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Diverse mix of funny, thoughtful plays staged next month at Red Deer’s Solo Show Festival

Prime Stock Theatre festival runs April 13-23 at Scott Block Theatre
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Ash Mercia will reprise her role as harried reservation-taker Sam — and 30 other characters — when ‘Fully Committed’ is staged at Red Deer’s Solo Shows Festival next month. (Contributed photo).

Three comic and poignant plays that explore trying relationships — with God, parents, workmates and customers — will hit the stage in Red Deer next month.

Prime Stock Theatre will be presenting a Solo Show Festival over two weeks in April. What Fully Committed, Searching For Marceau and The Commandment have in common is they will be performed by one actor each at the Scott Block Theatre.

The idea is to expose Red Deer audiences to different styles of modern theatre, so these one-actor plays represent “as wide a range as possible,” said artistic director Richard Beaune.

The first week of the festival, April 13-16, will feature Red Deer actor Ash Mercia reprising her frenetic portrayal of overworked, under-appreciated restaurant reservation-taker Sam in Fully Committed in the main theatre at the Scott Block.

Beaune described the Broadway hit play by Becky Mode as a “tour de force.”

Mercia will astound audiences with her ability to morph into 30-plus supporting characters in this play from Sylvan Lake Theatre. Fully Committed was previously performed early last year for Central Alberta Theatre.

Through different voices and body language, Mercia will bring to life everyone from pushy celebrity assistants and socialites, to a hierarchy of snooty restaurant staff and a disappointed dad.

Beaune believes her remarkable performance is a great reason for audiences to see it again — or catch it anew.

The festival’s second week, April 20-23, will feature two shorter plays that pack a strong emotional punch, among the laughs.

Ontario actor Trevor Copp will perform his Searching for Marceau, which won the top prize out of 250 plays at the Toronto Fringe Festival.

This unique vehicle that Copp created for Tottering Biped Theatre in Hamilton, Ont. marries standard theatre with mime. But Beaune wants everyone to set aside their bad impression of wind-blown actors, as seen in lame street performances and 1970s theatre, since he believes magic will happen in front of your eyes when Copp stages this play.

Partly autobiographical and partly fantastical, Searching for Marceau tells the story of a young man who uses his discovery of mime, as originated by the French phenom Marcel Marceau, to heal his challenging relationship with his father.

Beautifully performed by the Copp, who studied at the Marceau school of mime in Paris, this play “can take you to another world,” added Beaune, who believes Searching for Marceau creates something “very real, even if you can’t see it.”

The Commandment, about an atheist-turned-reluctant-prophet, will be showing alongside Searching for Marceau in the Scott Block’s smaller Centennial Theatre in the festival’s second week.

While Beaune portrayed doubting Thomas in this play at the Edmonton Fringe Festival last summer, this time, The Commandment’s original creator, Phil Rickaby of Simple Truth Theatre of Toronto, will be returning to the role for Red Deer’s Solo Show Festival.

Beaune predicted Rickaby’s performance will be funnier and calmer than his own was.

Although subtle changes were made to the script recently by Rickaby, the underlying message has connected with audiences across Eastern Canada. Beaune said The Commandment was among four plays voted Best in Fringe at the 2017 Toronto festival and also was awarded in New Brunswick.

He believes the 45-minute dramedy has never been more relevant: “It’s about someone who has every cause to be angry, but instead of turning his anger into hate,” he opens his heart to love, said Beaune.

“It shows you don’t have to turn anger into something destructive.”

Beaune believes audiences will have a lot to take in and enjoy during the festival, so he hopes central Albertans will come to both weeks. “I think it will be really cool for people to experience this mix of really good plays.”

For more information, visit primestocktheatre.com.



lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com

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Phil Rickaby will star in ‘The Commandment,’ about an athiest-turned-reluctant-prophet, showing during Red Deer’s Solo Shows Festival next month. (Contributed photo).