Theatre
festival

plays

at new
Deep Cor
venue

EACH SPRING comes a plethora
of community art festivals, but this
is a spectal year for North Shore
theatre groups.

By Evelyn Jacob
News Reporter

e

For the first time in nine years,
Theatre B.C.'s annual Narth Shore
Zone Festival of Plays won‘t be
held in Presentation House.

instead, the week-long public
event (Apr. 20-25) will be staged in
Deep Cove Cultural Centre’s shiny
new 130-seat theatre.

The right environment is a big
deal because each group hopes to
do its very best. Over the years the
Theatre B.C. festival has come to
be regarded as the community's
major theatre competition.

“It’s considered a big honor to
win and it's good for the group,”’
says First Impression Theatre’s
Eileen Smith.

The festival takes place in dif-
ferent geographical regions all
over B.C. The North Shore zone
encompasses the area from
Whistler to Deep Cove.

Groups compete to win in dif-
ferent categories, including best
overall production, best actor,
supporting actor and so on. The
winner of best production qualifies
to compete at this year’s provincial
festival in Campbell River (next
year North Vancouver will host
the provincials).

Six North Shore theatre com-
panies are vying for the 1992
crown. They are: First Impressions
Theatre, Deep Cove Stage, Theatre
West Van, North Vancouver
Community Players, Whistler
Players and Howe Sound Players.

Entries run the gamut from Ca-
nadian playwright W.O. Mitchell's
For Those In Peril On the Sea to
John Fowles’ classic thriller The
Collector.

Two original scripts figure in this
year’s competition. Theatre West

is tackling The Mourning

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ROBYN DRISCOLL and ‘Leah Baric are starring in ‘‘The Diaries of
Adam and Eve,’’ Theatre West Van’s entry (along with “‘The Col-
lector” and ‘‘The Mourning After’’) into Theatre B.C.’s 1992
North Shore Zone Festival of Plays. Six North Shore theatre
groups are taking part in the week-long event.

After, a one-act comedy involving
an elderly cleaning woman and an
elderly man, penned by North
Shore playwright Maureen Rodin-
son.

Former Ceep Cove resident
Peter O’Rourke’s new work,
Echoes Across the Valley, is First
Impressions’ 1992 entry.

Of course every group hopes to
walk away as the winner. Smith,
however, believes the groups
benefit just by taking part in a

competitive event.

‘Mt makes you want to excel.
Everybody tries a bit harder. And
despite the competition, it works
well. The groups all get along and
really support one another.”

At the end of each performance,
adjudicator Alan Lysell will give a
public critique. He wiil also meet
privately with each group.

To reserve tickets, phone 929-
2998. Week-long passes will be
availabie.

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Sat, 9-6:00 p.m.

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