October Theatre Offerings - It's going to get busy!!!

Here's what's starting onstage in Edmonton in October. 


Silent Sky - Walterdale Theatre - October 2-12

The true story of 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, Silent Sky explores a woman’s place in society during a time of immense scientific discoveries, when women’s ideas were dismissed until men claimed credit for them. Social progress, like scientific progress, can be hard to see when one is trapped among earthly complications. Henrietta Leavitt and her female peers believe in both, and their dedication changed the way we understand both the heavens and the Earth.


Open Invitation - Saint Maggie Productions - October 2-12

Becky is an exhausted mom and her husband Sebastian is a man trapped in a soul killing day job. It’s date night and they are going to attend a “snobby” dinner party at the home of one of Becky’s old show-choir friends. Some of the guests she’s known for 20 years, some she hasn’t seen since high school. Sebastian doesn’t want to go and is convinced that the dinner’s hosts are Swingers and just looking for a “hook-up”…and he’s going to prove it. Becky thinks he’s nuts and so they place a bet and hilarity ensues with each trying to win what it is they think they want most from the other.

High Tea - Firefly Theatre & Circus - October 6

Ever wondered what a true “High” Tea would look like? Join the company of Firefly Theatre and Circus as they dangle overhead serving steeps, champagne and sweets! An afternoon of multi-sensory delights, HIGH TEA guests will sip quality teas, nibble on scones and sweets, and enjoy traditional cucumber sandwiches — all while being entertained by Firefly’s talented servers as they dangle from the rafters.

Dead Centre of Town XII - Catch the Keys - October 10 - November 1

Some people lived here. Many people died here. Not everyone moved on…and those left behind are desperate to tell you their story. Edmonton’s only live-action thriller inspired by true history possesses Mellon Farm for an intimate and immersive theatrical retelling of some of Edmonton’s long-buried secrets. Secrets that can’t stay buried forever. Catch the Keys Productions presents Dead Centre of Town XII October 10 – November 1, 2019. Dead Centre of Town is NOT a haunted house, but it will haunt you long after you leave the Park.

Simone et le whole shebang - L'Uni Theatre - October 16-26

Simone has just been placed in a long-term care facility in Fort McMurray by her daughter Simone-Alice, who has been living in the city for the past 6 years. A québécoise actress in her sixties suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, Simone’s deteriorating condition has made her unable to care for herself. Jessy, an old acadian cowboy who dreamt of being a country singer, is in the same care facility. Though he still has his quick wit and his colourful vocabulary, he’s lost his mobility, his heart and his will to live. Both are haunted by what they’ve become. Somewhere between their egos and their fears, Simone, Jessy, and Simone-Alice must face their disappointing realities.

Fight Night - The Citadel Theatre - October 17-27

FIVE CONTENDERS.  FIVE ROUNDS. YOUR VOTE. Fight Night is an interactive production that examines how and why we make judgments about others, while asking whether the current political system really represents our choices.  

Baroness Bianka's Bloodsongs - Northern Light Theatre - October 18 - November 2

BARONESS BIANKA’S BLOODSONGS tackles the issue of addiction head-on through the revelations of a quirky Bulgarian Baroness who has unquenchable, unspeakable yearnings. A black comedy with a blood-red heart, the show explores life with an unusual addiction and the battle to overcome it. A wicked one woman cabaret about a spooky character with a fetish for blood.

Rigoletto - Edmonton Opera - October 19-25

As the infamous court jester, Rigoletto earns a living by making fun of people’s misery. So when his enemies seek revenge, they take the one thing Rigoletto values most: his daughter Gilda. What follows is a harrowing tale of greed, corruption, and violence that ultimately turns Rigoletto’s own fate into a cruel joke.

The Roomate - Shadow Theatre - October 23 - November 10

Sharon is a recent divorcee in her mid-fifties, and needs a roommate to share her unassuming Iowa home. Robyn, also in her fifties, needs a place to hide and a chance to start over. As she uncovers Robyn's secrets Sharon discovers in herself a depp seated desire to transform her own life. A dark comedy about what it takes to re-route your life - and what happens when the wheels come off. 


The Ballad of Peachtree Rose - WWPT - October 30- November 10

Max works for one of Canada's most notorious criminal organizations; Peach is a street kid trying to make a buck. A chance encounter entangles their lives indefinitely. From one of Canada’s best emerging writers comes a thriller that forces audiences to ask: “What is Justice?”

October is a Very Busy Month for #yegtheatre - We begin the marathon with Billy at L'Uni Theatre and The Triangle Factory Fire Project at Walterdale Theatre

I guess I truly began the marathon with Once at the Citadel. You still have a chance to catch it tonight or tomorrow. If you are looking for a little romance and music, this kitchen-party show will fit the bill!

On Wednesday, I took in The Triangle Factory Fire Project at Walterdale Theatre. A nearly sold-out house witnessed the events of March 25, 1911 as the Triangle Waist Factory Fire took the lives of 146 workers and the subsequent trial of the owners of the factory. The first act was incredibly engaging and compelling as the story of the day was pieced together from testimony of survivors and speculation of events based on the evidence. The second act focuses on the trial, and it made me reflect on the voicelessness of those without power. In light of recent history, it felt incredibly relevant.

The Triangle Factory Fire Project runs to October 20th with shows at 8 p.m. and a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee. Tuesday, October 16 is their Pay-What-You-Can Night. Click here for tickets.

Last night, I took in Billy (Le Jours de Hurlement) at L’UniThéâtre. It's a very strong, well-acted and well-directed piece of theatre. In today's world of social media shaming, it felt incrediblty relevant as a comment on judging others. I certainly had flashbacks to my early years of parenting when I felt everyone was quick to tell me what to do and I myself had so many strong feelings about the 'right way' to do things. The play showed the ugly side of people's judgement, when evidence is incomplete and minding our own business might be a better choice. I took Mark, who commented afterwards, "It's a play a lot of people should see, but sadly I think they would miss the point." It takes a lot to recognize yourself in the three characters, but I think we are all a little quick to judge in today's day and age.

Billy (Le Jours de Hurlement) runs to October 20th with shows at 7:30 p.m. at 1:30 p.m. Saturday matinees. For those who are not French speakers, there are English surtitles (sit on the right side of the house for the best view). Click here for tickets.

Tonight I am off to Lenin's Embalmers at the University of Alberta Timm's Centre for the Arts.

Living in Extraordinary Times... Tempus Extraordinarius at L'Uni Theatre

A mad dash across the city and we made it just in time to catch Tempus Extraordinarius at L'Uni Theatre on Saturday night. Featuring Tubby and Notubby as two clownlike figures in a post-apocalyptic world, the show was in both French (70%) and English (30%) with surtitles to capture the opposite language for the audience. It was an interesting show and the simple, yet effective projections and staging were well-used. It left a lot to chat about in terms of the cycle of the world's history through oppression and struggle into a more peaceful world and back again. Sprinkled throughout were references to Shakespeare and songs. I'm always interested in seeing the L'Unit Theatre shows as the added layer of language makes me work harder as an audience member. I think that makes me less passive and more engaged. 

Tempus Extraordinarius ran From February 7-10 so you can't catch it, but the next L'Uni Theatre show will be En Mémoire de Moi/Do this in Memory of Me which will play in both languages in rep from March 14 to 24. Click here for more information. 

Looking Ahead to April for #yegtheatre

April bring with it Auditions for Chess, the show I am directing for Walterdale Theatre. So I had to take a little time to look ahead and plan my theatre options.  There are quite a few good options but fortunately not as many as the past two months.  Rehearsals make it hard for me to see stuff!

Anyhow, here are a few things I am looking forward to:

Northern Light Theatre's The Passion of Narcisse Mondoux: Narcisse Mondoux (played by the always excellent Brian Dooley) retired Master Plumber, sets out to woo the recently widowed Laurencienne Robichaud — at her husband's funeral. This is a co-production with L'Uni Theatre and will alternate between performances in English and French - how cool is that?! I'll be taking in the English show for sure, and I hope to fit in the French version. 

The Citadel Theatre's Other Desert Cities: A sharp, smart comedy-drama about family secrets unearthed. When I read this script a few years ago I wished I could be in it - it's so well-written and unwraps in a way that stabs you in the gut (playwright: Jon Robin Baitz). It's also incredibly current as the family has liberal/conservative (democrat/republican) divides complicating the parent-child relationships. 

Mayfield Dinner Theatre's Hair: Let the sun shine! I imagine this is going to be a groovy show, filled with peace and love. I've been enjoying the shows at the Mayfield this season and am looking forward to their take on the Age of Aquarius! 

The Citadel Theatre's West Side Story: I've been walking around the office snapping my fingers and singing Tonight and America.  I think I am ready to see this show! I was also blown away by the Citadel/Banff Centre Professional Theatre Program Cabaret a couple of weeks ago and can't wait to see this group of extremely talented triple-threat actors onstage in the Maclab. I'm particularly looking forward to Melanie Piatocha singing Somewhere. 

Walterdale Theatre's Glengarry Glen Ross: Mamet. There it is.  More f-bombs per page than any play has a right to. A strong cast of some of my favorite actors.  It opens next week and I am really looking forward to seeing it.  It may not have the Alec Baldwin speech from the movie, but I've watched that a few times in preparation so I think I'm good! 

Theatre Network's Gordon: Brian Dooley as a grumpy old man with criminal intent.  I think that works for me. I'll be interested in seeing the contrast with Narcisse Mondoux and I willbe book-ending the month of April with Dooley! Should be fun! 

Checklist... What I saw just before I was out of town...

Hey, so I was away for the last week of February.  Immediately before that, I saw a few shows but had no time to write about them before I left, so I thought I would do a quick re-cap.  All of them have closed, but that doesn't mean you can't check out the next show from these companies!

The Early Bloomer by Jana O'Connor presented by Concrete Theatre
I didn't bring my sons to this, because I thought it was for little, little kids but I wish I had.  This was truly a show that could have the moniker 'suitable for ALL ages'.  The story deals with a group of young buds in a garden who are all worried about how they are growing - too fast, too slow, not the right away.  It's applicable to the little ones because of the wonderful physical comedy and silliness, but it's also really timely for those pre-pubescent and those in the thick of it.  The line about their stems getting fuzz would have made my boys hysterical! And for adults, particularly those with children, it was bang-on! The cast of four, Jenny McKillop, Mark Sinongco, Patricia Cerra and Troy O'Donnell, were terrific - funny, physical and totally committed!

La Voix Humaines presented by L'Uni Theatre and Carmen presented by Edmonton Opera
I saw two operas this month and both were in french. Both centered around emotional irrational woman, however in very different ways. I was blown away by the solo performance of Whitney Leigh Sloan in La Voix Humaine - challenging music and singing and SOLO singing for 75 minutes - never mind that it was an extremely emotional journey to sustain supported only by an unheard voice on the end of a phone. With Carmen, I commented on FB that I figured it was the source for the phrase, "Bitches be crazy!" because she definitely was. Great singing all around, fabulous sets and costumes and it was so wonderful to hear so many songs I was familiar with actually in context of the story. My favourite onstage was Lida Szkwarek as Micaela - there's definitely a huge talent there and man-oh-man, what a voice! I'm definitely enjoying seeing shows in French.  I still have to use the surtitles to get everything, but it was fun discovering that I understand more than I think I will! I guess I learned something in my grade 6-12 french classes!

I'm busy this week and next with the crop of indie theatre that is on and going to both high school and junior high open houses... stay tuned for notes about those shows!

What is going on? Ravenscroft (Walterdale) and Les Blues des Oubliées (L'Uni Theatre)

This week I saw two very different plays.  One, Ravenscroft, was a mystery where the truth was slowly unraveled as lies and exaggerations were discarded.  The other, Les Blues des Oubliées, was a french-langueage play with sur-titles. So in both,I had to work hard to figure out what was going on!

Ravenscroft, currently running at Walterdale Theatre until October 24th, is a who-dun-it with a surprise twist at the end. Inspector Ruffing (Dan Fessenden) interrogates the 5 women of Ravenscroft Manor to try to discover exactly what happened the night the footman was killed.  It's a clever play with juicy characters set in an English Manor in the early 1900s.  I did the props for the show and due to my busy schedule this was first opportunity to see if the worked.  They did! It was great to see the show up on it's feet. The cast does a nice job creating the world and for me it was great to see 5 of the 6 cast members are newcomers to Walterdale. I also liked that they each were clearly defined characters - the beautiful and icy Governess, Marcy (Melanie Bahniuk); the silly and imaginative daughter of the house, Gillian (Sohpie Healey); the not-so-bright and clumsy housemaid, Dolly (Brittany Hinse); the stern and disciplined cook, Mrs. French (Rebecca Bissonnette); and the naughty but imperious Lady of the house, Mrs. Ravenscroft (Catherine Wenschlag). The whole cast works well together, but highlights are the hysterical and saucy Wenschlag and Bissonnette has some absolutely terrific dead-pan moments. They are all supported by a marvelous set (Leland Stelck) and to-die-for costumes (Geri Dittrich).  I was glad to see my few little props measure up.

Last night, I took in my first ever french language play,  Les Blues des Oubliées (The Blue of Forgetting), at L'Uni Theatre.  It was a very cool experience.  Like with Opera or Shakespeare, it took me a few minutes to adjust to reading the surtitles and adapting my brain to deal with the language differently than I do normally, but once I settled in, it was very interesting.  The play is more of a performed poem with dance and song, as a woman recalls her own life and the life of her grandmother.  One theme of the piece explores language as it comments on being a French speaker in Alberta, as well as how that language translates when visiting other French speaking provinces and countries.  That section was very meta for me, being an English speaker in the audience with all those layers of translation.  Other themes were motherhood, childbearing, religion, and culture.  It was non-linear and fragmented and beautifully augmented with projections and dance, as well as sound created by a live musician sitting amidst the audience.  Les Blues des Oubliées runs at La Cite until October 24th.