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THE deskers have shut down
their computer terminals and
gone home, and the sun’s disap-
peared from the horizon beyond
English Bay. But the day’s not
over. In contrast. to our reputa-
tion asa qu burb, when the
shy fades to ‘ forth.
Shore comes aliv® ie
few months, watel

we introduce you to
people that work the WY
in North Shore After D

Deana Lancaster

News Reporter
dlancaster@nsnews.com

IT’S after 8 p.m., the time
the curtain was supposed to
rise on The Clutch, a one-

man comedic play at
Presentation House Theatre,

and the opening act hasn’t

yet arrived.

The audience is milling about in
the theatre lobby, sipping drinks and
chatting, oblivious to the panic ris-
ing, like sap in the spring, backstage.

Richard Lett, the actor, writer
and comedian performing tonight is
attempting to sort out fighting
problems with the technicians ---
problems as in, the lighting board ts
dead. By the time the opener
arrives, the lighting is sorted and the
audience has setiled into their seats
the show is alniost 10 minutes Jare
starting.

OF the latccesmer,

box office

manager Carey Erickson says: “It's
his first night. He’s not from the
North Shore and I think maybe he
took the SeaBus here and got lost.
Unless vou know where it is, this
place is not that easy to find.”

For five months new the 23-

BOX office manager Carey
Erickson finds she often gets
to bed around 5 a.m.

year o'd has been handling ticket
sales, volunteer coordination and
adininistrative Work at Presentation
House.

~ and being

In theatre circles, it's a venue
known as a “roadhouse™ — it’s not
operated or inhabited by one com-
pany (although it has produced.

says Erickson. She

zm, and stays until the

and her work is done.

dience now safely
Hin’ their darkened seat

“graphic arts coordinator. Pmialivays

the organizer.”

An organizer with a love of the
stage. She studied theatre for two
years ,before beginning her career

does have.its:pérks.

“T see ‘all the shows,” she says
with a grin. Eventually, she'd like te
become the artistic director of a the-
atre company.

When she’s finished for the
evening at Presentation House her
day is not nearly done.

“1 go home and do all the things
that normal people do during the
day: Ido my dishes, F warch TV, I
play on the computer.

“Sometimes Tyo out sith my
friends if they're still awake. Luckily
a fot of therm work here, so well go
out when we're done.”

Bedtinie is often around 5 a.m.

Toni-Lynn Frederick is another
self-admitted night owl,

“Esrav up until 3 or 4 in’ the

the front of the house .

BACKSTAGE before the .
show bagins Richard Lett.
elf with no-op
and a light. board
Theatre p je

bar manager Toni-Lynn Frederick cleans and
S. Then the film student can hit the books.

morning, usually watching a lot of
different films.”

Frederick, 30, is the bar manager
-~ an ideal job for someone working
on her masters in film at Simon
Fraser University.

“Presentation House is a great
place, a great resource for me. |
wish more people would take an
interest in if — come and see the
plays or volunteer to help, get
Invaived.”

Its her drean te one day
become an independent filmmaker.
and her passion for the subject is
evident.

“Ideally Dwoukd be a professor
duriag the year and make enough
money Co inake experimental flats

and documentaries during my time
off.”

She's currently working on a
documentary about her dad, whe
was in the merchant navy.

Working in the bar allows her
extra time for studying. Once the
lobby is empty, the bar cleaned and
restocked, there’s sometimes ame
to hit the books, As well as serving
patrons she does inventory and pur-
chasing, hires and trains the bac staff
and does the scheduling.

Vhere are four staff members
who work behind the bar. Three are
film students at SFU and one is a
niusic studene at Capilano College.

“Tr gets really tough around pro-
duction ume to ger shits covered.”