Rivercity Players presents The Splash! 2023 North Island Zone Drama Festival

Rivercity Players presents The Splash! 2023 Theatre BC North Island Zone Festival, including seven nights of performances from seven Vancouver Island theatre groups. Click on the Read More link below to see a description of each night's performance.

Sunday, May 14 – Four Old Broads by Leslie Kimbell

• Presented by Rivercity Players – Campbell River
• Directed by Tim Myerscough
• Comedy

Retired burlesque queen Beatrice Shelton desperately needs a vacation from Magnolia Place, a

retirement home. Things aren’t going well as she tries to gather her friends to go with her. A mystery

unfolds as the gals try to outsmart the evil nurse and find out why so many residents have gone to the

dark side.

Monday, May 15 – Tempting Providence by Robert Chafe

• Presented by Mercury Players – Duncan
• Directed by Rien Vesseur
• Biography/history
• Notes: Half an hour of live Newfoundland music before play starts

In 1921, Nurse Myra Grimsby takes a 2 year posting in Newfoundland. The folk of Daniel’s Harbour win

her heart and she stays for 50 years.

Tuesday, May 16 – Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie Baker

• Presented by Courtenay Little Theatre
• Directed by Catherine Hannon
• Comedy/Drama
• Notes: Adult content and some coarse language – age 14+

In this comedy/drama, five would-be actors take part in a small-town community drama class over six

weeks. They form new relationships, gain insights into themselves and each other, and change in small

but radical ways. The action takes place during the drama games, and in breaks between exercises.

Some games are unscripted and truly improvisational.

Wednesday, May 17 – The Half-Life of Marie Curie by Lauren Gunderson

• Presented by Nanaimo Theatre Group
• Directed by Sheila Fremont-Male
• Drama
• Notes: No intermission

Branded a home-wrecking harlot by the press, Marie flees to her best friend’s seaside

cottage where the two commiserate about men, science, and life. Funny, illuminating,

and inspiring, The Half-Life of Marie Curie is a whole stage experience.

Thursday, May 18 – Missing on the Cariboo Trail by Kymme Patrick

• Presented by TheatreWorks – Courtenay
• Directed by Ross Stephanson
• Mystery-thriller
• Notes: Mature audience, no intermission

Nothing prepared Maggie, this bright, young girl from an Idaho farm, for the horrors she faced on the

Cariboo Trail during the goldrush of 1885. On a desperate search for her missing sister, Maggie will

need more than personal courage, determination and extraordinarily good luck to survive. This

mystery-thriller is based on a British Columbia legend.

Friday, May 19 – Mary’s Wedding by Stephen Massicotte

• Presented by ECHO Players – Qualicum Beach
• Directed by Kelly Barnum
• Drama
• Notes: No intermission, loud noises – thunder, cannon fire

With innocence and humor, a young couple discover a charming first love. The year is 1914; the world is

collapsing into a brutal war. Together, they attempt to cope with their love, hope and survival.

Saturday, May 20 – I Hate Hamlet by Paul Rudnick

• Presented by Portal Players – Port Alberni
• Directed by L’Rae Whipple
• Comedy
• Notes: Lightning, stage combat, adult themes

A Hollywood television actor moves to New York City, where he rents the late John Barrymore’s former

residence and accepts the role of Hamlet. When he begins to question his choice, the ghost of

Barrymore appears to coach him through the transformation