White Rock Players Club is celebrating its 69th season, owns and operates the building that houses the Coast Capital Theatre and usually produces five shows every season. We are promised pantomimes, comedy, drama and thrillers. It is a huge undertaking, considering that this whole operation is run primarily by volunteer power. I think many of these volunteers were probably theatre majors in college.
I am guessing this because of a recent posting I saw on Facebook. Yes, I read my Facebook messages occasionally. I read this one because it started with "22 signs you were a theatre major." Fun stuff, things like, "You are not talking to yourself, but are doing a monologue. You don't simply come into a room or leave, you 'enter' and 'exit.' You understand the difference between upstage and downstage, and you don't start new chapters in your life, you begin new acts." There are more of these signs, but you get the drift. The people running our community theatre clubs (including Surrey Little Theatre and Langley Players) are true "theatre majors," even if they didn't actually study theatre in college.
So I will just say "break a leg," rather than "good luck," to White Rock Players with its musical comedy A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. This Sondheim classic, a Broadway smash hit, has a stellar cast starting with Steve Dotto. Dotto is a song-and-dance man from way back, and certainly is familiar with how to "enter." The tech-savvy folks may recognize him as the guy on TV and radio (Dotto's Data Café, Dotto Tech) who tries to help the average person wade through and operate all the amazing apps and other tech stuff. (Steve, I'm still waiting for my iPad lesson. Call me. We'll do lunch.)
The large cast also includes Ray Van Iperen as Hysterium, Raymond Hatton as Sennex, Helen Volkow as Domina, Bryce Mills as Miles Gloriosus, Dann Wilhelm as Hero, Rebekah MacEwan as Philia and Pat McDermott as Lycus, and more. If, by chance, you know these people by sight and see them in, say, a grocery store lineup and they are making funny sounds and faces, don't be alarmed. They are just doing vocal warm-ups. It's a sign - a sign of being an actor, that is, not a sign of being crazy.
Directed by Ryan Mooney, with music direction by Marione Astrera, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum runs from Feb. 12 to March 1. Tickets are $18 for adults and $16 for students, seniors and CCS members, via 604-536-7535 and www.whiterockplayers.ca.
'GOOD VIBRATIONS' ART SOUGHT
Meanwhile, the City of White Rock, in partnership with Semiahmoo Arts, is currently accepting submissions to its group exhibition, Good Vibrations: Music and Dance in Visual Art. All artists are invited to submit a maximum of three works of art that deal with the subject of music and/or dance. This group exhibition focuses on how artists interpret "the awe-inspiring world of music and dance with their pallet." The exhibition runs from March 8 to April 17, and the opening reception will be held on Saturday, March 8 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at White Rock Community Centre. Get the submission form online (semiahmooarts.com) or contact Laura Offley at the Semiahmoo Arts office, 604-536-8333 or lauraoffley@semiahmooarts.com.
Now, for me, it's exit, stage right.
melminty@telus.net