Ghost River figured two artistic directors must be better than one. The company might be onto something. Eric Rose and David van Belle are continuing to craft interesting multi-disciplinary performances with a collaborative approach and philosophical bent.

The season opens with Pack of Lies (Oct. 15 to 24) a “video theatrical manual” for surviving the bust in Calgary. The one-woman play is based on the premise that the city has hired the protagonist to explain the bust and Calgary’s up-and-down cycles, to its citizens.

The play will incorporate video of actress and playwright Lindsay Burns in various locations in Calgary, bringing the actual city onto the set. “So much of Calgary as we know it is based in boom and bust,” says Rose. “It’s funny, you can kind of make your way through the city and in some ways kind of point your finger at a boom-or-bust cycle.”

“Architecturally it’s kind of interesting. David’s directing this and I think he wanted to bring that sense of the physical manifestation of what boom and bust means into our awareness.”

The Highest Step in the World (Feb. 16 to March 6), part of playRites, follows seven characters, including Joseph Kittinger, a man who jumped out of a weather balloon 33 km above the earth and plummeted downward with a parachute.

Projections are fundamental to the performance. “It’s certainly a very innovative piece. One of the fascinating aspects of this is the way in which the technical aspect of the show really helps to tell the story,” says Rose.

In one sequence, a jogger starts in a suburban neighbourhood before running to the moon, then to outer space.

The theatre, and van Belle, will be all white, allowing for the characters and scenes to be easily painted with images. “The kind of metaphor is that it’s a white space that can go anywhere and be anything,” says Rose.

The final performance of the season is a work-in-progress, tentatively entitled Reverie (May 28 and 29). Working with local musician and writer Kris Demeanor, the trio will examine revolution and the contrast between fighting for a democratic voice and apathy.

This is a workshop, meaning you can see a work-in-progress and perhaps even contribute your feedback towards the final incarnation of the play. It’s part of the dynamic, fluid creation process that this company is becoming known for.