Val and Andy are looking for love.
They don’t want a casual fling, but something more meaningful – a connection that will lead to a lasting relationship.
Andy decides to put a personal ad in the newspaper, which Val answers. The two agree to meet on a blind date, but coax their two friends, Nina and Matt, to tag along for moral support.
The four, all in their mid-50s, are the central characters in Norm Foster’s comedy Looking. The play opens Thursday (Feb. 28) at Cedar Community Hall, and is being presented by the Yellow Point Drama Group.
Director Armand Dos Santos said the play is a mixture of genres.
“It’s written a bit like a British farce,” he said. “There are four scenes. There is not a lot of space between each scene. It is quite seamless.”
The play introduces the audience to the pitfalls of middle-aged dating and the challenges of finding someone and where to meet them. It stars Gordon MacInnis as Andy; Brian March as Matt; Moira Steele as Nina and Barbara Metcalf as Val. Dos Santos said it’s been great working with an experienced cast of actors.
“It all by bits and pieces piles up and in the end it’s magic and things all happen,” said Dos Santos about bringing the play to life on the Cedar stage.
The Yellow Point Drama Group is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. The group formed in 1952 and produced its first play in the spring of 1953.
“It’s a bit of a miracle in some way, it’s in the middle of farmland,” said Dos Santos, adding the members manage to somehow keep the group going and people continue to come to the productions. He said one of the keys to the group’s longevity could be the style of theatre. The hall is set up in a cabaret style where people sit at tables rather than in rows.
The group is planning to host a celebration performance in April with a night of performances and historical displays. Dos Santos said details are still being worked out and the group will make an announcement about the event closer to April.
Looking opens Thursday (Feb. 28). Opening night tickets are a special price, $12, and the show starts at 8 p.m. The play runs March 1, 2, 8, 9, 15 and 16. Tickets are $17 adults/$12 youth. A special dinner theatre presentation is March 9. Tickets are $35. The show starts at 8 p.m. A matinee is March 16, tickets are $12, doors open at 1 p.m. and the play starts at 2 p.m.
Tickets are available at the door, by calling 250-245-7516 or e-mailing ypdg@shaw.ca. For more information please go to www.yellowpointdramagroup.org.
arts@nanaimobulletin.com
