Central Alberta Theatre is gearing up to stage four diverse one-act plays.
From Nov. 9th to the 12th, CAT and the Writers Ink Workshop Theatre will be showcasing the productions.
The four scripts were written by Red Deer’s Writers’ Ink members during a script writing workshop.
“Writers’ Ink took it upon themselves to have a number of their writers take a workshop with Gordon Pengilly out of Calgary. He has written a number of plays and he decided to teach them how to write a one-act play,” said Craig Scott, president of CAT.
The plays will be presented over two nights, with two taking place each night.
Scott said of the many in Writers’ Ink, four of them decided to write a one-act play, including himself who wrote what he calls a ‘curtain opener’, as it’s a very short one compared to the rest.
“Four of them are being produced and directed, and it’s the first time they’re ever being done,” he said.
He added that it’s a chance for the audience to see what the performances are like, and also a chance for them to workshop their plays, as it’s the playwright’s first time ever writing one, which, he said, is what workshop theatre is all about, workshopping a play to see if you can make it work.
The one-act performances are anywhere from 35 minutes to 50 minutes in duration.
“So they’re not as short as you think they are,” said Scott, adding that his is an eight minute play.
All performances will take place at Nickle Studio, which is the third floor at the CAT Studios at 4215 58th St.
Taking part in the one-acts is a brand new director by the name of Brendan Kearney, who will be directing two of them.
Directed by Scott, the first play is titled Saving Grace by Richard McIntyre. The play is about two sisters who have a dark secret. One sister is living on the street and gets an invite from her well-to-do sister who has a secret that she has kept hidden for years to the detriment to all.
Directed by Kearney, another play being shown is titled Going Postal by Mary O’Neill. The play is a romantic comedy about a woman who is about to remarry for the second time and gets stuck in a post office, only to be gawked and talked about by the town, including her old flame.
Also directed by Kearney is a play called The Love Lottery by Lyle Meeres. Meeres wrote the play about a Canada Revenue agent who loses his phone only to have it recovered by a beautiful stranger who returns it in an unusual way. The question is should he get involved with her and why does she act the way she does?
The last play, titled The Keepers by Danielle Lee, is directed again by Scott, and is a play which he calls an ‘Amish to Halloween’. The play is about a young woman who inherits a house, its servants and all its contents from a woman whose funeral she attends during the depression, but they never actually met.
Scott said his play, which is based on a true story about his grandfather smuggling booze across the border back in the 1920s, might be shown depending on whether they find enough actors for it.
He added that within the plays, there are about 10 to 15 new actors who are new to CAT.
“We’ve got tons of amateur actors over actors who have not acted with CAT for quite some time, so that is the cool thing about it,” he said.
CAT Theatre is always looking for people to get involved, and not just in acting. They are always in need of stagehands, stage managers and sound and light people.
Doors open at 7 p.m. with the show starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 and are available at the Black Knight Inn Ticket Centre or at the door.
carlie.connolly@reddeerexpress.com
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