“They nailed it.”
Director Chris Adams had nothing but praise for the cast of the 100 Mile House Performing Arts Society’s most recent production – The Melville Boys.
Written by famous Canadian playwright Norm Foster, the four-person play delivers plenty of laughs followed by some serious drama in the second act.
“All I did was tell them where to stand,” says Adams, a first time director but longtime member of the local community theatre group.
“They took it from there and ran with it. They did a hell of a job.”
The cast included Alex Martin, Lacey Venner, Brian Weir and Gina Gigliotti.
Adams mentions one highly emotional scene near the end of the play with the two Melville brothers on stage, Owen and Lee, played by Martin and Weir, respectively. With great intensity the pair begin shouting at one another while slamming a loaded rifle on a wooden table, daring the other to pull the trigger. It’s very loud, then all at once very quiet. At that moment you could hear a pin drop in the theatre.
“I was on the edge of my seat every time,” says Adams. “Everyone was zoomed right in. That’s the actors bringing it to life.”
Venner and Gigliotti also played a pair of siblings. Venner was hilarious as Loretta, the quirky, flirtatious younger sister, while Gigliotti nailed the part of Mary, the caring and more levelheaded older sister.
The Melville Boys ran from March 26-28 at Martin Exeter Hall in 100 Mile House.
The Performing Arts Society is holding two nights of interviews for prospective directors to pitch play ideas for the upcoming Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 seasons.
The interviews take place May 5 and 7 from 7 to 9 p.m. at St. Timothy’s Anglican Church in 100 Mile House. Application forms can be picked up Gold Rush Technologies on Birch Avenue or downloaded from the 100 Mile Performing Arts Society’s website.
