Drama Beat

Lethbridge raised comedian Doug Mutai makes people laugh from Africa to Calgary

Tuesday, 26 March 2013 13:51 Richard Amery

Performing runs in the family for comedian Doug Mutai, who performs at Scores with Mike “Pickle Dambra,” March 28.

“ Holidays are interesting in my family. Everybody is just being a clown, making jokes or doing impressions of some person,” said the Kenyan born, Calgary based comedian, who spent his first years in Canada in Lethbridge taking business administration at Lethbridge College.

I moved to Lethbridge because I had family there. I went to the college and joined the track team,” Mutai said.

Most of his family are involved in the performing arts in some way. He is the oldest child in the family, while his younger siblings are playwrights and performers.

So comedy came naturally.

“ I just started performing at open mics and never looked back. I saw comedians like Derek Edwards and the MacDonalds, Norm and Mike on television and thought it looked like fun,” Mutai said.

Estuary explores students and the dream world in new Ron Chambers play at U of L

Tuesday, 19 March 2013 15:51 Richard Amery

University of Lethbridge professor/ playwright/ director Ron Chambers explores not only student life, but the brief period of consciousness in between sleeps in his new play Estuary, which runs March 19-23 in the University Theatre. Erica Barr is excited about being part of Estuary. photo by Richard Amery
“I usually write for professional theatre companies. And they usually have very small casts. They can’t afford to to pay a bigger cast,” he said adding he wanted to do something on a larger scale.
Estuary features a cast of 18 students who live in a frat house.

“One of the students sees a girl, but he thinks it might just be a dream,” he continued.

“I essentially wrote it for the students so the roles are age appropriate. They can play a character closer to their own age rather than being a character who is much older,” he said.
“ So all of the characters are in their early 20s,” he continued.

He said he was inspired to write the play after reading a study about sleep, which found people have who different stages of sleep each night, which is separated by brief period of semi consciousness somewhere between sleep and wakefulness.
“It’s fascinating,” he said.

“I write a lot of plays for professional theatre companies, but this was an opportunity to so something specifically for students,” he continued.

The surreal, absurdist comedy, Estuary requires a massive set— two stories high connected by a staircase with about nine different doors plus a trapdoor.
Set designer Roger Schultz was happy to being Chambers’ vision to life.

Charisma brings back Ghoulies to the big screen to help Prairie Pitbull Rescue

Monday, 18 March 2013 13:22 Richard Amery

Charisma is hosting a special screening of ’80s classic Ghoulies tonight, March 18. Charisma owner Matt Odland.

It is the second in their series of B and C movies for charity.
They have begun showing B and C movies on Monday night to raise money for local charities, which may fall beneath the radar.
The Ghoulies is a 19985 science fiction/ horror film starring Peter Liapis, Lisa Pelikan, Michael Des Barres and Mariska Hargitay who was also in Leaving Las Vegas, but is best known for her role on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. It is about a young couple who move into an old mansion. The man becomes possessed by a need to control ancient demons in the house.
This week all proceeds of the $10 admission go to Prairie Pitbull Rescue.
Doors open at 7:30 p.m., with the movie beginning at 8 p.m.
Cover includes popcorn and water.

— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor

Good fun with bad movies at Charisma

Wednesday, 06 March 2013 16:22 Richard Amery

What’s more fun than watching a “bad movie”? Watching a bad movie with friends and donating all the money to charity That’s what Charisma’s new owner Matt Odland is going to be doing every two weeks on a Monday.
He had his first show of Night of the living Dead,” Feb. 18, and will be showing it again, Feb. 25. The next movie day will be March 11 and March 25. Matt Odland with Night of the Living Dead shirts. Photo by Richard Amery

“I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I finally got everything hooked up. I just wanted to see how it would work,” he said adding a former employee put the idea in his head which convinced him to expand the type of merchandise he Charisma sells from rock and roll, punk and metal T-shirts and merch into B, C and D movies, which will also be added to the store.

Odland will be showing B, C, and D horror, adventures and action movies like “Basket Case 3,” “Brain Damage,” Dolph Lundgren’s “ Red scorpion” and “Christmas Evil.”
He didn’t do much advertising for the first event, but got 14 people out for the premiere.

“We’ll be showing a lot of really bad B, C and D grade movies. The type of movies that you probably couldn’t sit through on your own, because you should be doing something else like washing the dishes. But movies that are a lot of fun to watch in a group,” he continued.

Playgoers of Lethbridge auditioning for a man and a woman for the Fourposter

Wednesday, 27 February 2013 14:03 Richard Amery

Playgoers of Lethbridge turns 90s this year, so coincidentally decided to put on a period piece— the result is Jan DeHartog’s lighthearted comedy “The Fourposter.” Playgoers of Lethbridge are holding auditons for the Fourposter. photo by Richard Amery
Auditions for the play, which is June 5-8 at the Sterndale Bennett Theatre, take place Feb. 28 at the Bowman Arts Centre.
“This play ends about the same time Playgoers started,” observed director Linda Johnson.

The play follows the lives of a young couple over the course of 35 years, from 1890-1925.

“The play begins on the day of their wedding as Michael carries Agnes over the threshold into their bedroom where the play is set,” she continued.
The play requires two people — a man and a woman— the ages determined by who shows up to auditions and works the best together.

“ The second scene is a year later when Michael has to go to the doctor because Agnes is pregnant. The third scene is 10 years later when Michael prevents himself by having his head turned by another woman. The fourth scene is when the couple realizes their son is growing up. The fifth scene takes place on the day of their daughter’s wedding. and the last scene is 35 years when the apartment is being dismantled because the couple is moving out,” Johnson outlined.

“It’s a light comedy. It’s not slapstick. But each scene has funny parts ,” she described.

“ We were looking for a period piece and I came across this play and I really liked it. It’s a very sweet play. Playgoers doesn’t usually do plays in the summer, so we hope people will come out and see the play,” she said.

She’d like to cast the play in the next week, right after the Feb. 28 auditions and begin rehearsals immediately
Auditions are 7-9 p.m. at the Bowman Arts Centre.

— by Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor

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