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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Theatre
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At the Capitol in Nelson, a surreal play about how the Pandemic fractured everybody into their own conspiracy-laden world, complete with transformations into the most elaborate papier-mache masks...
Which was of interest to me because I have an abundance of overdue papier-mache projects that are overdue.
I brought a neighbour, the other one, who proved the perfect date/wingman. She paid attention, found it all hilarious, clapped, in short she wasn't someone who gets out a lot and showed great appreciation at my taking her. In contrast with the first neighbour, who at the sketch-comedy revue complained about how unfunny it was. I concurred, but that wasn't my fault and she didn't pay for the ticket, no returns for her!
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Theatre
- Hits: 106
So, slight hopes for this - some sketches delivered, some completely over my head.
But the audience at these events, always good, supportive, a full house, and that's a good thing. The Co-op radio bit, the magic bit, a couple of others were amusing, a few others, less so, but overall I'm not a good judge of these things - "Sketch Comedy" - even the bits I've seen on CBC which are presumably professional and of a higher bar than most, oft fails to amuse me. A matter of taste.
I did notice, however, a fair overlap in the players and the new YouTube serial "Southern Interior" - same writers and cast.
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Theatre
- Hits: 417
This, last night at the Capitol, interpretive dance/theatre. Very good, quite enjoyed, and I really need to get out more...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Theatre
- Hits: 517
Off to see a play. By which I mean "A Play, A Play, What Could Be More Boring Than a PLAY!!", read in the voice of Homer Simpson.
Now, community theatre, the best of intentions, the What, this play, a suspense/horror? In the vein of Agatha Christie supposedly. And the Who - well, local community thespians, all of whom turn in a fine job; this town is filled with talent, the Where - at the theatre, of course, the When, showtimes as advertised, but what eludes me is the "Why". I mean, suspenseful it is not, not at all, and looking up the play, it's not locally written, it's not particularly good, it seems to be a staple of the "dinner theatre" crowd, which is an artform that constantly eludes me. Mindless entertainment, of the ilk you might find on any TV set, done live in front of you, suspenseful not in the least, and I'm perplexed as to why it was written (to fill seats in empty theatres, presumably, but - no other reason??), and why it was chosen (and a good time was had by all...or maybe it demanded no royalties?), and were I a little less considerate I would have taken the lead of the people next to me and vanished during the intermission. There's the real mystery, where did they go? And why were they here? Why am I here? Maybe that's the point of it, to bring me to an existential crisis...
Anyways, short of burning the script and starting completely over - and shooting the playwright - I was at a loss as to how to improve it when it occurred to me that it could be greatly improved with a little - a lot - of "Audience Participation". By which I mean perhaps the audience could be involved, prompted, to give loud gasps of shock-horror-surprise - at all the right moments, prime them, and then, really, maybe then a good time could have been had by all.
Otherwise I was just watching the thespians having a great time while I myself felt that any reaction would have been so over the top - act surprised, gasp? Clearly your faking this Mr. Boyle, you should have seen that coming a mile away - you did, in fact, didn't you?
Anyways, all about supporting the local community theatre, but maybe we have to get them some better scripts...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Theatre
- Hits: 662
Shakespeare, as done by community theatre, "A Midsummers Night Dream" yet again, popular out here for reasons I need hardly go into. Stolen bedsheets, tablecloths, curtains, gaudy embroidery stolen from Grandma's cupboard and repurposed into the local costume designers idea of Shakespearean dress, Eurithmy swathed 'dancers' interpreting the dialogue, easily as out there as the Valley version I saw a few years ago, and while Shakespeare would be rolling in his grave rest assured everyone else was laughing...