Sheldon Elter plays the main character of the performance, who undergoes drastic changes during his travels near the Trans Mountain Pipeline.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED- Punctuate Theatre
August 15, 2019 - 6:30 PM
KAMLOOPS - A dynamic performance touring across Canada will make a Kamloops stop next Monday.
‘Bears’ is a dark comedy put on by the Edmonton theatre company Punctuate, which focuses on the Trans Mountain Pipeline from an indigenous perspective.
“It’s a very theatrical piece. It's essentially a show about an indigenous oil worker who finds himself turning into a bear and it's told from his point of view as well as the point of view of the eight dancers involved, so it's a highly theatrical movement piece,” James MacDonald, artistic director of Western Canada Theatre, says.
The show will be happening at the Pavillion Theatre on Monday, Aug. 19 at 7:30 p.m. The theatre seats around 150 people and spots are available at a first-come, first-served basis at the door. The show was booked a few weeks ago and that's when the theatre company decided free admittance would be the best way to bring in a crowd.
'Bears' was written by Matthew McKenzie and uses projections, dance and chorus to create an emotional, politically-charged performance, according to a media release.
“It does ask questions about our involvement in the oil industry, I think it's quite an even-handed approach to it and their intention is to stimulate conversation,” MacDonald says. “The production has a talkback after with the cast and part of it is, you know, in order to stimulate discussion about the role of our natural dependence on natural resources.”
According to MacDonald, the show will bring a style not often seen by fans of the Western Canada Theatre.
“It’s a uniquely told story, and we don't necessarily do a lot of theatre here that's this movement, modern dance, theatre hybrid and that type of storytelling,” McDonald says.
MacDonald says that if the audience responds well to the show, it may come back on the next tour.
“It’s something that we've been considering for a full production, so it's kind of a good chance to get a little sneak peek at it and be able to see how audiences respond to it and to see how it looks in our space and fits in our space,” Macdonald says. “If the response is good and we feel like it's appropriate, we’d bring it back probably on their next tour which will be in a couple of years.”
You can check out more information on the performance here.
The Pavillion Theatre is located at 1025 Lorne Street in Kamloops.
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