By David F. Rooney
The Revelstoke Theatre Company is still homeless, but isn’t letting that state of uncertainty stand in the way or putting on a first-class production.
In fact, they have two plays planned for December — Pizza with Shrimp on Top by Aaron Levy and Aspartame and Blue Lace by Kaitlyn Purych.
First produced in 1992, Pizza with Shrimp on Top is a 50-minute, one-act play about Stuart, a 17-year-old high school senior who, according to Dramatic Publishing, the company that publishes the play, “has recently attempted to off himself by taking too many vitamins and chugging down a bottle of cough medicine.” That sounds grim, but the play has a reputation for being a humorous and honest take on the difficulties of being a teen.
“Pizza has been seen by several thousand teenagers, parents, and other community members who have been deeply affected by this powerful piece of theater,” says the description provided by the company on its website, www.dramaticpublishing.com/p1185/Pizza-With-Shrimp-on-Top/product_info.html.
The second play, Aspartame and Blue Lace, is a very new play by a new playwright, Kaitlyn Purych. Revelstoke Theatre Company Chairwoman Lyn Kaulback said she saw it at a showcase for new playwrights earlier this year and was deeply impressed by it.
These two new productions will mark the debut of two new directors: Darren McKay and Jennifer Crockford, she said.
Both are graduates of the Theatre Company’s recent directing workshops and they will work with two young members of the company’s troupe of actors, JP Lord and Justin Smith.
The big question, though, is where will the plays be performed?
Kaulback said they can’t perform them in the Traverse Lounge at the Regent Inn during the winter because it is a seasonal venue for adult entertainment. So the company is looking for a suitable stage for these performances.
