I knew this was going to be an interesting night.
As soon as I approached the entrance of Studio A at Red Deer College Arts Centre on Thursday night, a basket of party snacks awaited me for $3.
And inside, servers offered ice cream and drinks to theatregoers seated at round tables in front of a starkly decorated stage. Clowns with red noses bantered back and forth with slightly amusing antics.
RDC Theatre Studies presented Class Acts, a performance of more than two hours long. This was no amateur act, but one that was obviously well-rehearsed and well-acted. And among these young actors, creative to say the least.
Several of them performed monologues with strong projection. There was no sense of nerves here on the second day of the show.
Jesse Dahl was delightful in Felix’s Antic Adventure, morphing himself into various creatures by changing the pitch of his voice and contorting his body.
The various stage combats must have taken some bruisings because the actors seemed to do them so well, particularly Danielle Rishaug and Chad Pitura who spent several minutes giving each other pretend chokeholds and hits on the ground.
Each short performance was fast-paced and kept the audience engrossed.
The one-act play, Never Swim Alone, slowed down the show’s pace since it ran about 40 minutes. Written by acclaimed Canadian playwright Daniel MacIvor, it charts a dozen competitive rounds between two men in suits, Bill (Niamh Taylor) and Frank (Kayla Whittingham). A girl (Caitlin Meachin) on the beach acts as the referee.
With exact precision, Taylor and Whittingham delivered their same lines together as if they were one. All of them must have rehearsed for hours because their acting was solid.
The final performance, Act 3, showed about 20 actors dancing and singing with high energy and as though they were performing in front of hundreds.
Except for the occasional swear word, Class Acts is entertaining for all ages.
It continues 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday, and Wednesday through Saturday with various acts. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster.
ltester@www.reddeeradvocate.com