Thespians from across B.C. will converge in 性视界传媒 for a provincial play showcase in mid-July.

Theatre BC鈥檚 Mainstage 2023 competition will welcome five theatre companies from different regions to 性视界传媒 Arts Centre for nightly stagings starting Tuesday, July 11, ending Saturday, July 15.

Among them is 性视界传媒-based Pivot Theatre, to rep the Fraser Valley Zone with its production of 鈥淧erfect Arrangement,鈥� a play about gay couples posing straight at a dinner party.

Also featured are plays by Stage North Theatre Society (鈥淭he Exquisite Hour,鈥� Peace River Zone), Powerhouse Theatrical Society (鈥淏utterflies Are Free,鈥� Okanagan Zone), Nanaimo Theatre Group (鈥淭he Half-Life of Marie Curie,鈥� North Island Zone) and North Vancouver Community Players (鈥淎nnapurna,鈥� North Shore Zone).

鈥淲orlds of Theatre鈥� is the theme of the Mainstage event, which moves to different B.C. 鈥渮ones鈥� annually.

The event at the theatre at Bear Creek Park will be adjudicated by Kathryn Shaw, the recently-retired artistic director of Studio 58 training program at Langara College, where Shaw held the position from 1985 until 2020.

, including a link to tickets for the five shows. Info is also posted on , or call 604-501-5566. Single-show and multi-day passes are available.

鈥� RELATED: 鈥楶erfect Arrangement鈥� play about gay couples posing straight wins awards for 性视界传媒鈥檚 Pivot Theatre.

鈥� ALSO READ: 鈥楾he Addams Family鈥� hits 性视界传媒 stage following dry runs at a funeral home.

性视界传媒鈥檚 Pivot company first staged its comedy-drama in April, and on May 27 it was named Outstanding Production at Theatre BC鈥檚 Fraser Valley Zone awards night in Chilliwack, leading to its inclusion at Theatre BC鈥檚 Mainstage festival.

Pivot鈥檚 production of 鈥淧erfect Arrangement鈥� is the Canadian debut of Topher Payne鈥檚 play, set during when there was a moral panic about homosexual people in the U.S. government, leading to mass dismissal.

At 性视界传媒 Arts Centre鈥檚 Main Stage, the play will be performed on Wednesday, July 12, starting at 7:30 p.m.

The Mainstage event will kick off with Stage North鈥檚 鈥淭he Exquisite Hour鈥� on Tuesday, July 11. Stewart Lemoine鈥檚 one-hour script is set on a summer evening. 鈥淎 seemingly well-adjusted bachelor finds his life forever altered when an alluring stranger materializes in his backyard to ask the question, 鈥楢re you satisfied with what you know?鈥� It鈥檚 a romantic conversation piece, set in the age of the encyclopedia.鈥�

Based in Vernon, hits the stage Thursday, July 13, with Leonard Gershe鈥檚 鈥淏utterflies Are Free,鈥� a full-length comedy about a young man leaving his over-protective mother to live in Greenwich Village. 鈥淲hen he starts to fall for his off-the-wall neighbour, his mother鈥檚 controlling instincts go into overdrive with hilariously touching results,鈥� reads a synopsis on Theatre BC鈥檚 website. 鈥淎 funny, touching and thought-provoking play that takes the audience on an emotional ride while confronting fears of self confidence, personal responsibility and the risks that go along with loving someone.鈥�

The evening of Friday, July 14, is reserved for Nanaimo Theatre Group鈥檚 鈥淭he Half-Life of Marie Curie,鈥� a 90-minute production. 鈥淏randed a home-wrecking harlot by the press, Marie flees to her best friend鈥檚 seaside cottage where the two commiserate about men, science, and life. Funny, illuminating, and inspiring.鈥�

The play that caps Mainstage is North Vancouver Community Players鈥� 鈥淎nnapurna,鈥� written by Sharr White. 鈥淎nnapurna is one of the world鈥檚 highest and most treacherous mountains to climb,鈥� reads a synopsis. 鈥淭he trails zig-zag perilously close to ice cliffs, deadly crevasses appear out of nowhere. So it鈥檚 fitting that Annapurna is also a metaphor for the marriage between reckless, reclusive cowboy-poet Ulysses and his orderly New England wife, Emma. Messy misunderstandings and long-held resentments blockade the summit they both seek: reconciliation. An unexpected reunion after a twenty-year separation provides the opportunity to scale the peak one slippery step at a time. A sharp, funny and gripping meditation on the longevity of love.鈥�

Theatre BC, also known as British Columbia Drama Association, has served as the parent association for community theatre in the province since 1932.

鈥� READ ALSO: 鈥楾he Right Kind of House鈥� for 性视界传媒鈥檚 DebuTheatre, for artists under 30.

tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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