If you want to get your scare on for Halloween, check out Theatre XTra’s new production of Carolé Frechette’s suspenseful drama “the Small Room at the Top of the Stairs” which runs at the David Spinks Theatre at the University of Lethbridge, Oct. 31-Nov. 2.
“ It’s a kind of spooky, eerie thriller and a suspenseful story,” said director Cassandra Watson who discovered the play in her fundamentals of directing class. While she didn’t understand it at first, she re-read it and though of ways to stage it.
“Basically the story follows Grace who is newly married and is forbidden to go into the hidden room in her new husband’s house, but she can’t really fight the urge to explore the room anyway,” described the third year BFA Dramatic Arts major.
“ When I went back to it, I found a lot of really cool things that could be done with this play,” she said.
“ It’s a very difficult piece of theatre. One of the characters is lost in a fantasy world. And the other characters are very interesting for different reasons.”
The five person cast includes Jillian Metcalfe as Grace, Ben Goodwin as her husband Henry, Alisha Van Wieren as Grace’s sister Anne, Meagan McIvor as Grace’s mom Joyce and Elizabeth Ferguson as the maid Jenny.
“ I find Grace is a very relatable character,” said Jillian Metcalfe of her character.
“ I find I get pretty much everything I want without really working hard like her,” she continued.
Ben Goodwin, who was last seen in Shakespeare in the Park’s summer production of “As You Like It,” as Charles, the wrestler, is enjoying playing the husband Henry in ’The Small Room at the Top of the Stairs.’
“ I think he really struggles for control in this relationship. He’s a big success in the hour world, in business, but not in love,” he described.
“This script is really open ended. It can be interpreted in a lot of different ways,” Goodwin added.
“ The first impression you have at the beginning of the play is definitely the opposite to the impression you have at the end, ” Metcalfe said.
“ When they proposed it to me, I fell in love with it. It’s style will really make people really think abut what they want,”said Theatre Xtra artistic director Raynah Bourne observing all of this season’s productions at the university have had a darker tone.
“The play has a surrealist edge,” she continued.
“ That’s what theatre really should do — make people think.”
“This has been a very dark year for the university, the main stage productions have been dark and both of Theatre XTra’s. I don’t know how it happened,” she said.
They didn’t begin the casting process until the beginning of October. They have been rehearsing for three weeks.
“ I hope people will think about where they sit in the world— about what is fantasy and what is reality,” added director Cassandra Watson.
“ We’ve worked really hard on this. I’m really excited to see the audience’s reaction and that might take them to a place where it might not have taken us,” Metcalfe added.
“It’s definitely a roller-coaster ride,” Goodwin described.
The Small Room at the Top of the Stairs plays Oct 31– Nov 2 at 8 p.m. nightly, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Nov 2 in the David Spinks Theatre. Tickets are available at the University Box Office, Monday – Friday 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm, or by calling (403) 329-2616. Individual tickets are $12 regular, $10 seniors/alumni and $8 students. Tickets are also available online: uleth.ca/tickets.
