It's a dramatic time in Prince George.
The balance has been tipped decisively towards musicals and comedies in the local realm of community theatre in the past several years. A little streak of drama has popped up this spring, however. The latest production is God of Hell. It opens tonight, with performances Thursday through Sunday.
God of Hell follows on the heels of 12 Angry Jurors in recent weeks. Both will be official entries in the Zone Drama Festival later this month. For God of Hell, this run is a warmup for the competition. It is directed by Peter Maides, who also has a part in the show, along with co-stars Frank Caffrey, Krista Dunlop and William Kuklis.
"Frank was my first sucker, I mean, the first actor I approached because I've worked with him before and I know his versatility. He can be just about anyone in this play so I gave him first choice at the parts," said Maides.
"Krista was my first choice to play the part of Emma. I could hear her voice as I read the script, so thankfully she helped fix that problem of having no one else in mind. I sent her a text asking the question and I think her response was something like 'when do we start rehearsals.'"
Maides needed a powerful presence for the remaining role, the part that most resembles a villain in this play. It's a script by iconic American writer/actor Sam Shepard that burst from his cultural impressions and assessments following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He described it as "a take-off on Republican fascism." Maides called in Kuklis, known for his powerful singing voice and voluminous stage presence.
"I play one evil, evil man. Or is he just a misunderstood southern gentleman?" said Kuklis. "He kind of represents America as a whole. And he actually isn't evil at all, he is just ideological. I love it. I always get cast as 'the nice one' so it's so much fun to take on the traits of a villain this time."
"The great craftsmanship here is, he is not evil even though he might feel that way in some ways," Maides explained. "He is modelled on George W. Bush and to George W. Bush, America's right wing politics aren't immoral, they are exactly what America should be, to those who espouse that system of thinking."
"This is not a traditional kind of story," said Caffrey. "It is, I believe, Sam Shepard's only absurdist piece, so come to the play expecting your emotions elicited but don't expect to make sense of everything, just let it all come to you. I was interested in this character because it was a little bit different than how I've been cast in the past, so thanks to Peter I get to try something outside of the usual, and I would say that about the whole play. It's unusual, and powerful."
The production is a presentation of Pocket Theatre and was intended from the start to be that local community theatre company's entry into this year's Central Interior Zone Drama Festival.
"Being both (actor and director) is hard," said Maides.
"Anna Russell is also playing a role in her play (12 Angry Jurors) so I'm following in a long-standing tradition that started way back three weeks ago. I also have other crew duties I have to attend to, but Allison Haley has been a co-director to make it a lot easier on me. I was always in good hands."
Tickets to see God of Hell are $18 or $15 for students/seniors/unemployed.
They are available at Books & Company in advance or at the door. The play will be performed at the Stan Shaffer Theatre (Room 1-306) at CNC starting each night at 8 p.m.
