It’s coming soon
(Do you have your tickets yet?)
We thought you might enjoy a sneak peek at the plays on offer next week.
The online event will begin with Social Distance, the first play written by Governor General award-winning young adult fiction writer (and Gabriola resident) Wendy Phillips and directed by Jean Wyenberg.
In the play, we meet Maggie (played by Wendy), who has recently left an unhappy life behind in the city in exchange for a cabin on a remote island. Despite the pandemic, she’s not getting the personal space she needs. Her son Brian (Dean Clark) wants her childcare skills and her moral support. Her old friend Brenda (Joyce Ashley) wants her to start an online art career. And her new neighbour Jack (Don Moser) has plans that are definitely up close and personal. Does Maggie have what it takes to live her own life? And how much social distance is enough?
In A Divine Comedy, written and directed by Anne M. Holmes, actors are gathered on Zoom for the first read through of a new piece about the Bard’s long lost religious play. No one wants to see Shakespeare (T J Radcliffe) produce this play, not the manager of the Globe theatre (Joe DiCara), not the Dean (Kerry Woodrow) or Bishop (Dave Innell) of London, not the Earl of Essex (Paul O’Sullivan) and definitely not Queen Elizabeth (Catherine Andersen) – not even his wife Anne (Donna Deacon).
And finally, brace yourselves for the bracing comedy of our very own game show – Gabriola Squares. This was a labour of love – and a huge challenge – for creators Scott Rivers and Ray Appell. With pandemic protocols in place, each participant had to be filmed individually before the editing feat of turning each piece into a cohesive whole.
Familiar faces (some in character, others as themselves) compete to see who knows the most about Gabriola. Can you beat them? Only one way to find out.
Tickets for the Spring Forward (Virtual) One-Act Play Festival are $15 and can be purchased here. Performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, May 20 to 22 at 7pm and Sunday, May 23 at 2pm.