Drama Beat

Open audition for full length movie “Common Chord”

Thursday, 06 October 2011 14:45 Richard Amery

If you have a musical bone in your body, a new movie being shot in Lethbridge next May and June could strike a “chord” with you.
“Common Chord” is putting a call out for actors.

The full-length movie, written by Trevor Carroll and produced by George Gallant and directed by Deric Olsen, is about Kyle, a former foster child and talented guitarist, who must become the father he’s never been to his daughter Teigan when her mother dies.

Teigan’s grandfather, Bill, wants Kyle to be completely removed from her life. The pain and resentment these two men feel for each other blinds them to the love they share for the little girl who connects them.

As they both struggle to win the approval of the young social worker assigned to Teigan’s case, their unwillingness to reconcile threatens to tear her away from both of them, forever. Their journey becomes an odyssey of redemption, forgiveness and commitment as they discover what is most important in their lives.

Five principal actors are needed including Kyle, a mid-20s man with guitar and vocal skills, Bill, a man in his mid or late 50s. Teigan, a 6-8-year old girl with strong language skills, Claire, a woman in her late 20s or early 30s and Scott, a man in his mid 40s with guitar skills.

John Dunsworth enjoying Randy and Mr. Lahey tour

Tuesday, 04 October 2011 11:52 Richard Amery

If you watch the Trailer Park Boys, you might know actor John Dunsworth as playing drunken buffoon Jim Lahey, but you might be surprised John Randy and Mr. Lahey return to Lethbridge, Oct. 6. Photo submitted Dunsworth the actor, actually doesn’t drink - at least not much.

““It’s way more fun to pretend to be drunk than to be drunk, because you’re in control,” said the 65-year-old Dunsworth, getting ready to catch a ferry in Vancouver Island, where he is in the middle of a tour with Pat Roach, who played Randy on the show. They will be coming to Average Joes, Oct. 6.

“Alcohol really doesn’t do much for me. I find it a waste of time and money,” he continued.
“I do most of the driving so my license is very important to me. But if someone brings a shooter up to the stage, I’ll down it,” he continued.

He is looking forward to performing again in Lethbridge. They have been doing tours together for the past six years.

“We’ve been there several times. They’re fun. There’s lots of audience interaction. We’ll bring people up on stage and we’ll make fun of them and they’ll make fun of us,” he said, adding they don’t re-enact scenes from the show.

“That would be very difficult to do,” he said.

Theatre Xtra begins season by exploring Romeo and Juliet

Thursday, 29 September 2011 15:23 Richard Amery

University of Lethbridge MFA Drama student Sean Guist is pleased to present R and J for the first Theatre XTra production of the season. Guist adapted Shakespeare’s famous play “Romeo and Juliet” into and hour long production featuring three different Romeo and Juliette stories taking place in three different centuries — the seventeenth, nineteenth and twenty-first centuries — couples who want to be together in spite of social conventions and mores of the day. R&J: An original performance runs until Oct. 2. Photo submitted

It runs in the David Spinks Theatre at 8 p.m. from Sept. 29 to Oct.1, plus a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday afternoon.

“There are three different couples in three different centuries,” he said.

“I’ve stripped the story down to the essence, and eliminated most of the characters. There’s no Lady Capulet or Mercutio” he continued.

The female-dominated cast features Camille Pavlenko, Makambe Simamba, Lauren Guindon, Ben Toner, Danielle Gurr and Lauren Steyn.

“ I adapted it according to who showed up to auditions and what their strengths were. There are three Romeos, and three Juliets including a same sex couple, a woman who plays a young man of about 14 (the character’s age in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet according to Shakespearian tradition and one couple, whose story is mostly told through movement and dance.

“There isn’t much dialogue in that story,” he said.

“In A World Created By a Drunken God” explores collaboration and family ties

Tuesday, 27 September 2011 13:49 Richard Amery

Drew Hayden Taylor’s ‘In A World Created By A Drunken God,” is a pretty special production for New West Theatre for several reasons.

In addition to being the first collaborative effort between New West Theatre and Calgary’s Downstage Theatre company.

Jesse Wheeler and Phil Fulton rehearse. Photo by Richard Amery
The show will be running for two weeks at the Sterndale Bennett Theatre, Sept. 29-Oct. 8, then move to Calgary for the last two weeks of the run.

It is also a return to New West stage for director Simon Mallet, and a chance for actors Jesse Wheeler and Phil Fulton to work with Mallett again, who previously directed The Attic, the Pearls and Three Fine Girls for New West back in March 2010

The subject matter resonates with actor Jesse Wheeler, who plays a young half-native man who breaks up with his girlfriend and is planning to move out of his apartment in Toronto to move back to the northern Ontario reserve he grew up on to live with his mother.

“He’s confronted by his half brother he never knew he had and is told that the father he never met is dying and needs a kidney transplant,” Wheeler outlined.

“He’s being forced to deal with all of these emotional issues he’s been suppressing. He’s full of pride for his culture, which he only cursorily familiar with. He’s got the T-shirts and posters on his walls, but wants to move back home because he’s spent his whole adult life in large urban centres like Toronto and Sudbury. He’s denied his white heritage” he continued.
He is enjoying playing the conflict his character is facing especially when approached by his estranged brother.

LCI students putting Word On The Street on film

Thursday, 22 September 2011 10:01 Richard Amery

Word On The Street is just about ready to go, Sept. 25 with 16 live music acts, three live dance performances, 45 authors and 10 food vendors, who will all gather downtown to celebrate the joy of the written word. It’s a huge event for Lethbridge, as Cameraman Rhys Winders and Natasha Matejko prepare to film a scene for the LCI film production program’s documentary about Word On the Street. Photo by Richard Amery we join bigger centres like Vancouver and Toronto who have been holding Word On The Street festivals for the past 20 years.

“We’re joining much larger centres like Halifax and Vancouver. Ours is the first festival to be granted a license in two years,” said Christina Wilson, Associated Director of Public Service for the Lethbridge Public Library.

“It started 20 years ago in Toronto as a national book and magazine fair, but it’s changed over the years. So for us it’s big,” she continued, adding they plan on making Word on The Street an annual event. The street will be blocked off 5th Ave South to 8th Street South with events happening all over and around the block including the Library parking lot.
“Just follow the big red dog, Clifford,” said Colette Acheson, one of the organizers.

So because it is not only the first but also a big event for the city, a group of LCI students are filming not only the festival itself, but all of the excitement happening behind the scenes.

“September is the perfect month to do this, because it is the beginning of the publishing season, so big name authors are easier to attract and it is also the beginning of the awards season for writers,” said Acheson, pointing out September is also a busy month for Lethbridge Public Library which has programs like Raise a Reader on Sept. 28. She is working in close association with the Lethbridge Library to make the event a success.

Acheson heard about LCI’s film production program through their productions “ A Work in Progress” and “Inspired”, about one of the school’s dance presentations last year, and called them up to see if they were interested in doing something about Word on the Street.
“We wanted to do something different. Something a little more professional than just a videography,” said teacher Dave Brown.
Students, who come from all grades, meet after school, before school and weekends to complete their projects, including this one.

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