Drama Beat

University of Lethbridge explores family dynamics in Sam Shepard’s A Lie of the Mind

Saturday, 05 October 2019 11:50 Richard Amery

The University of Lethbridge opens their season in University Theatre, Oct. 8 with Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Sam Shepard’s intense family drama “ A Lie of the Mind.”
“It’s about two families, one from California and the other from Montana, who come together through abuse that happens before the play starts. It takes place in the ’80s,” summarized director Doug MacArthur. The story surrounds the Jake, who abuses his wife Beth. Jake Rose and Daylin Chase rehearse a scene from Lie of the Mind. Photo By Richard Amery It features a cast of students plus community members Gail Hanrahan, Jory Kohn and Eric Low plus local musicians Megan Brown and Corduroy Brown (James Swinney), performing on two sets — one in California and the other in Montana.

The play runs Oct. 8-12 in University Theatre.
“It’s a big piece. It’s a three act play. There‘s a lot to dig into in this play,” said MacArthur.
“It is a big play, but it is shared equally among all eight actors. There are no minor characters. And these are all wonderful actors who are exposed to this dialogue,” continued MacArthur, who was moved when he saw a production of Shepard’s “ Curse of the Starving Class,” back in 1988.

Shepard won a Pulitzer prize for his 1979 play “the Buried Child.”
“ He’s a Pulitzer Prize award winning playwright for a reason,” MacArthur continued, adding while it is a drama, there are lighter moments as well.
“There are a lot of genuinely funny moments,” he continued.
The play was inspired by Sam Shepard’s early life.
“ There are a lot of Montana references like abut hunting and living outside the mainstream,” MacArthur said.
“Shepard paints a beautiful picture of the landscape in his dialogue,” he continued.

Theatre Outré present A Streetcar Named Desire this week

Saturday, 21 September 2019 11:52 Richard Amery

Theatre Outré brings something a little more mainstream to the Club Didi stage this week— Tennessee Williams’ 1947 drama “A Streetcar Named Desire.”
It runs Monday, Sept. 23 to Saturday, Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. each night.

“ But we’re already sold out for Monday Friday and Saturday and we have one ticket left for Tuesday,” said director Jay Whitehead.
There is also a matinee performance, at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Erica Hunt and Nick Bohle rehearse a scene from A Streetcar Named Desire. Photo by Richard Amery
“ If you just remember the play from English class, then you’re in for a big surprise,” Whitehead continued.
“ This season, Theatre Outré is celebrating the work of queer theatre playwrights. Tennessee Williams is one of the best. And I’ve always wanted to do A Streetcar Named Desire,” he said.

The play has a really stripped down stage, so the audience is right in the middle of the show. It features a stripped down cast and a lot of familiar faces from Theatre Outré, New West Theatre, Impromptu and Shakespeare in the park. New West veteran Erica Hunt plays Blanche , local musician and film maker Nick Bohle plays Stanley. The Groove Apostles’ Shelby Wilson returns to Lethbridge to play Stella, Shakespeare in the Park and Theatre Outré veteran plays Mitch, Erica Barr is Eunice and Shakespeare in the Park veteran Daniel J Perryman plays Steve and several other characters.
“All of the cast have performed or trained in Lethbridge,” Whitehead said.

Playgoers of Lethbridge holding auditions for February production of “Daisy.”

Wednesday, 11 September 2019 13:00 Richard Amery

Playgoers of Lethbridge is making an ambitious departure from the usual for their Spring production.
While cast and crew are busy getting their October 22-26 dinner theatre of the dark comedy of Exit Laughing, Playgoers of Lethbridge are also preparing for an ambitious Spring production of Sean Devine’s “Daisy,” and possibly longer, which will take place in the Sterndale Bennett Theatre, Feb. 19-22.

But auditions for Daisy are in the casa community room, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.
Director Rita Peterson is excited to put on the play, which explores media and advertising’s role in the 1964 Johnson/ Goldwater election, particularly the role the controversial “ Daisy” ad played in the election and on public perception.

“ I read the play and something just resonated for me. It’s so timely with the American election coming up,” enthused Peterson.
“This is the most excited I’ve been about a play in quite a while,” she said.

In addition to exploring the world of advertising in the 1960s, it explores issues of racism and women in the workplace. "Daisy" is an exciting new play that "launched the age of negative advertising and forever changed how we elect our leaders." Serious, but not without humour, this is a timely play that will resonate with any eligible voter.

The cast requires six men and one women ideally in their 40s or 50s, though adjustments can be made for a younger cast.
One important character, lawyer and White House liaison Clifford Lewis needs to be a person of colour.
“So we’ve reached out to Josh Williams who was in ‘Where‘s Oscar,” Peterson said.

Kyle Gruninger to play villain in Queen musical “We Will Rock You”

Tuesday, 27 August 2019 09:42 Richard Amery

Queen is in again, though they have never gone away. You can’t turn a radio on with without hearing Bohemian Rhapsody. And with the success of the movie of the same name, Queen is back in force.

Kyle Gruninger plays the villain in the Queen musical We Will Rock You. Photo by Richard Amery
So Lethbridge actor Kyle Gruninger is excited to be cast as the villain Khashoggi in “We Will Rock You,” a new touring musical inspired by Queen’s music.
Gruninger often sings Queen songs as part of the many New West Theatre music comedy revues he has been part of and will sometimes add a Queen song into his band Incura’s set.

“I’m excited about it. It’s about a post apocalyptic world 300 years in the future where music has been banned by the Global Soft Corporation. But a group of bohemians, Galileo and Scaramouche fight for the right to play music.” Gruninger summarized, adding he learned about the audition through friends at New West Theatre who encouraged him to audition. So while he was working on a cruise ship, he sent a video audition, made the cut and rushed back to audition in person in Calgary, where he completed acting, singing and dance auditions.

“ I always warm up with ‘I Want to Break Free,” But I auditioned with Radiohead’s “‘Creep.” I was the only person to play guitar at the audition,” he said. Gruninger noted he will be on the road all over Canada and the U.S beginning Sept. 3-8 in Winnipeg and until March 2020 with the new musical. It comes to the Enmax Centre on Jan. 18.
The Surviving members of Queen had a lot of say in who was cast, though he didn’t get to meet any of them.

More Articles...