| Theatre is a moving target.
The larger houses present more surface area, or at least more targets, while the smaller ones offer those wonderful risks that make the whole exercise so interesting. Hitting, missing – most theatergoers want a surefire hit, even if the fun is often in the gamble.
This year, Calgary is fielding a herd of juicy prospects, from big budget musicals to the increasingly packed field of festivals. Honestly, I’d love to spray a load of buckshot into the lot and say they’ll all be hits, but without placing odds, here are what I hope will be the 2006-07 season’s headshots – and I don’t mean black, white and glossy.
BIG GAME
They’re large, established companies with their own permanent spaces and significant, steady (or building) subscriber bases. Each is running a complete season of about five shows, with a festival or fundraisers to even out the run.
But the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Kapow!
ALBERTA THEATRE PROJECTS
· 10 Days on Earth (Ronnie Burkett), September 19-October 8, 2006 – The Old Trout Puppet Workshop may have the current lock on Calgary puppetry, but one of Calgary’s most famous sons (by way of Medicine Hat) is still the reigning marionette virtuoso – a man capable of imbuing his creations with a life that might be eerie if it weren’t so damned compelling. Returning for his first show since 2004’s Provenance, Burkett’s story of a mentally challenged, middle-aged man left alone by the death of his mother is certain to be a showcase of the puppet master’s consummate storytelling.
THEATRE CALGARY
· The Overcoat (Morris Panych and Wendy Gorling), April 11-May 5 – Those who might balk at the prospect of a production based on a short story by one of Russia’s canonical realist writers, Nikolai Gogol, take heart. Without words, through pantomime and movement, Calgary’s theatrical behemoth will be tackling a show of impressive size and beauty. The undeniable leader in sheer production value, Theatre Calgary has found a vehicle, albeit an uncharacteristically surreal one, that has the momentum to keep Calgary audiences flowing in the doors.
THEATRE JUNCTION
· Insomnia (Daniel Brooks), October 6-7; 10-21 – Opening Theatre Junction’s "Open Season" (apropos, no?) Daniel Brooks’ Insomnia is one of two proven plays in a field of soon-to-be-created productions by the new resident company of artists and movement pieces. (The Betty-winning Puppet Death Scenes will be returning after making a smash at One Yellow Rabbit, but it doesn’t seem fair to target the same show twice). While the play may be more conventional than, say, Wei Wei Dance’s movement piece on foot binding, audiences will certainly be given a taste of the kind of contemporary menu Theatre Junction is resolved to provide in The Grand.
VERTIGO
· Go Back for Murder (Agatha Christie), March 10-April 1 – Vertigo caters to a very specific audience, an audience that has a taste for murder mysteries and is willing to buy, subscribe and keep the Vertigo Playhouse alive. In many ways, I am taking an easy shot with an Agatha Christie play, but for a company whose devotion to the tastes of its subscriber base has taken it into financial security, I’m going for the safe kill.
WILD GAME
Though "wild" game may not be a precise counterpoint to "big," it seems as appropriate as anything to call this group of companies, some wandering, some homed, and some facing imminent relocation. They’re companies that may not have the sheer scale of their larger counterparts, but make for delicious fare just the same.
LUNCHBOX THEATRE
· Hidden in this Picture (Aaron Sorkin), October 9-28 – What Lunchbox lacks in size, it makes up for in sheer volume, with an output like a rabbit warren (though the future of its digs is still in doubt). Though it is difficult to select a single target from a field of seven, the story of a movie director’s frustrations coming to a head in a cow pasture, written by the dialogue-driven creator of The West Wing, should be an easy way to while away 50 minutes.
GROUND ZERO THEATRE
· Urinetown: The Musical (Mark Hollmann), September 5-10; 12-17; 19-24, 2006 – Ground Zero’s co-production of Morwyn Brebner’s noir musical, Little Mercy’s First Murder, swept through this years Bettys. Now, with Hit and Myth Productions, Ground Zero will be producing the Fringe hit-cum-Broadway sensation, Urinetown, in the historic Grand Theatre. With an ensemble cast largely culled from Little Mercy, and Terry Gunvordahl designing its set, Urinetown is going to make a lot of noise and a prime target.
ONE YELLOW RABBIT
· In Fine Form (The Pajama Men), October 24 to November 11 – Theatre doesn’t often provide second chances, and audiences should take them gratefully when they’re offered. Those that missed The Pajama Men in their recent High Performance Rodeo production, Stop Not Going, would do well to take in Shenoah Allen and Marc Chavez’s unique brand of surreal sketch comedy, weaving a dreamlike pseudo-narrative through characters, place and time.
SAGE THEATRE
· Music for Contortionist (Morwyn Brebner), March 22-31 – Brebner may not be a Calgary playwright, but given the swath cut through Calgary’s Betty Mitchell Awards by the playwright’s last two works, The Optimists and Little Mercy’s First Murder (which also garnered its own fair share of Toronto’s Doras), she has an enormous amount of local cachet. A two-hander, Music for Contortionist is a departure from the cast sizes of Optimists or Little Mercy, but given Brebner’s engrossing, lyrical style, the prospect of seeing an earlier work from the acclaimed playwright is simply too tantalizing.
WHELPS
Thankfully, theatre doesn’t require you to release the small ones – they make fine targets, too.
DOWNSTAGE
· Man Out of Joint (Sharon Pollock), May 9-19 – Governor-General’s-award-winning playwright Sharon Pollock’s new script, developed with Downstage’s artistic director, Simon Mallett, is a weighty boon for the small company. A pioneer in Canadian theatre, and Calgary’s scene in particular, Pollock’s work has been produced by ATP, Theatre Calgary and, more recently, Theatre Junction. Now, her story of interrogation and the creeping threat of fear will be produced by a fledgling company.
MOB HIT
· Old School Festival, June 2-9 – The little postmodern company that could, Mob Hit’s multimedia synthesis and filmic esthetic are ideally channelled in their Old School Festival, a combination of live music, silent films and reinterpreted classic plays. This year’s festival will place Titus Andronicus at its centre stage – an intriguing prospect given Julie Taymor’s extant, postmodern and underrated 1999 film adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s bloodiest plays.
MOVING TARGETS
Theatre is a moving target, and yet hits aren’t really that hard to come by. The surest way to miss remains taking aim at only a few, while there is an entire field full of ready and waiting targets.
Fall marks the beginning of the 2006-07 theatrical season, and the preceding list barely scratches the surface. Happy hunting.
For more listings and venue information, see the Fast Forward Arts Guide insert in today’s issue. |
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