>>PREVIEW
HIDDEN IN THIS PICTURE
Opens October 9
Lunchbox Theatre
Bow Valley Square
With the first play of the season under its belt, Lunchbox Theatre presents its second offering to audiences with a satirical Hollywood play called Hidden in this Picture.
"It’s a thoughtful and very funny piece of theatre," says director Kevin McKendrick, who recently finished directing Urinetown: The Musical. "A whole different kettle of fish," he says about working within Lunchbox Theatre’s one act play environment.
With only one act to tell a complete story to audiences, McKendrick says it is important that the actors and the director be on the same page. A shorter period of time to rehearse means less time is spent on the smaller details of the play. The majority of the crew’s energy is spent telling the story well and crafting clearly defined characters.
"Everybody has to be very clear about the theme of the play. It all boils down to being efficient," he says. "A good one-act play is written like a three-act play. It’s a real art."
Written by Aaron Sorkin of The West Wing fame and the new Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, the play tells the story of a young, hotshot director working on his first feature length movie, that has found itself three weeks behind schedule and six million dollars over budget. As he prepares to shoot his final scene, three unrehearsed cows wander into the frame.
"It’s a comedy but there are some serious moments," says McKendrick.
Written in 1990, McKendrick says he had not heard of the play until artistic director Rona Waddington approached him to direct. "I’ve certainly enjoyed his (Sorkin’s) writing. Especially the first couple seasons of The West Wing," he says.
Although this play is a satirical jab at the Hollywood system and the people who work and live within it, McKendrick says beyond that there is a more personal, heartwarming message.
"Ultimately it is a play about friendship and how it can survive anything," he says. |
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