There's something special at Theatre North West as a Readers' Theatre short play, Highway of Fears, is presented before the main piece, Dreary & Izzy, until Feb. 17.
Betsy Trumpener, the award-winning local CBC News reporter, wrote the play for Theatre North West's 2014 play development program, TrueNorth New Works.
Her play, directed by Tara Beagan, is based upon the murdered and missing women of the Highway of Tears and what the local world looks like because of it.
Based on a true incident in her life, Trumpener's character, played beautifully by Valerie Planche, makes the decision, despite the potential risk involved, to pick up a man in trouble, played convincingly by John Cook. The coatless man is walking along a deserted road in the darkness only seen around Prince George at 4 a.m. on a winter's morning.
And so the conversation begins.
With only a few minutes to make an impact, Trumpener gets right to the point, asking the tough questions and getting the tough answers right back and then having to answer some tough questions herself. It's a give and take, push and pull, with quick repartee and a little humour to lighten the load. The sneak peek the audience gets into the bigger picture is well written, thought provoking and well on its way to being a statement piece about what First Nations people have to deal with and how we all are going to have to take some responsibility and help.
Following that whirlwind with just moments to spare to wrap our heads around the bigger issues presented to us, the audience takes a collective breath in and looks to centre stage as we're brought into the world of two young women who are reeling from a most recent and tragic loss.
Dakota Ray Hebert plays Dierdre, the suddenly appointed main caregiver of her sister Isabelle, played by Joelle Peters.
These two actors spend most of the play onstage, admirably doing most of the proverbial heavy lifting between them.
Playwright Tara Beagan came to Prince George to direct Dreary & Izzy. This is the second time a play she has written has been presented by Theatre North West. Thy Neighbour's Wife, a Dora Award winner, was presented in 2010.
Beagan has asked Hebert to play the part before and so the familiarity these two have with each other and the role makes for a great opportunity to develop the character further.
Hebert takes on her role with strong body language complimented with subtle nuances in her facial expressions that work like a charm at Theatre North West. Hebert as Dierdre tries to find her own way into womanhood while taking care of her special needs sister. It's a nest of contradictions as the sexually curious young woman clashes with the naive, socially awkward girl, who just wants to do the best she can for her 'little' sister. Hebert does a wonderful job of balancing the two.
Isabelle, played by Peters, is a complex character, seemingly young and innocent but with a whole other womanly side to her that needs to ultimately be protected. In the complexities of the character Peters dives right in and portrays the many facets of Izzy very well.
John Cook plays the vaccuum cleaner salesman that drops into their lives to shake things up a bit. Cook plays a strong character who, in his kindness and decency, rails against the injustices of the world that's drives home the fact life's not always fair. Cook portraits the conflicted character with a hint of innocence and underlying anger with great conviction.
Valerie Planche plays Mrs. Harper, a former neighbour of the girls who has moved a bit further away so there's a few interesting phone calls to be overheard by the audience. Planche takes on the housewifely nurse, nosy neighbour role with great panache. With curlers in her hair and a sassy sway to her hips, her stage presence commands attention. As Mrs. Harper wades through her prejudices and assumptions while letting her pure affection and concern for the girls shine through with attitude, Planche does a stellar job.
Beagan brings up a lot of issues in this play. She has proclaimed it is a political statement and the audience can see all the information unfold during the performance.
Without bashing anyone over the head with too much information, Beagan brings up a world of Canadian hurt, but slices through the meat of it with slashes of laugh out loud humour because that's the way it's got to be to offer a breather to the audience that's taking it all in, in the best way we know how - with a deep breath, an open mind and a hopeful heart.
