For the first time, Langara College’s professional theatre program is presenting an entirely online, free series of projects to inspire audiences and students alike.
STUDIO 58 FALL 2020 PROGRAMMING:
Ibsen’s A Doll’s House/ October 4–11/ Livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube
A classic play, about a woman’s self-emancipation from oppression, written by a privileged white man, told by a troupe of diverse young actors, in the midst of a pandemic and massive social upheaval. Safely apart, but together, the ensemble will each take turns stepping into multiple roles and contribute to the unfolding of Nora’s journey. This stripped down staging with just voices, bodies in motion, and music asks the question, “How did we get here?”.
Risky Nights: fort / Directed by Angelica Schwartz and Stephanie Wong/ October 22–25 / Live on Zoom Now in its 20th season, the Risky Nights Series is an opportunity to bridge classroom work and mainstage productions. Students in their fourth term of training create and perform every aspect of an original theatre piece with a professional director. This fall, grads Angelica Schwartz and Stephanie Wong (from theatre collective happy/accidents) return to direct a project titled fort.
What kind of world do we want to live in? What does it take to dream a better existence? fort creates "safe" spaces that allow these questions to surface. Out of the household items they already have, audiences are invited to participate in a communal construction of their own personal fortified spaces, from the comfort of their own home. fort is a digital theatrical experience that strives to bridge distances and collectively dream of a better tomorrow.
Web Series Pilot: The Watch / Produced and Directed by Janin Palahicky/ Written by Ben Gough/ November/ Online launch party on Youtube
Students in their final term will present a web pilot written by and filmed with recent graduates of Langara College’s Film Arts program. The two programs teamed up for the first time in 2018 to produce the web series pilot, The Way Station. As many Studio 58 graduates go on to work in the Film and TV industry this project provides them with practical experience in the medium. Directed by Janin Palahicky, The Watch is a mockumentary style comedy involving a rag-tag collection of citizens who come together to form a neighbourhood watch group.
Podcast Showcase/ Created by Colin Murdock, Aaron Bushkowsky, and Josué Menjivar / November 20 / Available to listen to online
Taking inspiration from illustrations by comic book artist and illustrator Josué Menjivar students will work with acclaimed playwright Aaron Bushkowsky to develop a short podcast script. These will then be further refined under the guidance of award-winning voice actor and director Colin Murdock to help students create a final dramatic podcast production. With the growth in animation and voice acting work for actors, and the push for innovative and fresh online creation, this project will help students hone their voice and character acting skills to give them more tools for a varied and ongoing career in the digital age. The podcasts, alongside their illustration will be available to view and listen to online.
Theatre: The Play / Written and directed by Ryan Beil and Mark Chavez / November 24–29 / Livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube
The Nearlake Theatre Festival & Bar & Grill faces certain closure if they can't produce a hit show. Dudley, the festival's intrepid artistic director, throws out all the stops in an attempt to stage a masterpiece the likes of which the theatre world has never seen: Macbeth, War on Christmas. But, can the cast and crew deal with their personal demons before the punters show up? Theatre: The Play is both a love letter and a cheeky middle finger to the world of theatre, asking “why would anyone work in this unforgiving and unstable field of make believe?”. This production will take the form of an enhanced radio play and will be livestreamed.
More information at studio58.ca