New Generation of theatre productions offered
New Generation of theatre productions offered TWU is offering laughter as a cure for the winter blahs. New Generation of theatre productions offered TWU is offering laughter as a cure for the winter blahs. TWU is offering laughter as a cure for the winter blahs.
New Generations directors are (clockwise from bottom left) Sarah Ruth, Amy Dauer, Brittany Gainer, Eleanor Felton and Megan Couch.
Photograph by: Jef Gibbons photo , for Langley Advance
Blind dates, summer shenanigans, big box stores, monkeys… audiences never know what to expect in the eclectic assortment of plays that make up New Generations.
From Jan. 29 to Feb. 2 at Trinity Western University’s School of the Arts, Media and Culture, the showcase of five short plays, each directed by a theatre student come together to create one diverse and entertaining production.
“This festival is always a highlight because it showcases the depth of talent we have at TWU,” said Theatre Department chair Angela Konrad. “All the actors, directors, stage managers, and crew are students, and this year, so are two of the playwrights.”
The new plays receiving their world premieres are Building Blocks, a comedic romance by Benjamin Buckingham; and I Spy With My Little Lie, an adrenalin-laced comedy about love, deception, and Walmart penned by Nicola Prigge, a double-major in theatre and education.
“It’s so exciting to see my play come to life on stage,” said Prigge, “and it’s incredible to see people embody characters that used to exist only in my mind.”
Buckingham is a fourth-year theatre major who is getting to see his work on satege.
“There’s a kind of creative thrill in the whole process that I really wasn’t expecting. This opportunity has greatly increased my interest in playwriting.”
The other plays in the line-up are: Richard Greenberg’s Life Under Water, a comic drama about the rich and spoiled; David Ives’ clever comedy about the inevitability of art, Words, Words, Words; and Jonathan Rand’s Check Please, a series of blind dates that couldn’t possibly get worse… until they do.
All five directors are taking their first shot at helming a production. They are graduating BFA acting students Megan Couch and Sarah Ruth; graduating BA in theatre student Brittany Gainer; and third year theatre majors Eleanor Felton and Amy Dauer.
First year Tiffany Kanda has the daunting task of running the show, as the festival stage manager. In total, more than 30 students are involved in producing New Generations, including 17 actors.
Performances are 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday with a matinee at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2.
Tickets are $8-$14 and available at the door or at www.twu.ca/theatre. For more information, go to the website or email theatre@twu.ca.
