>>PREVIEW
PUSH-UP 1-3
Rogues Theatre
Runs until May 27
Joyce Doolittle Theatre (Pumphouse Theatres)
While Calgary can be considered one of the high temples of North American corporate culture, it seems the Germans know a little something about surviving the cutthroat world of business, too.
Playwright Roland Schimmelpfennig is the current wunderkind of the German theatre, and his plays have experienced near-worshipful receptions all across Europe. After opening to raves in Germany and London, Push-Up 1-3 has been produced in New York, but this will be its premiere production in Canada. The 37-year-old Schimmelpfennig (which, just for colour, I will tell you translates roughly as "mouldy penny") has added to his illustrious body of work an astute, witty and personal view of life in the big, impersonal downtown towers.
"Although Push-Up 1-3 was originally written in German, the play could have been conceived for and set in Calgary," says Rogues Theatre director Joe Norman Shaw. "It’s a play set in an office environment that deals with ambition, dreaming, yearning, fear, sexual politics and insecurity. I read it and I knew it would resonate with Calgary audiences."
Shaw is excited about this production for more than one reason. It also represents a celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the Company of Rogues Actors’ Studio, which launched Rogues Theatre in April 2000 to provide a dramatic platform for its students, teachers and alumni. As one of the founding members of the company, Shaw also acts as the artistic director and primary director of the plays staged by Rogues Theatre.
Past Rogues Theatre productions have included such plays as Danny and the Deep Blue Sea and The Melville Brothers. And, with Schimmelpfennig’s deft hand at exploring the curious, absurd and painful avenues of the human heart, Shaw is confident that Push-Up 1-3 will fit nicely into the overall quality of work produced over the last six years by Rogues Theatre.
"The play is about professional life and its personal impact on people’s lives," says Shaw. "And it’s very much in the style of cinematic realism, which means that for somebody who likes going to movies, they’re going to be able to get into this play very easily. The language and flow are very accessible.
"It’s a play that most of us can relate to," he adds. "The stress of being in a professional setting, having to prove yourself, and all the personal insecurities that can bring up for all of us – this play is about how we all struggle to succeed. It’s the opposite of a black-and-white portrayal of corporate culture. It’s sly and witty and astute."
Company of Rogues is modelled on such renowned New York acting studios as The Actors Studio (the one whose theatre stage is shown on the weekly Inside The Actors’ Studio). All the instructors are professional and working actors and/or directors. Originally established in Vancouver, the company opened their Calgary doors in 1996 with the mission of offering first-class training and cultivating a passion for the art of acting. Rogues' Calgary studio has also garnered the respect of industry professionals. In a few short years, it has grown from 12 students to more than 100 on an ongoing basis, and many of its former students have become professional actors or been accepted into prestigious national and international schools.
"I very much dislike describing our plays as ‘student’ productions," Shaw says. "These are all talented actors, and those that end up in our theatre productions are the best of the best. I believe that the quality of our work is totally on par with any of the small, independent theatre companies in town today. These professional actors have simply not had the chance to become well-known in the theatre community yet. These plays give them the chance to show what they’re capable of." |
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