Everyone is welcome, inclusiveness is a sacred principal, even when the task at hand is murder.
The Nechako Theatrics Society has put on one-act plays, feature-length dramas, improv comedy events, historical storytelling, even a zombie apocalypse, so why would they stop at homicide?
Next week, the grassroots theatre company invites the public to join them for the fun when they host an old fashioned who-dun-it play in which the audience is also the cast. When you buy your ticket (and only a handful remain) you become one of 40 people dressed in costume, possessed of important knowledge needed for the plot, and all equally suspicious until the final suspect is revealed as the murderer.
"There are 10 people that I've cast out of the 40 in the production, so we are selling 30 tickets to fill out the other parts," said Laura Bennett, president of the society and one of the directors of their productions. "You'll get your character description, your costume suggestions, the list of things you will have to do to disclose your part of the mystery, and everyone works away at uncovering the one who actually committed the murder."
Productions like this are not complex with special effects and laborious acting roles. They are designed to be high on fun and available to all. It has become one of the society's foundational philosophies. Those who want to be involved in theatre can be, with this group.
"We are a small community theatre company. We do our best to find a position for everybody wanting to come out and take part," Bennett said. "We have people from the age of eight to over 50. We have also had clients from AiMHi and Project Friendship. We do our best to include anybody and make all participants feel comfortable. Theatre should have no barriers. It is so beneficial for everyone. There is nothing else like it."
That's how the Nechako Theatrics Society got started in the first place. Five or six years ago, Bennett spotted a little notice in a coffee shop newspaper calling for auditions for a play. She took the plunge - acting had been an interest in her youth, but it had been many years since she had tread the boards - and went to the audition. She got a part, but the theatre company soon folded. She and some others from the play were left with no group to catalyze their creative sparks.
"We decided we had to do it ourselves," she said. "We would like to be able to do a mainstage performance at some point, but really our goal overall is to make theatre accessible to everybody and to have fun."
Each Friday they hold an improv comedy practice. A call for auditions is coming up in January for a feature-length play they are preparing to showcase. This murder mystery is another in their ongoing activities.
The murderous theatre party happens on Oct. 17 at Art Space. Tickets are $20 each while supplies last, and available only via Bennett. Contact her at [email protected]. It is also the primary way for finding out more about the society and how to be involved.
