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NEWS COVERAGE: Lunchbox’s 2023-24 season

Lunchbox Theatre celebrates 50th anniversary with return of Jake’s Gift

Stephen Hunt
CTV
Published Oct. 30, 2024 1:31 p.m. MDT

Lunchbox Theatre is kicking off its 50th anniversary season with the return of one of its all-time most popular shows.

Jake’s Gift, a solo show by Julia Mackey, tells the story of Jake, a Second World War veteran who returns to Juno Beach for the 60th anniversary of D-Day.

During that visit, he meets 10-year-old Isabelle, a local girl who challenges Jake to confront his uneasy memories of the past, and maybe heal a little along the way.

It will be the fourth production of the show at Lunchbox, after successful runs in 2011, 2012 and 2014.

Overall, Mackey has presented the show in 58 different Alberta productions -- everywhere from Edmonton to Elnora, from Mayerthorpe to Medicine Hat (three times) -- and elsewhere from the bottom of the province to the top.

Mackey has also done 65 productions in British Columbia, 46 in Ontario, 20 in Manitoba and 22 in Saskatchewan, among others., as well as numerous international productions.

Mackey was born in Birmingham, England, then moved to Montreal with her family when she was three, before eventually settling in Victoria.

All veterans and active members of the Canadian military are welcome to attend the Calgary performances free thanks to the support of Veterans Affairs Canada, using the code MILITARY.

Lunchbox origin story

Lunchbox Theatre’s first production was in 1975. It was founded by Bartley and Margaret Bard and Betty Gibb, who were interested in presenting live theatre at lunchtime in downtown Calgary.

The theatre focuses on original one-act plays and has produced many by Calgary playwrights.

To celebrate turning 50, the theatre is offering legacy ticket pricing for its Sunday, Nov. 3 performance.

That day, you can get a ticket for $1, which was the price to see the very first Lunchbox show in 1975, or else a Legacy Discount ticket for $19.75 in honour of its founding year.

Call 403-221-3708 to book a ticket or in person at the box office inside the Calgary Tower.

Opening Day for Jake’s Gift is Thursday at noon. It runs through Nov.17.

Julia Mackey’s solo show truly is the gift that keeps on giving.

Created and first performed 18 years ago by Mackey, Jake’s Gift is the story of a Canadian Second World War veteran who returns to Normandy on the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings to search for the grave of his brother. There he meets a disarming 10-year-old French girl who helps him exorcise the ghosts of his past that have been haunting him for so long.

Mackey first performed Jake’s Gift at Lunchbox in 2011 where it was an unqualified hit.

“I was thrilled to be asked back in 2014 for Lunchbox’s 40th anniversary, so you can imagine how elated I am to have been asked to help launch Lunchbox’s 50th anniversary season. I have performed Jake’s Gift 1,079 times, and it always feels like the first time. That’s how much I love doing the show,” says Mackey, adding “Most of my engagements are one or two-night stands, but with Lunchbox I’m getting to be in Calgary for three weeks. It’s such a joy.”

Calgary holds a special place in the journey of Jake’s Gift. Back in 2004 when she was in Normandy doing research for her play, Mackey came across the grave of Chester Hebner, who became the inspiration for Jake’s brother. She always wanted to find Hebner’s family and continued to look for a relative, eventually finding a sister in Calgary.

“Twenty-five members of the Hebner family came to a performance at Lunchbox in 2011 and sat in the front rows. Of course, it was one of the most memorable shows I’ve ever done.

Julia Mackey in a production of Jake’s Gift. Photo by Colleen De Neve Colleen De Neve /Calgary Herald

“I am constantly amazed at how long we’ve been able to keep this show alive, and just how many people keep coming back. Whenever we return to a venue, people tell us how many times they’ve seen it. Some have seen it as many as 10 times. For some people, it really strikes a chord. We’ve taken the show to 250 communities across Canada.”

Mackey has also taken Jake’s Gift to Normandy, which was an unforgettable highlight.

“We were told we could perform the show at the Juno Beach Centre in Normandy, where our troops first landed, for the 70th anniversary in 2014, but only if we did performances both in English and French, so I commissioned a French translation. We were invited back three years later to perform at multiple communities in Normandy for the locals and students. We also returned in 2019 for the 75th anniversary.”

Chester Hebner’s grave in Normandy. Photo, Julia Mackey

Mackey has many people to acknowledge for the creation of Jake’s Gift, not least of all Agatha Christie. In 1999, Mackey was a cast member in a production of The Mousetrap. She shared the stage with a young actor named Dirk Van Stralen, and Anthony Holland, a war veteran. Stralen who has now been her partner for 25 years, directed Jake’s Gift, and Holland was the historical consultant.

“If I’d never met Dirk, I would never have written Jake’s Gift, and it was Anthony’s encouragement that convinced us we were on the right track,” says Mackey.

Jake’s Gift, which runs in the Vertigo Studio Theatre from Oct. 30 through Nov. 17 launches Lunchbox Theatre’s 50th anniversary season which includes three premieres by Calgary artists. Twelve Days, Lunchbox’s holiday show, is a new musical from Forte Guild’s artistic director Joe Slabe. Camille Pavlenko’s Go For Gold, Audrey Pham is a comedy set during Calgary’s Winter Olympics, and James Odin Wade’s Please Return to Empire Video mines the nostalgia of video rental stores in Calgary.

The Canadian veteran experience continues to resonate with Jake’s Gift

A promotional still for Jake's Gift, which is playing at Lunchbox Theatre during their 50th anniversary 2024-25 season. COURTESY JAKE'S GIFT/LUNCHBOX THEATRE

By Aryn Toombs, LiveWire

Saturday, October 26, 2024

Julia Mackey didn’t expect that Jake’s Gift, a play about a D-Day veteran’s experience searching for his brother’s grave, would become her life’s work.

Yet, since 2007, and with only a brief hiatus due to the pandemic, Mackey’s multiple award-winning play has continued to resonate with those who have served in Canada’s armed forces, and those who’s family members did.

Now, on the 80th anniversary year of the D-Day invasions of Normandy during WW2, Jake’s Gift has returned to Lunchbox Theatre with a gift of its own thanks to a grant from Veterans Affairs Canada.

All veterans and active members of Canada’s military are being allowed to see the play for free.

“I’m so thrilled about that, and that… is a way of honouring them, too,” said Mackey.

“A lot of the guys that come that served in in Bosnia, or served in in Korea or served in Afghanistan, even though they weren’t there on D-Day, the story that they that Jake goes through, they see themselves as him.”

The story of Jake’s Gift explores the relationship between different generations, with Jake meeting a young French girl who doesn’t really understand a war that happened far before she was born.

The themes within the play are universal, Mackey said.

“They’re about forgiveness and gratitude and friendship, and how we deal with the loss of someone years later like Jake has, of course, as many WW2 veterans do—not just WW2 veterans, many veterans in general, they know their experience during campaigns and in the battlefield is so traumatic that they don’t talk about it,” she said.

“That was very much the case when I was interviewing veterans after I had been to Normandy for the 60th anniversary of D-Day, which is what inspired the play.”

Few veterans left to tell their story

That silence of experience has only become more deafening, as the years have passed and more veterans from the war have passed on.

Mackey said that of the veterans she knows that are still alive, the youngest is 98 years old.

“There’s something about families understanding what the legacy of that is, and how we can help our serving military get through those traumatic experiences,” she said.

“One of the things I think that is really wonderful for Jake is by the end of the play is he has cracked through this unresolved issue of never having gone to Normandy to find his brother’s grave because he felt too guilty because he survived.”

Connecting those stories back to young people so they aren’t forgotten, she said, has become more important to honour the sacrifices those men made.

“What we’ve discovered over the years of touring is that even though we do a lot of shows for young Canadians, and even though they may not have had a connection to the Second World War or it was their great-great-grandfather or great-grandfather that was the WW2 veteran, if you create a story that really honours and becomes personal, then I think as human beings, we just automatically connect to that,” Mackey said.

“One of the things that I think has been really upsetting to many of the WW2 veterans I’ve met over the years is the rise in fascism that’s happening throughout the world. That’s what they fought against. There’s that old saying about if we don’t learn our history, we’re destined to repeat it.”

She said that much like Jake’s brother in the play, Canadians have largely not been cognizant of the thousands of soldiers who were killed during that war and are buried overseas.

“This time of year especially, it’s important to remember. I know there’s a lot of things that people are upset about in the world, and in our country right now, but the truth is that we live in a really beautiful with so many freedoms, and those freedoms did not come without a price,” Mackey said.

“So, I think that some honouring those the names of those people that died is something that that we should continue to do, and Dirk [Van Stralen] and I definitely feel so lucky that 16 years later, now we’re still telling this story, and still being able to share it with other Canadians.”

Jake’s Gift runs at Lunchbox Theatre from Oct. 30 through to Nov. 17.

The play is performed by Julia Mackey, directed and stage managed by Dirk Van Stralen, and with lightning design by Gerald King.

Active duty or veteran members of Canada’s military can get their tickets for free, alongside all other ticket sales, at www.lunchboxtheatre.com/jakes-gift.

LiveWire Calgary

Aryn Toombs

June 18, 2024

Lunchbox Theatre celebrates 50th anniversary season with return of Jake’s Gift

The much beloved modern Canadian classic play, Jake’s Gift, which tells the story of a veteran confronting the ghosts of his past on the 60th anniversary of D-Day, is making its landing on a Lunchbox Theatre stage this fall.

That play, along with three other productions that are uniquely tied to the history of Calgary and Southern Alberta, are making up the 50th anniversary season for the company.

The goal for this Lunchbox Theatre milestone was to do more Canadian plays rather than just revisiting some of the best-loved plays from the company’s history—with the exception of Jake’s Gift, said Artistic Director Bronwyn Steinberg,

“I want to honour our legacy as a place where we do new Canadian plays and to do that by doing more new Canadian plays rather than doing ones that were new the first time then. So, we ended up with a mix, where Jake’s Gift is something that we’ve had at Lunchbox,” Steinberg said.

“Often people speak about it when I ask them what was your favourite Lunchbox show. They remember Jake’s Gift, I hear about it all the time, and I just know how beloved it is,” she said.

This year marked the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, and Jake’s Gift, last performed during the 40th anniversary season for Lunchbox in 2014, celebrated the 70th.

“With most veterans from the Second World War getting quite old or passing, it’s a really nice time to remember them again. So that piece felt like such a great fit, and it did a little bit of that retrospective, remembering where we came from, but then for the others, I was like, ‘OK, now we can get under the new stuff,'” Steinberg said.

The show, which won a Betty Mitchell Award for outstanding performance by an actress in a drama and was nominated for outstanding production in 2012, will be running from Oct. 29 to Nov. 17 in the studio at Vertigo Theatre at the base of the Calgary Tower.

Christmas collaboration is a surefire hit for musical theatre lovers

For many Calgarians, the ending of the long-running Naughty… but Nice! ending last season a bittersweet finale of a long-standing Christmas tradition.

For the 2024-25 season, Forte Musical Theatre will be collaborating with Lunchbox on Joe Slabe’s new Christmas show Twelve Days.

Steinberg said that one of the reasons why Lunchbox was able to get Slabe’s new production, which had been developed through the Stage One Festival of New Canadian Work, was because of the ending of Naughty… but Nice!

“Holiday programming is like such a beloved thing in Calgary. But [Twelve Days] just really doesn’t feel like anything else I’ve ever seen in a holiday musical, even though it totally is a whole musical. It’s got its own unique thing, especially in that the four performers that are the actors are also the musicians—all the music that happens in the show will be performed live by the actors in character, which is really cool,” Steinberg said.

“Joe Slabe is, well, I would call him a national treasure. But he’s a local Calgary musical theatre creator and he’s just so good. He just had a show, Buy Me a Drink, Joe that has just gotten all kinds of award nominations.”

The show follows music student Anton, stuck at school for Christmas, wanting to make it a special one for fellow student Donna who has big musical career dreams of her own.

The production takes the audience through the unique musical gifts given to Donna by Anton as they count down the 12 days to Christmas, all while trying to keep Donna from taking up Anton’s rival Robert’s offer to sweep her off to his family’s mansion in Toronto for the holidays.

“Hopefully you know the Naughty… but Nice! loyal audiences that he has want to come and see this Lunchbox show, and see a different side of his work,” said Steinberg.

Twelve Days runs from Dec. 5 to 21.

Channelling the spirit of ’88

Coming in 2025 from Jan. 28 to Feb. 16, is a show that captures what is now a forgotten sport that was previewed at the Calgary Olympics: ski ballet.

Go For Gold, Audry Pham tells the story of unfortunate ski ballet athlete Audry, who isn’t able to be accommodated at Athletes’ Village and has to take residence with Birchwoman, the Wicked Witch of West Kensington.

“We see a young person who is trying to strive for success in an athletic arena and to meet her parents’ expectations, but she’s also a bit of an oddball. She’s quite quirky in terms of her … sense of humour,” said Steinberg.

“The person that she meets in Calgary, Birchwoman, is also a total oddball but is a few generations older. So there’s this interesting inter-generational women friendship that happens between them, and I love those stories.”

She said that writer Camille Pavlenko has been a great comedy playwriter, and that comes through with the connections between the two characters and the nostalgia of the ’88 Olympics.

Part of the humour will come from the ski ballet itself—which will be making its debut on a Lunchbox Theatre stage, albeit in puppet form, Steinberg said.

“I’m looking for some really clever design tricks, that feels like it fits into the quirky oddball comedy, but also is theatrically amazing to look at. We don’t want to just go to a video projection of actual ski ballet. That’s just like, that’s too boring,” Steinberg said.

Longtime visitors to Kensington will likely recognize some of the inspirations for Birchwoman’s shop and how that relates to the current version of the BIA.

“There’s that sense to for Birchwoman, she’s been in the neighbourhood for decades, and people have attitudes about her store as things are changing in the neighbourhood. And I think we can all relate to those old stories. Like we either still love them, or we’re like, why is that still here?”

Marking the end of the VHS era

The final production of Lunchbox’s 2024-25 season is Return to Empire Video, which runs from March 25 to April 15, 2025.

The play tells the story of two friends, Cass and Owen, as they try to deal with their surly video store coworker Thomas and survive their shift long enough to go to an advanced screening of The Matrix Reloaded.

The new comedy by James Odim Wade is pop-culture reverent and referential and is a throwback to the heady days as the movie rental business saw the end of the VHS cassette and the rise of the DVD.

Steinberg said that she didn’t consciously consider the play as a segue from the end of the 1980s to the end of another era, but there were some similarities in Return to Empire Video being a coming-of-age story.

“It makes me think of the hours that I’ve spent in video stores trying to figure out what I what I’m going to watch. It’s a slice of life piece, but picture the kind of people that are drawn to work in these kinds of stores,” she said.

“I love nerds that just are OK with sharing their nerdery, and so it’s a great homage to those kinds of characters. But then there’s also—I don’t want to give away the twist—a bit of a twist in this show that suddenly makes it much more meaningful and emotional than you expect it to be.”

She said that the play ends in a way that is both gut-wrenching and uplifting and leaves people watching it connected to the characters.

“Certainly the choice of it being The Matrix, being what they’re going to see that night… I think is a bit of foreshadowing for the audience that not everything is not quite what it seems,” Steinberg said.

Early bird pricing for tickets and Lunchbox Theatre’s PlayPass is available ahead of the 2024-25 season at www.lunchboxtheatre.com.

On the PlayPass, Steinberg said that it was the most flexible pass for theatregoers in the city.

“You can use them in any way. One ticket for each of the four shows, or four tickets for one show, or any kind of mix and match.”

NEWS COVERAGE: Lunchbox’s 2023-24 season

LiveWire Calgary

Aryn Toombs

June 17, 2024

Betty Mitchell Awards celebrate Calgary’s theatre community, collaboration between companies

With a mission to “celebrate the past season on the eve of the new,” Calgary’s theatre companies, performers, and crews are getting ready to walk the stage for one last time in 2023-24.

The 2024 Bettys, the Betty Mitchell Awards, recognize the top performances by professional theatre companies in the city.

This year, Theatre Calgary (TC) has taken over a third of the nominations for awards, with 34 out of 89 awards nominated for productions held by TC, and for cast and crew in TC plays and musicals—including a record 13 for A Christmas Carol.

“It feels a little embarrassing on one level, but then on another level, it’s just wonderful to be able to experience that kind of acknowledgment for all the amazing work that’s happened over our last season,” said Stafford Arima, Artistic Director for Theatre Calgary.

“The most important aspect is… the artists. The acknowledgement of the work that is being brought to the Theatre Calgary stage, in so many departments. Whether that’s the performance department, or projections, or video, or sets, or costumes. It’s a testament to the talent, number one, that exists here in Calgary and in Canada.”

The return of A Christmas Carol for Theatre Calgary’s 2023-24 season also garnered the long-running production a first-ever nomination for outstanding production of a play.

It’s a nomination garnered alongside another TC production in conjunction with Alberta Theatre Projects, Made in Italy.

“You know that that’s an incredible honour and recognition of a very long-standing tradition that Theatre Calgary has had,” said Arima.

“We, as producers, really our main goal is to bring that work to the stage and to share it with an audience. So I’m very, very proud and feel, again, very honoured by the the the amount of nominations that we did get this year.”

He said that the number of nominations for productions that the company has had with Alberta Theatre Projects, and for the other nominees being between multiple theatre companies in the city, was a reflection of the universality of theatre.

“Actually what’s interesting is both Selma Burke and Beaches are examples of two new works. Selma Burke made its world premiere on the Martha Cohen Stage as part of our collaboration with ATP, and Beaches is also a brand new script and creative team that has brought a brand new production, an original new production, to the Max Bell Stage,” Arima said.

“You can look at something like Beaches, where you have a Broadway team. Or, you then can look at something like a Selma Burke, where you have local writers and an out-of-town director. To me, there’s something borderless about all of that… it brings me a lot of pride that we put on our stage artists from around the world. Global recognition of artists as nearby as Inglewood to as far as New York, or in some cases, London, England.”

Smaller companies get big recognition with the Bettys

Bronwyn Steinberg, Artistic Director for Lunchbox Theatre, which operates out of Vertigo Theatre at the base of the Calgary Tower, said that she was proud of their work to garner 13 awards this year for their four productions.

“I always go back and forth on awards. We just want to do good work, and if people think it’s award-worthy, it’s good for them. But you know, it does feel nice. The Bettys are juried by our peers, and it’s a whole committee and people from the theatre industry, and a whole bunch of different people are part of that committee. So it’s nice to have that recognition and know that that the community thinks highly of our work,” Steinberg said.

“We’re small, we only did four shows, and our shows are on a smaller scale certainly than some of the other companies. So it’s hard to compete in some ways with a really big spectacle, so for our work to be considered award-worthy is really special.”

Steinberg herself was nominated for her work in directing The Dark Lady for Lunchbox Theatre and The Shakespeare Company.

“One of the things that I’m most proud of for the season is we only had seven actors on our stage this year, because we had four small shows, and all seven of them were nominated for their performances, which is kind of amazing. Like, 100 per cent of our actors got nominations,” she said.

“What it makes me really excited and proud to think of our work here is that it’s that hopefully it means that lunchbox is a place where actors can really thrive, and feel supported to be able to do their best work. And that the stories that we’re programming are stories where they can really show off what they can do.”

The Bettys Awards are nominated by a committee of 12 anonymous theatre professionals. To be nominated for an award, a production has to run in Calgary for at least nine performances over two weeks, by one of Calgary’s professional theatre or opera companies.

The awards will be presented on June 24 at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. Tickets are available at www.bettymitchellawards.com.

Rocky Mountain Outlook

Jordan Small

May 8, 2024

CANMORE – Finding love is only 5,000 kilometres away.

A year after the death of his wife, Georges Boivin and three friends embark on a cross-country journey from Quebec to Vancouver in search of his first love who he hasn’t seen in 50 years, in the live theatre production of The Ballad of Georges Boivin. 

In fitting fashion, the show hits the road and travels to Canmore from Calgary starting Wednesday to Saturday (May 8-11) at the Miners’ Union Hall. Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m. 

“It’s an older character and he’s dealing with grief and loss, but it’s also about seeing what is still possible later in life,” said director Bronwyn Steinberg.

“We all have those sort of crossroads moments of what am I and what do I do now that this big thing changed, so I think it’s a play that everyone can really relate to, but all that sounds kind of heavy and it’s really not.”


Described as more of a road trip buddy comedy, the play has one distinct punch line – every role is played by actor Duval Lang.

“Through the magic of theatre, he plays, I think, around 10 or 11 characters,” said Steinberg. “It’s the four friends that are driving across the country and then everyone they meet along the way.”

Duval goes through vocal shifts, like putting on a thicker accent for some of the characters and physical posture changes and gestures.

“But it’s very clear as you watch it,” said Steinberg.

Additionally, the sound and lighting aid in transforming the stage into a busy highway, with car horns, music and pit stops along the way.

Running for about an hour, the director added that Lang, who’s been acting for more than 40 years and has appeared in films like Brokeback Mountain, commands the stage for every second of it.

“I feel like it’s really captivating and it kind of almost surprises you,” said Steinberg. “It’s really like a delightful journey and so fun to see these different characters and it’s a nice kind of feeling of Quebecois culture, which we don’t get a lot of in English, Canadian theatre, and it’s beautifully translated.”

The play was written by Montreal playwright Martin Bellemare in 2009 and translated into English in 2021. 

Bow Valley-based Pine Tree Players is co-presenting The Ballad of Georges Boivin with professional theatre group Lunchbox Theatre, based out of Calgary. It’s a new collaboration between the production companies that has the potential to continue moving forward.

“The more quality theatre we can bring to the Bow Valley, the better,” said Pine Trees Players’ president Jen Tweddell. “Also, having a professional theatre company come here and work with our volunteers and crew members, who are helping set up other productions … there’s a lot of learning opportunities for us.”

Tickets are pay-what-you-can for Wednesday’s show in Canmore. From Thursday to Saturday, admission is $30 per person. On Friday’s show, headsets will be available that will have live audio descriptions of the play for audience members who are blind or visually impaired.

Jenna Shummoogum

April 25, 2024

Lunchbox Theatre’s ‘The Ballad of George Boivin’ is a lovely story of love and loss.

George Boivin is going on a journey. He and three pals are crossing the country by car, from Montreal to Vancouver, searching for George’s first love. The Ballad of George Boivin by Martin Bellemare and translated by Jack Paterson and with Johanna Nutter is produced by Lunchbox Theatre. The play explores chasing down a dream to avoid the tidal wave of grief and find meaning in the wreckage.

George is in the hands of Duval Lang, and anyone else with less talent would not be able to handle the solo performance. Lang also portrays the surly Gerard, who is the most articulate of George’s three companions. Clement is also squeezed in the car, mostly complaining all the way. And to round out the quartet is Jean Pierre whose hearing is mostly completely gone but is intrinsically linked to George. They are driving across the country to find Juliette, George’s first love, in the wake of the death of his wife, Germaine.

George has his friends, his heart as his compass, and an address belonging to Juliette 50 years ago. They don’t know if she’s alive, but George must find her. The audience isn’t quite sure why it is so pressing that in his 77th year, George needs to make the drive to Vancouver, but this is how the story unfolds.

Beth Kate’s set design and lighting design create the imagination that animates this solo production. There are suitcases that Lang uses to represent his companions in the car. A desk and a chair create the narrative that George takes us on. Branches adorned with budding flowers are hung on either side of the stage and are lit in white. The yellow dividing lines on the stage floor represent the divided highway George is going along. Anton de Groot’s sound design is the sound of the traffic and the horns when George is a terrible driver. His work rounds out the story even more. The costume design is by Ralamy Kneeshaw and ensures that Lang looks much older than he is, complete with gray hair. The element that makes the storytelling so nostalgic is the projector and old pictures. They render the story and really make it come alive.

Lunchbox Theatre’s production of The Ballad of George Boivin is only the second time it’s been produced in English. This story and production is an ode to live theatre and Lang allows you to laugh and cry with him and feel his loss so deeply. It is a lovely, incredibly moving story and a testament to masterful storytelling. Don’t miss this lovely little play.

Lunchbox Theatre’s The Ballad of George Boivin runs until May 5th.

Pack your bag and join Lunchbox Theatre for a road trip, not through the heartland, but through the land of the heart.

The Ballad of Georges Boivin is a story of grief, resilience, friendship and love, crafted by award-winning French Canadian playwright Martin Bellemare, and translated by Jack Paterson and Johanna Nutter. This is only the second time this play has been presented in English.

The play’s protagonist is Georges Boivin, a 77-year-old Montreal widower who lost his wife Germaine a year earlier. His loss still seems surreal, and, to try to deal with it, he decides to drive to Vancouver to find Juliette Chacal, his first love he hasn’t seen in 50 years. Along with his memories of her, he has her last known address in Vancouver. Georges talks two friends from his retirement home, Gerard and Clement, and lifelong friend Jean Pierre, who lives in a care home, into accompanying him.

Gerard is a bit of a grouch, but it’s his way of dealing with dementia, while Clement still fancies himself a bit of an elitist. Jean Pierre is deaf and needs a wheelchair, but still has a razor-sharp memory, and, next to Georges, he knew Juliette best, so his presence is essential.

The four men, and some of the people they meet along the way, are all played by Duval Lang in what is a beautifully nuanced, totally easeful performance. It’s such a pleasure being in his company.

Georges speaks directly to the audience, so it really feels as if we’re riding in that car with this most unlikely quartet. He has brought along a slide projector, and some slides that are vital to the story he is telling, It’s something left over from his years as a teacher.

Director Bronwyn Steinberg and Lang make exceptional use of the four suitcases which come to represent each of the men, and what Steinberg creates with a sweater is pure theatrical magic.

As Georges tells us, and Lang shows so well in his voice and mannerisms, his wife Germaine was the love of his life, or as he says, the centre of his life. His recollections are not just heartfelt, but sometimes heart-wrenching. By comparison, his memories of Juliette are more humorous, and definitely filled with passion. When he met Juliette, he was naive and virginal; she not so much so.

What Georges feels for Gerard and Clement is friendship of the highest order. What he feels for Jean Pierre is more akin to love. There is an incredible scene in the final third of the play when Georges and Jean Pierre are alone in the car, and Jean Pierre rediscovers his zest for life, which Lang makes so powerful that it tugs at the heart.

It’s remarkable how much tension and suspense Bellemare, Steinberg and Lang create in the sustained climax of the play. I won’t tell you what Georges and Jean Pierre find when they reach Vancouver. You’ll have to take the road trip with them but be assured the rewards are immense.

Beth Kates’s set and lighting give the play a dreamlike quality, as does Anton deGroot’s sound design.

The Ballad of Georges Boivin is beautifully written, directed, designed and acted, and it has so much to say about aging, friendship, and, above all, the enduring qualities of love. It runs in the Vertigo Studio Theatre at the base of the Calgary Tower until May 5.

Calgary’s Independent Critic

A L Couch

April 18, 2024

The Ballad of Georges Boivin is a really sweet and lovely story by Martin Bellemare (he/him), translated from French by Jack Paterson (he/him), about a man in his late 70s going on a road trip across the country to find his first girlfriend. Produced by Lunchbox Theatre, this one-man show is a touching story about love, friendship, and the fear of death.

The character of Georges is played by Duval Lang (he/him) in this production. Lang does a wonderful job of feeling like a vaguely sad old man, who seems restless and dissatisfied with his current life. Directed by Bronwyn Steinberg (she/her), the play begins with Georges telling the audience about his life, and his friends, before slowly drawing us into the story, so that the audience is no longer being told the story, but is remembering/experiencing it alongside Georges. Although it is a one man show, Lang also embodies Georges’ friends on the trip with him, the way one might mimic a friend’s voice when telling a story.

The set is formed by a desk and some vintage suitcases, which are used to stand in for a car, a dining table, and a hotel bed, among other things. There are also tree branches with what appear to be apple or cherry blossoms, and the stage itself has been painted to resemble a roadway. (Usually I would make sure to get a picture of the set, but was unable to do that for this performance.) Designed by Beth Kates (she/her), the set and props create every location Georges tells us about, demonstrating everything he needs to show the audience.

The lighting for this production was also designed by Beth Kates, and felt subtle. It served to keep the focus on Georges and his story, without pulling you out of the story at all. It also included a slide projector used in the beginning of the show, to help Georges demonstrate certain aspects of his story. The projector is also used very cleverly to represent car headlights at one point, while Georges is describing the road trip.

The sound design, done by Anton deGroot (he/him), was well done. It incorporated road noise throughout driving scenes, and as well as music cued into the scene by Georges as he related the story to the audience.

Georges costume in this show was designed by Ralamy Kneeshaw (she/her), and felt like a perfect encapsulation of his character. It was something I could absolutely imagine on any older man, and was very versatile, with Georges’ cardigan standing in for another character in his memory at one point.

The show is running now, in the Studio at Vertigo Theatre, until May 5th. Tickets can be purchased at lunchboxtheatre.com or by calling the Vertigo Theatre box office at 403-221-3708.

This is a show that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a fun or touching show. It is certainly one that I will be encouraging my friends and family, especially my grandparents , to go see.

For the past six months, Calgary actor Duval Lang has been grappling with four alter egos.

When Lunchbox Theatre’s final play of this season opens on April 16, Lang will finally unleash this quartet that has occupied so much of his interior life.

The Ballad of Georges Boivin, the award-winning play by French Canadian author Martin Bellemare, is the story of a recently widowed, 77-year-old man who convinces three of his longtime friends to accompany him on a road trip from Montreal to Vancouver. Having just lost Germaine, the love of his life, Georges has decided to seek out Juliette, the very first woman he ever loved. He has her address in Vancouver from 50 years ago. He has no idea if she still lives there, or if she is even alive, but he hopes this quest will return meaning to his shattered life.

Though The Ballad of Georges Boivin has been produced numerous times in Quebec and Europe, Lunchbox’s version, under the direction of artistic director Bronwyn Steinberg, is only the second time the play has been produced in English, in a translation by Jack Patterson with Johanna Nutter.

“It was important for me to base the four characters on people I know so I could keep them as distinct as possible. I’ve given each man specific vocal characteristics, his idiosyncrasies of movement, and his own character traits,” says Lang, who admits he patterned Georges after himself.

“I dug out my old high school yearbook to look up pictures of Marlene, my very first real girlfriend. It’s the image I hold for Juliette. As was the case with Georges, this was my first love, and those are people we never really forget. It was definitely infatuation, and to complicate things, she was very popular. That put me behind the eight ball, but I persisted. I understand why Georges goes on his quest.”

Georges picks up his friend Gerard at a nursing home. Lang says “he’s quite combative because he has borderline dementia, and struggles with memory. Anger is just his way of coping, and covering up. Clement was also in a retirement home, and he’s the aristocrat of the group. People will recognize who I’ve patterned him after because he’s a pretty famous personality.”

Duval Lang stars in Lunchbox Theatre’s cross-country journey The Ballad of Georges Boivin. Photo, Hannah Kerbes cal

Jean Pierre is in a nursing home and is failing physically. He’s in a wheelchair and he’s almost deaf, but Georges could not go on this journey without him.

“Georges and Jean Pierre have been friends for as long as they can remember. He’s the glue that connects Georges to Juliette because Jean Pierre remembers so many details about that relationship. Physically he may be weak, but he is the sharpest of the quartet.”

Lang also plays six additional characters the little group meets along the way, and he admits “it’s a bit of a challenge to keep them all in my head, and separate. That’s why I started working on the script way back in October.”

Lang recently saw the filmed version of Andrew Scott’s solo show Vanya for the British National Theatre, and was inspired by “how, with very little effort, he was able to distinguish all the different characters. Like Scott, I’m not going to be changing hats, or adding little costume pieces to distinguish my characters. What he accomplished has become my goal.”

The only other solo show Lang has performed was 40 years ago for Quest Theatre. It was called Portrait of An Adult As A Young Man, but he has welcomed this new challenge since the day Steinberg offered him the role.

Lunchbox’s The Ballad of Georges Boivin runs in the Vertigo Studio Theatre at the base of The Calgary Tower from April 16 through May 5. For times and performance dates, check out lunchboxtheatre.com.

March 6, 2024

Review: Kisapmata's first love story both tender and timely

Louis B. Hobson

February 4, 2024

Kisapmata by Lunchbox Theatre, Courtesy Ben Laird PHOTO BY BENJAMIN LAIRD PHOTO /cal

There are many kinds of love stories from puppy love and summer love to second-chance love and golden age love.

Calgary playwright Bianca Miranda’s Kisapmata, receiving its world premiere at Lunchbox Theatre until Feb. 18, is a love story about first love.

Her two women characters are named only A and B, presumably to indicate any two bodies

A, a Canadian Filipino, was born, lives and works in Calgary. B is an exchange intern from the Philippines. When they acknowledge their mutual attraction, B warns that this can only be a fling because she not only has to return home but needs to. She is the sole supporter of her family. A insists they can still have a deep relationship, and that’s certainly what she wants.

In her program notes, Miranda says that while growing up in the Philippines, she and her mother bonded by watching teleseryes or soap operas. Kisapmata is essentially a television soap opera. It’s episodic, told through flashbacks, strives for heightened emotions, and uses moral and emotional conflicts to advance the plot. There’s also a smattering of situation comedy in Kisapmata because Miranda manages to integrate a good deal of humour.

Kisapmata by Lunchbox Theatre, Courtesy Ben Laird cal

That Kisapmata is about first love does not mean her characters are young or chaste, but that the attraction becomes, especially for A, a first intense, all-consuming passion, and one that lingers at least 10 years after the affair. The play opens with A receiving a phone message from the Philippines that triggers memories of that fateful earlier pairing.

The hook for the audience is that Michelle Diaz makes the young A so disarming and giddy without making her seem needy. It’s fun watching her become smitten with the talented, stern, self-confident woman that Isabella Pedersen makes B. It’s definitely the opposites attract syndrome and a source of much of the humour.

Using only a different pair of glasses and a mini shawl, Diaz is able to age quickly and credibly. When the older A remembers her first meeting with B, and important incidents during their affair, Diaz imbues these speeches with a gentle poignancy, never resorting to tears, making them all the more powerful.

There’s definitely a bit of eat, pray, love, karaoke in Kisapmata which not only adds to the humour but introduces the audience to Filipino culture.

One of the flaws in Miranda’s play is that so much is told rather than shown, a pitfall of memory plays,  and that it is episodic. However, director Gina Puntil, set designer Cassie Holmes, and video and projection designer Thomas Geddes give Diaz and Pedersen a visually interesting environment in which to work.

Puntil and Miranda allow the kiss to come much too early in the play, diminishing its impact. They ask us to assume the relationship is intimate so we should also be allowed to assume the characters kiss often. A imagines how she wishes their parting had happened, and it’s during this scene, the kiss should occur because it is so tender.

When artistic director Bronwyn Steinberg welcomed Kisapmata’s opening day crowd, she said Lunchbox Theatre was proud to be showcasing a queer love story given the current political climate in Alberta.

The play runs in the Vertigo Studio Theatre until Feb. 18 with varied performance times Tuesdays through Sundays so check out tickets.lunchboxtheatre.com for times and availability.

Daybreak Alberta with Paul Karchut

Aired Feb 4, 2024

A heartfelt queer love story is closing out the last day of High Performance Rodeo in Calgary. Kisapmata is a new play, centered around two Filipino women. It's written by Calgary artist, theatre-maker and Downstage associate producer, Bianca Miranda. She tells us more about it.

Kisapmata by Chromatic Theatre and Lunchbox Theatre

By A L Couch

Published Feb 2, 2024

Kisapmata (ki-SUP-matah) is a brand-new play by Bianca Miranda (she/they). Told through intimate vignettes, this play tells the story of two queer Filipino women, one born and raised in Canada, and one born and raised in the Philippines, and only here briefly for work. Kisapmata, which is Tagalog for “blink of an eye”, explores the brief relationship between these two women by having one of the characters recount her memories to the audience, before slipping into her younger self.

Poster Artwork by Maezy Reign

The show is beautifully directed by Gina Puntil (she/her/siya). I always find direction hard to talk about, because if it’s done poorly, you know right away. But if direction is done well, you don’t even notice it, because everything flows incredibly easily. Kisapmata is like that. Everything flows beautifully, and the show feels very smooth and easy.

The acting in this show is really well done. Both roles are incredibly well acted. The two characters, A and B, are shown moving through their love story, and the audience gets really pulled into their experiences and emotions. (I cried through most of the last 15-20 minutes of the show, and heard lots of sniffles around me.) Based on the reactions of the Filipino audience members around me, the acting was able to capture the experience of both a new arrival to Canada, and a first-generation Filipino-Canadian. I especially loved seeing A’s physicality as Diaz moved between the two ages of A that we see depicted.

Set, designed by Cassie Holmes (she/her) and ticket

The set and costumes were designed by Cassie Holmes (she/her). The set was simple, but beautiful, and easy to transform into the various locations. The inclusion of the ropes hanging throughout the space was also a very effective way to remind the audience about the connections between us all, even though we can’t see them. The set pieces were also able to transition and hide other set decoration, to help scenes blend into each other more fully. Holmes’ costumes were also really well designed. The costumes were simple, but transformed easily between work attire, hanging out at home, and going out with friends, as well as the dramatic age shift for one of the characters. The set and costumes were really effective in keeping the story moving, without long pauses to potentially lose the audience.

Between the lights, projections, and graphic design, this show did a great job of using a single set to create 5 different locations (if I’m remembering correctly). The lights were designed by Kathryn Smith (they/them), and were also very helpful in clearly demonstrating to the audience when we were switching between times in the characters lives. The projections were designed by Thomas Geddes (he/him), and put onto two white screens, which served as backdrops for the various locations. Many of those projections were images created by the show’s graphic designer, Gladzy Kei (she/her). Kei’s images were a beautiful way to help create the various locations.

The projections between scenes are often portrayed through screenshots of a music player, playing off the sound design by SallieMae Salcedo (they/them). The show makes use of lots of Filipino music, along with some more Western sounds (like the Jaws theme that plays briefly). The music and sound throughout the show were really well integrated through the rest of the storytelling taking place.

Kisapmata is being put on by Chromatic Theatre and Lunchbox Theatre, and is being performed in the Studio at Vertigo Theatre. The show is also part of the High Performance Rodeo. The show runs until February 18th, with most shows being matinees, and a handful of evening performances, including a 4pm Brown-Out and Filipino Celebration performance on February 3rd.

All in all, I really loved this show, and I hope many people get to see it, and that the script is taken up by other companies around Canada. I especially loved that out of the 13 cast and crew members, only five were not Filipino. It was incredible to see a show about a specific culture created and portrayed by people who are part of that culture. If you have a chance over the next couple of weeks, please get out to see this show.

Tickets can be purchased at https://www.lunchboxtheatre.com/kisapmata

Preview: Lunchbox Theatre and Chromatic Theatre’s Kisapmata by Bianca Miranda

By Dianne Miranda

Published Jan 30, 2024

Photo credit Jirapan Nilmanee (Mik) // @mik.jira

Co-produced by Lunchbox Theatre and Chromatic Theatre and presented by One Yellow Rabbit as part of the 38th Annual High Performance Radio, Kisapmata is a new play, centered around two Filipino/a/x women written by Calgary artist, theatre-maker and Downstage’s associate producer, Bianca Miranda.

“I really wanted to write a love story. I feel like there is a resistance to love stories. It just gets such a bad rep because everyone is like ‘Oh, we’ve seen it all; we want new things’,” said Miranda in an interview with the Gauntlet. “But also being queer and Filipinx, I wanted to write a story that was queer and with two Filipinx women in them.” 

“Also, I grew up watching a lot of teleseryes with my Lola and my mom and that was something that we all would gather around the TV,” they continued. “It became a ritual every night and there was something so simple about it. I missed that feeling.” 

Kisapmata is inspired by a song with the same title by Rivermaya, a Filipino alternative rock/punk band. The word kisapmata itself translates to “the blink of an eye”. The song explores the concept of fleeting love and how quickly it can disappear.

“There is this inherent kind of drama that spoke to me [from the song and the chorus]. This idea that you could be forever changed and affected by a person coming into your life and they could disappear in a blink of an eye. I also know that there are a lot of Filipinx folks who spend a lot of their time away from home, away from family. So, I thought it was interesting to put these two characters together who ultimately can’t be together. They’re just in this for a borrowed time,” she said. 

Starting on January 10, Chromatic Theatre’s Instagram is posting a Tagalog word and its translation as part of its weekly Wordy Wednesday. Miranda commented on how the play incorporates Tagalog and English in its dialogue and the significance of that for the characters and narrative.

“A’s character was born and raised in Canada and can understand Tagalog but not speak it confidently. B is in an internship. She was born and raised in the Philippines, and can fluently speak her first language. I wanted to get a little bit into this; the experience of code-switching and what it’s like for B to come to a country and kind of have these expectations.”

Miranda was born and raised in the Philippines. She lived there for most of her teens and moved to Canada when she was 14.

“I also find myself in both characters,” Miranda said. “Drawing from when I first landed here, I remember being [like] I have to be the most un-Filipino person you’ve ever met. Kind of wanting to forget the language and not letting myself slip in accents, in words and almost wanting to erase that part of me, wanting to assimilate, really, simply put.”

“A, however, is in this other world where she is yearning so much to understand her parents and where they come from—feeling like the language is the main thing that’s keeping her from fully understanding the nuances of her culture. I think it’s so interesting because both characters’ relationships to language speak about their background.”

Regardless of the audience’s cultural background, Kisapmata is sure to resonate and relate with the broader audience because it, at its core, is a love story. It can remind people of the feeling of baring your soul to someone, to a friend or a loved one—this feeling of being seen and heard. Even if the audience does not share the entirety of the experience that they’re watching, there is something to relate to and bond over. 

“I’ve heard people [say that] there’s always a person that comes to mind or even a friend that they’re like, ‘that person changed me, impacted me.’ They weren’t there for a long time, but they stay with you forever.”

The play is directed by Gina Puntil and the cast and crew have been nothing but supportive. They took the time and energy to read the words and be inspired by the words that Miranda had put on a page and turned into another form of art. 

“Gina [Puntil] has been the director from day one and she’s definitely had a lot of input in terms of the script. She did the casting and we talked about what the goals are for the script and what I want people to feel,” Miranda said. “Kodie [Rollan] who is now the assistant director, but also was my dramaturg has watched me bawl my eyes out because I [said] I don’t know if I’m doing enough and he’s just like, ‘I’m here for you—cry but also keep writing’. Our sound designer, composer, Sallie Mae wrote a song for A and B and that’s going to be their theme song.”

Kisapmata will be having special days and performances. Feb 4 will be a relaxed, audio-described and super mask-friendly performance. Feb 9 will be dedicated to celebrating pride organizations. 

Feb 3 is the Brown Out Night, an invitation to Filipino/a/x and other racialized folks to come in specifically which will be followed by a private reception. 

“Theatre historically is, and still is, a white-centred institution,” Miranda said. “It’s just a celebration of all of us, of this community, a brown story for a brown audience.” 

Kisapmata will run from Jan 30 to Feb 18. Those interested in getting a behind-the-scenes look at all things Kisapmata can visit the Backstage pass. To view showtimes and buy your tickets, visit Lunchbox Theatre’s website. 

THE EVOLUTION OF A LOVE STORY

Lunchbox Theatre has teamed with Chromatic Theatre for the world premiere of Bianca Miranda’s Kisapmata, a queer love story that is being presented as Lunchbox’s contribution to the 2024 High Performance Rodeo.

It will run in the Vertigo Studio Theatre from Jan. 30 to Feb. 4 as part of the Rodeo and then continue its run as the third play in Lunchbox’s current season until Feb. 18.

Kisapmata, a Tagalog word which means blink of an eye, is also the title of a song by the punk Filipino band Rivermaya. Miranda’s play tells the love story of two Filipino women. One is living in Canada while the other was born and raised in the Philippines. Through a series of vignettes, the audience sees this love story from inception to closure.

Miranda’s play has been in development, first with Chromatic, and then with Lunchbox, since 2021. Miranda co-wrote and performed The F Word for Alberta Theatre Projects last season, and is the associate producer at Downstage Theatre.

Lunchbox Theatre’s artistic director Bronwyn Steinberg says she fell in love with Kisapmata the first time Chromatic Theatre presented a reading of it. She recalls she “knew right away that I loved Bianca’s writing, and that I’d love to see Kisapmata at Lunchbox, which is why we supported Kisapmata through our new play development workshops.”

Kodie Rollan, the artistic director of Chromatic Theatre, describes Kisapmata as “an embodiment of a bunch of different love letters. It is a love letter to oneself, one’s identity and romantic partner, but also a love letter to Filipino culture.”

Steinberg stresses that “a story about Filipino characters in Canada is an absolutely Canadian story. I think audience members from all communities can relate to Bianca’s characters.”

Kisapmata, directed by Edmonton-based artist Gina Puntil, and starring Michelle Diaz and Isabella Pedersen, is not suggested for preteens.

Curtain call: Lots of excellent theatre to celebrate in 2023

Louis B. Hobson

Published Dec 29, 2023

Review: Lunchbox's With Bells On provides hilarious, meaningful message

Louis B. Hobson

Published Dec 1, 2023


Lunchbox Theatre's With Bells On starring Joel Schaefer and Bernardo Pacheco. Photo, Benjamin Laird

Lunchbox Theatre’s holiday production of Darrin Hagen’s With Bells On proves the idiom ‘third time’s a charm’.

This story of a lonely introvert trapped in his apartment elevator with a drag queen dressed as a Christmas tree is one of the most whimsical, charming ways to spend an hour.

Lunchbox first presented With Bells On in 2010 and then again in 2014, both times to enthusiastic turn-away crowds. In her program notes, artistic director Bronwyn Steinberg says she programmed it this year for three reasons. Firstly, audience members have been asking for the play’s return. Secondly, it’s been nine years so it’s ripe for a revival but, also, with the recent hostility drag events in Calgary have faced, she felt the play’s message needs to be heard.

The two characters in With Bells On are opposites. Ted (Bernardo Pacheco) is a shy, neurotic accountant reeling from a recent divorce. Natasha (Joel Schaefer) is a brash, self-important extrovert on a mission. It’s Christmas Eve and Ted just wants to be an observer at a club or bar where others are having fun. He doesn’t want to sit home alone in his lonely apartment. Natasha wants to be the belle of the ball at the annual Magic Crystal Palace drag contest. Natasha wants to be seen and heard and applauded.

From the moment the elevator gets stuck, it’s obvious where this little journey is going to take Ted and Natasha, but it’s how they get there that’s so much fun, thanks to Hagen’s clever, bitchy but always insightful, writing, and Conrad Belau’s no-holds-barred, inventive direction.

Lunchbox Theatre’s With Bells On starring Joel Schaefer and Bernardo Pacheco. Photo, Benjamin Laird jpg

Belau allows Schaefer to have a demeanour as garish as the outfits he flaunts. Schaefer is the roaring lion to Pacheco’s cowering mouse, but in true Aesop fable tradition, Ted will find a way to tame Natasha’s thorny disposition, and Natasha will find a way to release Ted’s inner showman. There’s great schtick each time the lights in the elevator dim or go out because Ted is terrified of the dark, and when Natasha boosts him up into the elevator shaft, it’s hilarious.

If there was any real scenery in Cassie Holmes’ set, Pacheco and Schaefer would have had no problem devouring it with such unbridled, unrestrained, unapologetic performances.

Benjamin Toner has devised costumes that conceal as much as they suggest. Natasha is like one of those Matryoshka Russian dolls, with costumes inside costumes. Natasha has chosen Dolly Parton’s holiday song With Bells On to sing at the drag contest, so somewhere inside the Christmas Tree lurks Natasha’s favourite country singer. Somewhere inside Dolly is an even bigger surprise. Inside Ted’s simple outfit lurks a Hugh Jackman Greatest Showman. The closing routine choreographed by Alexa Elser is the showstopper it’s meant to be. Given that both Schaefer and Pacheco are musical theatre actors, Belau should have turned them loose and let them sing as well as dance that final number.

The wonderful thing about Hagen’s script is that Ted is not some uptight homophobe. He isn’t shocked by Natasha’s outlandish appearance and demeanour. He’s actually in awe because it is so foreign to his timid nature. It’s this attitude in Ted that wins Natasha over because, initially, Natasha thinks Ted, like so many people in his past, is judging and condemning. Natasha becomes intrigued by Ted’s innate innocence and honesty and sees there’s a potential devil in her angelic neighbour that needs to be released.

Ted and Natasha learn it’s not clothes that make the man, but tolerance, acceptance and understanding, which are the gifts the Wise Men took from the Nativity.

With Bells On runs until Dec. 17 at Lunchbox Theatre.

Hobson's Choice: Lunchbox spread holiday cheer with With Bells On

Louis B. Hobson

Published Nov 22, 2023


StoryBook and Lunchbox theatres are rolling out some holiday cheer.

THIS BELL JUST KEEPS ON RINGING

Lunchbox Theatre’s holiday show With Bells On, has a storied history with Calgary’s lunchtime theatre company.

With Bells On is the story of a most outrageous encounter. Ted, a mild-mannered accountant with persistent bad luck, finds himself trapped in his apartment elevator with Natasha, a towering drag queen dressed as a Christmas tree. Natasha is on his way to a Christmas Queen pageant which he intends to win. He just has to get out of the elevator, and Ted’s life, in time.

Written by Edmontonian Darrin Hagen, With Bells on was developed through Lunchbox’s Stage One new play development program back in 2008  Starring Paul Welch and Stafford Perry, it premiered at Lunchbox in 2010 to critical and audience acclaim, so much so, that it was revived with the same actors in 2014.

Fast forward nine years, and With Bells On is making a return visit to Lunchbox with a new cast. Bernardo Pacheco is Ted to Joel Schaefer’s Natasha, with Conrad Belau directing the comic mayhem.

Up in Edmonton, Theatre Network is premiering the musical version of With Bells On from Dec. 5-23, a further feather in Lunchbox’s cap for having nurtured the original script.

Benjamin Toner who won the $10,000 top prize on the TV show Sew Fierce, and has designed costumes for the Stampede Grandstand show, has designed the costumes for Lunchbox’s With Bells On.

With Bells On runs at Lunchbox in the Vertigo Studio Theatre Nov. 28 through Dec. 17.

From its writing, direction and design to its pair of tour de force performances, Lunchbox Theatre’s The Dark Lady is a triumph.

This co-production with The Shakespeare Company, running in the Vertigo Studio Theatre until Oct. 29, is must-see theatrical wizardry.

Ontario playwright Jessica B. Hill hypothesizes that Elizabethan musician and poet Emilia Bassano was not only the inspiration for Shakespeare’s love sonnets, his muse and collaborator on his later plays, but ultimately his lover.

It’s a tricky thesis but Hill’s writing is so vibrant and compelling, it’s not just easy, but great fun to be won over to her premise. She may have set the play in Elizabethan England, but her language makes Bassano and Shakespeare seem wildly contemporary.

Shakespeare meets Bassano at a production of his comedy Two Gentlemen of Verona, so probably around 1589, and we meet, with her, at his grave in 1616, so the play covers close to 30 years of what we’re meant to believe was a love affair as turbulent and fiery as it was passionate and intellectually stimulating.

Bassano wanted desperately to be published, but that was not an option for women of her time. She saw the ideas she fed Shakespeare appear in his works, but that wasn’t satisfying enough. She felt she was an equal, and wanted to be treated as such. It caused many a rift in their otherwise all-consuming relationship. Watching this power struggle play out in their courtship is what gives The Dark Lady both its humour and its heart. This is one of those wonderful plays where tears of laughter and joy become tears of pain and sorrow.

Natascha Girgis is positively radiant as Bassano. She’s not just a force of nature for Luigi Riscaldino’s Shakespeare, but for the audience as well. Her jibes can be like daggers, and they never fail to elicit the intended laughter, but she drags up so much heartfelt emotion whenever Bassano is compromised. This is the kind of role that gives Girgis the challenges she relishes as one of Calgary’s finest actors.

Riscaldino proves a worthy sparring partner for Girgis. They are like the lovers Petruchio and Katherina from The Taming of the Shrew, or Beatrice and Benedict from Much Ado About Nothing, which is what Hill would like us to surmise, that those fictional lovers were simply art mirroring life.

Bassano keeps telling Shakespeare he is shortchanging his female characters. To prove this, she suggests they change clothes, so he can see firsthand how it feels to be minimalized. It’s such a hilarious scene, but also most insightful, especially in the hands of these two skilled actors.

With Persian rugs on the floor, pages of Shakespeare’s scripts, Bassano’s poems and letters for its walls, and a few blocks and semi-circles that become everything from chairs to gravestones, Madeline Blondal’s set is a marvel. Rebecca Toon’s costumes establish the period but also work little miracles that greatly enhance the play.

The audience sits on three sides of the set, and director Bronwyn Steinberg makes sure the action plays to all sides equally, and she ensures there is as much energy in the staging as there is in the dialogue.

The play runs 80 minutes, though it feels far less. Because this is a co-production with The Shakespeare Company, Lunchbox has added extra evening performances on Fridays, Saturdays and Wednesdays to accommodate that company’s subscriber base.

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