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Rivercity Players
Our mission: enriching the creative culture of the community through the performing arts.
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If you are interested in being considered to direct next season - please let us know by February 28th. We would like to know which play(s) you would like to do, and which time slot(s).
We are looking for
One Act Plays - 3 - 4 short plays, a variety of genres
Fall and Winter Plays - plays to attract a wide audience, such as mystery, comedy, farce, classic
Spring/Festival Play - similar to fall and winter plays, including drama, and with more critical appeal - calls for careful and minimal stage design
Rivercity Players is putting the final touches on their upcoming comedy, Knickers! A Brief Comedy, by Sarah Quick.
Knickers! is set in the small mill town of Elliston Falls, Ontario. After a century of operation, the paper mill has shut down, to the detriment of the local economy. The local chapter of the Weight Watchers club, along with the newly hired tourism officer, decide to take matters into their own hands and develop a custom underwear business. Will these sassy women be able to pull their community together and save their town? This hilariously irreverent comedy celebrates determination, entrepreneurial spirit, and the willingness to bare it all.
Director Susan Wydenes chose Knickers! because “it is funny, and I like funny plays in the winter. It is hopeful, heartwarming, and I particularly like stories about friendship.”
As director, she starts by reading through the play several times, and starting to imagine who these people are, what’s going on for them, and what the theme for the play is. She feels the theme for Knickers! is love and resilience.
“There is a lot of discovery once we begin rehearsing,” she said, “and the actors bring themselves to the characters. I see the action and it helps me to understand the characters and what the play is about in a more nuanced way.”
One of the interesting things about this play, she feels, is that it isn’t just a story from start to finish. There are little stand alone scenes that are not really part of the story, but support the story. She has found it interesting to work out how they fit in and what they are about.
This is the sixth time directing for Wydenes. “I started out as an actor”, she said, “and that led to an interest in directing”.
Rivercity Players opens their season each year with a production of one acts, where club members are encouraged to try something new. Wydenes took that as an opportunity to try her hand at directing. Once she had three one acts under her belt, she moved on to full length plays, with her first being Steel Magnolias.
She recommends that anyone considering directing “look for something small, that they really like – a story that appeals to them and that they connect with. One act plays are a great place to start.”
Knickers! will be performed February 27 to March 1 and March 6 to 8 starting at 7:30 pm, and March 2 and 8 starting at 2:00 pm. All performances are at the Rivercity Stage, 1080 Hemlock. Tickets can be purchased at rivercitytickets.ca.
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