By Melissa Jameson and Alex Cooper, Times Review
The Revelstoke Theatre Company has found a new venue for its upcoming productions after a scheduling conflict forced them out of the Powder Springs Hotel.
The company is scheduled to put on Louder, I Can’t hear You, and Boys Play at the United Church on Dec. 3, 4 and 6.
The two one-act plays were originally scheduled for the Powder Springs, where the RTC has regularly put on plays in the McGregor Room it helped build, but the scheduling conflict forced the last minute change of venue and the cancellation of the first three nights of shows.
Admission will now be by donation to Community Connections.
The Theatre Company says they pulled out of the Powder Springs after not being allowed to set up and rehearse the show in advance. Without enough time to build sets and perform dress and technical rehearsals, they decided to pull the plug on the first weekend of shows and find a new venue.
Fortunately, the United Church stepped forward and will be hosting the shows.
In the meantime, Imogen Whale (who is directing Louder) and Martin Ralph (the director of Boy’s Play) have been pushing forward with rehearsals.
“We’ve been practicing what we’ve been calling ‘guerilla theatre’ for some time now,” Ralph said.
Whale, too, was looking at the positive aspects of the last minute change of venue.
“It’s a real chance to play to the audience,” she said.
It’s also Whale’s first time directing a play.
“I had amazing support from my [directing] mentor Lyn [Kaulback],” she said. “It’s neat to be part of a club where you can put in an application in the summer to direct a play.”
Whale describes Louder, I Can’t Hear You as “pretty hilarious. It’s about a woman who is constantly ignored. It’s almost a farce.”
In contrast, Ralph’s Boy’s Play is a much more emotional look at relationships. “It’s about two young men who come from troubled lives, living with the reality of feeling unloved. They spend a weekend camping and they both making decisions that affect the rest of their lives – I really can’t say much more about it without giving it away,” he said.
While both plays are likely to evoke different emotions, each looks at human relationships.
“The ironic thing is we haven’t seen each other’s plays yet,” said Martin.
Louder, Boys will run December 3, 4, and 6 at the United Church. Doors are at 7 p.m. and show time is at 7:30 p.m. Admission is by donation to community connections.
