Nova Scotia playwrights will face off against writers from abroad when the Liverpool International Theatre Festival (LITF) hits the Astor Theatre, in Liverpool, May 14 to 18.
One-third of the companies coming to LITF 2008 are bringing plays written by Nova Scotians and not all of these productions originate in this country.
The Yarmouth Drama Society will contribute I Ain't Dead Yet! by Christopher Heide. This three-hander with music has been produced by professional companies in the Maritimes as well as in Ontario and Alberta. It tells a story that spans the generational divide, exploring a friendship between a grandmother and her rebellious teenage granddaughter. Heide is an established NovaScotia playwright with dozens of plays produced Canada-wide and in the UK. Representing the USA will be the Port Tobacco Players from Maryland. However, their entry has a distinctly Canadian origin. Never Swim Alone was written by Cape Breton‘s Daniel MacIvor. Never Swim Alone is a haunting experience that takes audiences through a gambit of emotions as they witness the lives of two lifelong friends who have based their relationship on petty competitions while avoiding the dark secrets of their past.
Cobbler, Stick to Thy Last, by Kay Hill, is set in 1780s Cumberland County, Nova Scotia and features a Scottish family in crisis. It will be brought to LITF 2008 by the newly minted Centre Stage Players formed under the auspices of the Inverness County Council of the Arts.
The final Nova Scotia authored entry comes from the Red Rock Theatre Company of Wolfville. Red Rock is an outgrowth of the collaborative efforts of director Toni Napoli and playwright Dean Taylor. Taylor has a growing reputation in the province with recent productions, mainly in Annapolis Royal. His latest is Them.
2008 LITF adjudicator, Christopher Shore, executive director of Theatre Nova Scotia remarks on the larger than usual number of Nova Scotia plays entered in LITF 2008. “People are always surprised by the extent of theatre activity that takes place every year in Nova Scotia, given the relative size of our population. Some of the most talented theatre practitioners in the country have their roots in this province. It’s great to see the work of Nova Scotians featured so prominently at this year’s festival.”
The 9th biennial Liverpool International Theatre offers audiences an unparalleled opportunity to view what is described by oprganizers as the best of our province’s amateur theatre scene within an international context.
Ticket information is available through the Astor Theatre box office, 59 Gorham St., Liverpool, NS. Box office hours are Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The box office can be reached at 902-354-5250 or online at
www.astortheatre.ns.ca.
