The Black Box Set Theatre Festival is made up of one-act plays that have been touring the country to great acclaim.
Vernus Says SURPRISE -and- Ken Says EAT PLAY LAUGH
by Ken Godmere
December 27 and 28, 2012 at 8 p.m., December 29 and 30, 2012 at 2 p.m.
Vernus Comes home to Ottawa after a sold-out national tour.
Vernus is an 89-year-old man who never gets the chance to speak. Today, he is determined to find the perfect gift for his granddaughter – even if he has a little trouble getting there. Vernus Says SURPRISE explores the experiences of the elderly in social and family relationships. In our busy, noisy, fast-paced world, sometimes it is the quietest characters who share the most.
Vernus Says SURPRISE is a comedy/drama/clown/mime adventure written and performed by Ken Godmere, directed by Rideau Award nominee Tania Levy. With a soundscape featuring the voice talents of 19 prominent Ottawa actors.
Plus, Ken Says EAT PLAY LAUGH, an added serving of spontaneous storytelling, comedy and conversation with Ken Godmere as he bids a fond farewell to Ottawa.
“Vernus Says SURPRISE is a delightful display of physical comedy and sound effects. It’s also a sad-yet-heartwarming commentary on aging in our fast-paced era of computers, capitalism and callousness.” – Edmonton Journal
“Ottawa writer and performer Ken Godmere creates a riveting physical portrait of old age, and he does so almost wordlessly because no one – except, tellingly, his granddaughter – ever seems to let Vernus get a word in edgewise.” – Winnipeg Free Press
Paul Hutcheson: New Year’s Eve
Featuring Paul Hutcheson, Sharon Nowlan, Jillian Thomas and Rachelle Elie
December 31, 2012 at 8 p.m.
Spend New Years Eve with Paul Hutcheson and friends…
Comic Paul Hutcheson, and burlesque performer Sharon Nowlan, creators of the popular and provocative Canuck Cabaret, which has been produced across Canada and the United States, bring their particular mix of dance/monologue/cabaret/performance. On New Year’s Eve, Paul and Sharon will be joined by dynamic performer RACHELLE ELIE and Comedian JILLIAN THOMAS.
PAUL HUTCHESON has often been compared to Jim Carrey, “only not obnoxious” – CBC
“His blending of autobiography and story-telling makes him a queer ambassador who evokes the funny and the profound.”
RACHELLE ELIE This award winning comedienne has been showcased on The Comedy Network and WTN. Rachelle has toured 4 original one-woman shows across Canada and has performed stand up in the U.S and Australia. She won an Oustanding Comedy Award at The Ottawa Fringe Festival for her performance in JOE: The Perfect Man. “A gifted performer and improviser…she is frighteningly intelligent ” – Montreal Gazette
SHARON NOWLAN, (Burlesque Sensation “Prairie Fire”), is a performance artist inspired and influenced by dance, clown, and burlesque. She has been performing on the Canadian Fringe Festival circuit since 2006, and is very excited to ring in the new year in the beautiful city of Ottawa!
JILLIAN THOMAS Comic, actor, former Christian rocker, and Producer/Host of The Hot Box Comedy weekly show in Toronto for 9 years, Jillian has charmed audiences across North America and England with her high energy and ironic wit. “the face of an angel, the laugh of the devil” – Patrick McKenna. “Who needs dick jokes, this woman has balls” – Grid Magazine
It’s New Years Eve: the Gladstone Theatre bar will stay open after the show, and into the new year.
Underbelly
by Jayson McDonald
January 2-5, 2013 at 8 p.m.
Georgia Straight Critics’ Choice Award Winner
A fevered hallucination inspired by the life and work of William S. Burroughs and The Beats. From the creator of Giant Invisible Robot, Boat Load and Gunpowder.
“The beat goes on in Jayson McDonald’s homage to junkie wordslinger William S. Burroughs. The London writer-performer’s rambling, hallucinogenic circle tour of Burroughs’ life is an artfully conceived 60-minute tangent that incorporates a skilful cut-up of biographical notes, along with cameos from beat contemporaries Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. Rife with visceral imagery and poetic virtuosity, it packs an impressive cerebral punch.” – Winnipeg Free Press
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