Theatre Northwest has their first "second season" play starting today, and they have announced all the plays that are coming P.G.'s way starting this fall.
Northern B.C.'s premier live drama company has lined up a four-play mainstage series that Jack Grinhaus considers his finest programming accomplishment since becoming TNW's artistic director three seasons ago.
"I believe this is a perfect Prince George season, a season that captures the tastes and theatre spirit of Prince George, from what I've been able to gather," said Grinhaus, who, to this point, has not been able to make fully unfettered choices about the plays on the schedule.
Since he has 100 per cent autonomy without overarching obligations or distractions, his first offering for fall 2017, goes straight to the heart of local culture. The most successful play ever written in this region will celebrate its 10th anniversary just as Canada recognizes its 150th year of confederation.
Jake's Gift has been seen by thousands of people in hundreds of communities all across Canada and in other countries, in both official languages. It's the story of a Canadian veteran of the Second World War who goes back to Normandy to revisit the tragic, victorious site of the D-Day invasion. There he encounters long-buried memories but also a precocious French girl who wants to hear his story.
Written and solely acted by Julia Mackie and directed by Dirk Van Stralen, Jake's Gift was created at the Sunset Theatre in Wells, and that Cariboo village is still home for this wildly acclaimed and award-winning drama.
"We wanted to recognize our own local talent, we wanted to recognize Canada's sesquicentennial and we wanted to offer some kind of response to the nationalism that is coming to the surface all around the world. That can, in certain limited instances, be a good thing but that can also be a damaging, scary, oppressive thing," said Grinhaus. "This is a story of someone who stood up to that kind of thing, paid an awful price for it so future generations wouldn't have to, and helped give us the Canada we have today. It's not the first time Jake's Gift has been seen in Prince George, but it is the first time it's had a proper run at a theatre here and we are already hearing the excitement in the community to come see it on our stage. We could not be prouder to host Jake's Gift and let people talk about that question of 'what is pride and when is it good and when is it wrong?' and look at that up close. That's what a theatre is supposed to be about, alongside entertainment, and Jake's Gift is also brilliantly entertaining."
The second play on the TNW agenda next season is an old favourite but presented in a new way. It's A Wonderful Life is a beloved show, especially in the lead-up to Christmas when the spirit of charity and angelic redemption is at the front of society's mind.
That heartwarming story is still the crux of the play, but it has the added entertainment value of being depicted as if we were a fly on the wall of a radio studio where a group of actors and sound effects technicians are performing it live on the air.
"Most people know the story about George Bailey falling on hard times and having to earn back his pride, rediscover his dignity, reshape his life," said Grinhaus.
"This version gives us that perfect family play for Christmas, and adds some extra touches we weren't expecting. It's been lauded everywhere it's been done. You get to see all the do-it-yourself sound effects being made, and 14 actors taking on 63 roles, with all that action that the radio audience would never get to see but we get to see it. It reconnects us to that evocative feeling of magical theatre of the mind, and in the process we get to rediscover a familiar story in a whole new way."
The third play of the TNW season will be another with strong local hands on it, even though it is rooted in superstar classic drama.
Henrik Ibsen is considered by many to be second only to Shakespeare as an influential playwright. His 19th century masterpieces include such important works as Peer Gynt, A Doll's House and Hedda Gabler.
It is this latter play that Grinhaus himself set to work on, adapting it into the foggy, black-and-white tinged update entitled Hedda Noir. It tells Ibsen's story of a powerful woman of society who is nonetheless shackled by social conventions - conventions that don't apply to men.
Hedda has been portrayed by many of the giant female actors of stage and screen, and with this Bogartian retelling, the part goes to Prince George stage siren Lauren Brotman.
"We have seen Lauren on our stage, but now she finally gets the part she deserves," Grinhaus said.
"And because the character is such a femme fatale, and the whole story gets told through that smoky, whisky lens of film noir, we get to dress it all up with great lighting and costumes and effects, but most of all a vivid actor."
While you're sipping on something strong, why not pour yourself a tall drag of pina colada? That's the name of the stage queen in the hysterical Canadian comedy The Best Brothers by golden touch playwright Daniel MacIvor from Nova Scotia.
He was the creative force behind the TV series Twitch City in the 1990s, he frequently acted in the TV show Republic of Doyle, and wrote award-winning plays like international hit Never Swim Alone, the murderous Monster, and the play-into-movie script Marion Bridge that boosted the careers of both Molly Parker and Ellen Page.
"I love Daniel MacIvor. Who doesn't? If you don't know him yet, you'll eat this up," said Grinhaus, describing The Best Brothers. "MacIvor always gives you that sitcom-like sense of humour, it crackles right out at you in the audience, but it also has a little extra something to say underneath it all. This one is totally hysterical, it's a 'mom loved me best, no mom loved me best' face-off between two adult brothers, and there's this drag queen in there too."
In addition to the four mainstage plays, TNW also gives Prince George a pair of extra theatre experiences after the main season ends.
Painting The Streets is an all-local production written and performed by P.G. people - Brotman and Amy Blanding - about Prince George life and differing world views finding a home together in this community.
Robinson Crusoe And Friday is an adaptation of the classic Daniel Defoe novel. It plays up the slapstick miscommunication (and includes a sailboat on stage) especially for kids.
While local audiences look ahead to these special features in store for 2017-18, there is a chance to see TNW production value right now.
The world premiere of the aboriginal reconciliation story Isitwendam (An Understanding) is on today at 2 p.m., Saturday at
7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
It features Canadian film/television star Meegwun Fairbrother in this one-actor show co-created by Grinhaus and never seen before.
Admission is "pay what you can" for this theatrical event at Theatre Northwest.
