There is no flux capacitor, no cyborgs sent back on a mission to kill and no “damn dirty apes”, but a strange and quirky adventure with time travel is what the Wetaskiwin Theatre Society is hoping people will make … ah … time for with their second offering of the season.
Communicating Doors is a British comedy written by Alan Aykbourne and directed in Wetaskiwin by Eldon Roth. Casting finished before the New Year and rehearsals continue in preparation for two sets of performances Feb. 12 to 14 and 19 to 21 at the Memorial Arts Centre.
The story follows a prostitute named Phoebe, who is hired, but not for her usual services. She is hired to witness a confession of a 72 year-old-man named Julian. She learns that Julian and his businesses partner have done some unspeakable things throughout the years.
Through the course of the play, Julian’s partner gets wind that Pheobe knows the pair’s dark past. It’s enough to drive him to murder, or is it?
Phoebe escapes his clutches by entering a room, which turns out to be a portal through time.
It’s a bit of a change from Steel Magnolias, the play the theatre society put on to lead off the 2008/2009-theatre season.
“We usually do it in a more pronounced fashion,” said Paris Engram, Wetaskiwin Theatre Society president on the change in tone from play to play.
“Steel Magnolias is actually very funny. It does have some heavy parts, but in general it is quite funny,” she said.
“This one is mostly all funny. Even though I’ve mentioned things like prostitution, who’s a dominatrix and there’s murder. It sounds very tasteless, but it’s not.”
The cast and crew have been trying to keep continuity at the heart of the time travel theme.
“Well with set decorations, we are really luck because it is a hotel room and there are comments throughout the play that indicate the hotel goes from a five-star down to a one-star,” said Engram.
“It isn’t kept up, so we sort of get around it that way,” Engram explained they have to make sure that everything that is brought on to the stage is taken off the stage in between scenes to preserve continuity. “Whenever we signify time travel, we have this closet in the corner that spins and we are going to have some light and some sound effects,” she said.
“We have to make sure the room looks pristine every time we start a new scene with it. You can’t have the newspaper or the champagne glass from the last scene in there.”
The cast consists of six actors and Engram, who has spent the past few years directing plays and now heads up the Wetaskiwin Theatre Society, is making a return to the stage, playing Jessica, the second wife of the man.
“I have to remember that I am not directing,” laughed Engram.
“I stand on the side and open and close my mouth like a fish. I love being on stage and that is actually my first love. Even though I have not been on stage in Wetaskiwin for some time, I have been at the Citadel, in Edmonton taking some acting lessons and refining my craft.”
Engram said she has learned a lot from the actors she has directed and has combined that with the recent training.
“It’s almost a different experience, it’s fun,” she said.
“Things are coming along really great,” said Engram of the rehearsals.
“The only problem is you go home really sore, because you are laughing so hard. Because we all know each other so well, we just have a great time.”
- vburke@wetaskiwintimes.com
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