephone number so purchasers can be called back for credit card details.
For more information about adjudicator Kathryn Shaw, click to http://www.theatrebc.org/member/tbnk/tbnk-qrst.htm#Kathryn%20Shaw
