>>FEATURE
SOAPY TRAILS
Dirty Laundry
Runs Sundays until December 18
Brew Brothers Taproom
Could there be a better place to set a soap opera than turn-of-the-century Alberta? Sure, in this centennial year we may feel a little nostalgic for a simpler era before cellphones and the Internet, but as Dirty Laundry reveals, it was a dirty business living in a 1905 Prairie dustbowl.
Leaving behind last year’s dizzying science-fiction world of superhero antics, Dirty Laundry has taken to the Soapy Trails for its seventh season of improvised soap opera. The veteran troupe’s latest soap spoof is set in the fictional town of Chastity Gap, Alberta, a mere 100 years ago. And the performers are trying to be as faithful to the time period as possible.
"We’re challenging ourselves, watching what was or what wasn’t invented in 1905," says Dirty Laundry co-founder Karen Johnson-Diamond. In past shows with historical settings, if an actor accidentally used an anachronism, like "cheeseburger" or "car," the troupe would make them invent the item onstage. So what kind of historical research have they done? "Personally," says Johnson-Diamond, "I spent a lot of time watching Little House on the Prairie."
Dirty Laundry’s season-to-season theme changes certainly make for interesting juxtapositions, as former superheroes now find themselves treading dirt roads and wooden sidewalks. Still, says Johnson-Diamond, sometimes a scene change is just the thing to freshen the act.
"What’s wonderful about this theme is that the soap issues tend to be so much smaller," she adds. "It was such a big deal when the schoolmarm came to town. Even barn raisings were exciting."
There’s also plenty of opportunity for audience involvement, which is part of the appeal of the Dirty Laundry shows at the Brew Brothers Taproom, where the action is known to spill off the stage and onto the floor.
"The town whore can be sitting in the audience," says Johnson-Diamond. "We had a town hall meeting that became something that included the audience." That’s the joy of the show’s casual atmosphere, she says. "People can come out and have a great night at the theatre without having to put on high heels and nylons."
Made up of theatre professionals, including actors, directors and playwrights, Dirty Laundry is more than a Sunday of informal fun for artists and audiences, it’s also an opportunity to hone the kind of skills that performers need when things go awry in the world of live theatre. As a recent example, Dirty Laundry cast member Tony Eyamie did a masterful job when he was called in at the 11th hour to replace Christopher Hunt in the Ground Zero Theatre-University of Calgary production of Oleanna, after Hunt underwent an unexpected appendectomy.
The cast for Soapy Trails includes, in addition to Johnson-Diamond and Eyamie, Misha Albert, Cam Ascroft, Kevin Cork, Chris Enright, Deanna Henderson, Jennifer Ford, Elinor Holt, Duval Lang, Kevin Rothery, Trevor Rueger, Rob Ullet, Shari Wattling and Nicole Zylstra, under the direction of Cory Mack.
Whether the setting is a city of superheroes or Chastity Gap, Dirty Laundry audiences keep returning. And they tend to get as caught up in the lives of the characters – and the actors – as the fans of TV’s daytime soaps. Johnson-Diamond says patrons recently erupted at the news that Dirty Laundry co-founder Holt had given birth to another child. "When people hear that she’s had her baby, they truly feel like they know us – like we’re performing in our kitchen every Sunday." |
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