THE LION, THE WITCH & THE WARDROBE (Dec 4 - Jan 2 1998/99)

Adapted by Ron Reed from the C.S. Lewis novel

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of C.S. Lewis' birth with this breathtakingly inventive staging of our century's most widely read, greatly loved children's classic. Captivates the adult imagination as powerfully as a child's with its rich themes and unforgettable images – a triumph of the imagination!

Dec 4 1998 – Jan 2 1999, Pacific Theatre (Vancouver)

CAST
Peter - Anthony Ingram *
Lucy - Miriam Brown

Director - Ron Reed
Set - Stancil Campbell
Stage Manager - April Nicolle *

COTTON PATCH GOSPEL (Oct 23 - Nov 21, 1998)

COTTON PATCH GOSPEL
by Tom Key & Russell Treyz, music by Harry Chapin

The Greatest Story Ever Re-Told packed our theatre in 1994, winning rave reviews and three Jessie Richardson Award nominations. The original cast returns in this high-energy big-hearted bluegrass celebration that places Jesus in the Deep South – face to face with revival preachers, crooked politicians and the Ku Klux Klan.

"Entertainment of a high order; witty, toe-tapping, and emotionally engaging entertainment" Colin Thomas, Georgia Straight

*

CAST
Spencer Capier
Allen des Noyers
Tim Dixon
Ron Reed
Wyndham Thiessen

Director - Morris Ertman

*

Oct 23 – Nov 21 1998, Pacific Theatre (Vancouver)

Spring 1999 Tour;
Sunshine Theatre (Kelowna)
Chemainus Theatre
Lambrick Park, Fraserview MB, Glad Tidings, etc

1998-99 Season: 15th Anniversary Season

Experience the extraordinary!

If you're like me, you go to the theatre to be enchanted, challenged, inspired, transported – maybe even changed. We gather in a darkened room hoping to experience life at its most essential and passionate – to enter worlds of imagination and transformation where human souls live through the central, defining moments of their lives.

In our 15th Anniversary season, we will take you to some extraordinary times and places – to 15th century France and England where an idealistic young woman fights for her country's freedom, to Gainsville Georgia where Jesus is born in an orange crate, to an imaginary world called Narnia in the grip of an endless winter. In the uniquely inimate world of our 125-seat theatre you will laugh and feel and think along with characters you won't forget, caught up in urgent questions of sanctity and sanity, of liberty and responsibility, of life and death.

We're celebrating our 15th Anniversary Season with a tremendous sense of anticipation – long awaited productions, new artistic collaborations, even an improved lobby!

Don't miss a minute of it. Life is so busy – why not decide right now to set aside a few evenings to leave behind the day-to-day and immserse yourself in the imaginative, deeply human world of live theatre.

Ron Reed

*

Cotton Patch Gospel
The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe
Agnes Of God
Saint Joan
You Still Can't

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME (May 21-23, 1998)

by Ron Reed, Paul & Nicole Johnson

Okay. Imagine Christmas Presence. Without the Christmas stuff. At a ballpark, on opening day. That's pretty much the idea of this All Star celebration of the stories, the characters and the literature of this timeless game. This glorious springtime of a show features the writings of W.P. Kinsella, Garrison Keillor, Casey Stengel and other literary giants. Nine innings of dramatic action with Abbott & Costello, Wayne & Schuster, Tinker & Evers & Chance. Sister Wynona Carr's gospel classic "Life Is A Ballgame" and other memorable tunes like "Say Hey (The Willie Mays Sont)." And the players - Shoeless Joe Jackson, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Bobby Thompson and Joe Carter, to mention just a few. Buy some peanuts and crackerjacks, and get yourself a seat on the first base line for the greatest opening day Vancouver has ever seen! The most fun you can have outside a ballpark!

CAST
Ron Reed
Nicole Johnson
Paul Johnson

BAND
Stephen Bulat
Karen Parent
Wyndham Thiessen

THE NERD (Mar 12 - Apr 4, 1998)

by Larry Shue

The creator of Pacific Theatre's smash hit The Foreigner is back with another wildly comic story. "As long as you are alive, you will have somebody on earth who will do anything for you" - words written by a soldier to the man who saved him from cdertain death on the battlefield. Years later, the hero shows up unexpectedly to collect - a hopeless, bumbling oaf with no social sense, little intelligence and less tact - and overstays his welcome to the point wehre his host is seriously considering the terms of his vow - "As long as you are alive..."

CAST
Rick Steadman - Dirk Van Stralen
Willum Cubbert - Kerry Vander Griend
Tansy McGinnis - Lisa Benner
Axel Hammond - Ron Reed
Warnock Walgrave - Francis Boyle
Clelia Waldgrave - Donna Lea Ford
Thorina Waldgrave - Katie Reed / Sasha Brayley

Director - Tom Carson

NAVY WIFE (Jan 30 - Feb 14, 1998)

by Jason Milligan
World Premiere

The winner of our 1994 Popular Demand new play reading series, this small gem of a play, set in the late 1950s, tells the story of Claire, a young woman who struggles to build a home while her husband, a Navy pilot, is stationed overseas. A story of commitment, new faith, and one woman's strength.

CAST
Claire - Miriam Brown
Jack - Francis Boyle
Birde - Linda Bush

Director - Morris Ertman
Sound - Stephen Bulat

A Night At The Improv (Jan 9-17, 1998)

2nd Annual Improv Comedy Fundraiser

Everybody can use a good laugh in the middle of our wet, gray Vancouver winter. We think we've got just the thing: a fun family evening of comedy improv. You'll see those familiar Pacific Theatre faces that you've enjoyed in past Murder Mysteries and comedies, working "without a net," in two wonderful evenings of hilarity. Cheer your team on as they strive to win you amazing prizes! And if you can stop laughing long enough, you'll be able to enjoy our "Build Your Own Sundae" bar. Help out a great theatrical cause, and have a ball doing it!

Jan 9, 10, 16, 17 (dates incorrect in brochure)

Christmas Presence (Dec 9-23, 1997)

A memorable theatre event unfolds before your eyes in the unslickest Christmas show ever to take place outside of a living room. These magical evenings of readings, music, sketches, monologues, short stories and reminiscences have become an essential part of the Christmas season for many. No two nights are the same. This year various musicians are featured with local singer/songwriter Michael Hart, joining Ron Reed in a celebration of the birth of Christ.


Dec 9, 10, 16, 17, 22, 23

REMNANT (Dec 5-20, 1997)

by Ron Reed

Five generations have passed since The Plaguing suddenly destroyed most human civilization. Now, in the ruins of that devastated world, in what used to be a theatre in the heart of Vancouver, a remnant gathers to hear the lost tales of their clan, to celebrate The Christ Mass for the first time in memory. Filled with hope and startling flashes of humour, this powerful evocation of light in the heart of darkness premiered at Pacific Theatre in 1989, and has gone on to win acclaim with subsequent productions in Detroit and Edmonton.

CAST
Barlow Sho'r - Dean Paul Gibson *
Widbee Nu1 - Cindy Block *
Lonr - Paul Muir *
Annagail Book'r - Erla Faye Forsyth *
Kristn Taler - Pam Raven (Muir) *

Director - Morris Ertman *
Set, Lights - Kevin McAllister
Stage Manager - Kelly O *

A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE (Nov 7-22, 1997)

by Arthur Miller

Celebrate Canada's Year Of Asia Pacific with this remarkable production. This gripping drama was originally set among New York's Italian immigrant families, caught in a complex clash of family allegiance, the fight to keep personal honour in the face of a new culture, and the pervasive influence of powerful gangs from the old country. Now Terry Jang-Barclay's brilliant re-conception moves the story to the heart of Vancouver's Asian Community.

Guest Production by the Building Bridges Equity Co-op

DOCTOR FAUSTUS (Oct 9-11, 1997)

DOCTOR FAUSTUS
by Christopher Marlowe
Guest Production: English Suitcase Theatre

Kevin Williamson, who brought us his adaptation of Macbeth, now brings to the PT stage his English Suitcase Theatre version of this classic tale of a doctor who sells his soul to the devil. In addition to the public performances, school students will see daytime shows.

Dr Faustus - Kevin Williamson
Mephistopheles - Lisa Wegner
The Chorus, Valdes, Lucifer, Emperor Carolus - J. Morgan Drmaj

Class of '77 (Sep 26-27, 1997)

scenario developed by Tim Dixon and Francis Boyle

Pacific Theatre's brand new annual fundraiser brings you together with an all-star, all-fave, all-PT cast of twenty for this interactive Tony'n'Tina style high school reunion. Dance to the disco sounds of your DJ for the evening, Rockin' Ronnie Reed! Feel the heat as Dirk "Customized" Van Stralen encounters Lucia "For Your Eyes Only" Frangione! Yawn through the Ruenion Address of Class President Tim "Tricky" Dixon! Experience the nostalgia, the laughs, the regrets, the triumphs, the snacks and maybe even a littl emystery as the Class of '77 reunites - "still crazy after all these years!"

Revived for subsequent performance in 1998.

The Go-Between (Aug 21, 1997)

by Jeanne Murray Walker

A work-in-progress staged reading of a new play by Jeanne Murray Walker, with playwright talkback to follow the show. Featuring Erla Faye Forsyth, Ron Reed, Tim Dixon, J.P. Allen, Gina Chiarelli and Lisa Benner.

(The public staged reading culminated a one-week script development workshop with Jeanne, coming out of the Lamb's Players Writers Week the previous January - later re-titled "Ice Crossing." Paul Muir replaced one of the actors listed above.)

YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU (May 29 - Jun 14, 1997)

by George S. Kaufman & Moss Hart

In the Vanderhof household, everyone "goes on about the business of living in the fullest sense of the word." All is peaceful anarchy until Alice, the white sheep of the family, brings home her all-too-ordinary Wall Street boyfriend! Considered by many to be the great comedy of the century, this big-hearted, big-cast Broadway hit from the 1920s will showcase gifted non-professional actors playing a host of unforgettable characters.

A Pacific Theatre Community Show

*

Director: Jenn Brose (Ohlhauser)

TENT MEETING (Apr 11 - May 3, 1997)

by Morris Ertman & Ron Reed
World Premiere of revised version

This nostalgic visit to the Canadian prairies of the 1930s first appeared on Alberta stages and audeinces were enchanted. Now e've commissioned playwright Ron Reed and dramaturg Frank Moher to develop that original script, retaining all the charm, character and thrilling gospel singing of the original hit!

Joyous! Anyone raised on Prairie church singing would be hard put not to clap hands and tap toes."
The Edmonton Journal

CAST
George Hoveland / Bob Lefsrud - Ron Reed
Pastor Ernest Douglas / Ben Reimer - Francis Boyle
Reverend Elroy Phillips - Don Noble
Sam Lundquist / Angus McPhee - Jonathan Bruce
Dolly Hoveland - Karen Parent

Director - Morris Ertman
Set - Morris Ertman
Light - Kevin McAllister
Costumes - Meg Ross
Dramaturg - Frank Moher
Stage Manager - Nicole Vieira
Technical Director - Rose Pelleirn
Props - Kevin Brady (company apprentice)

Funding - The Cultural Services Branch of the Government of British Columbia, The Leon And Thea Koerner Foundation, The Vancouver Foundation

*

From the Project Creator

Tent Meeting started as a labour of love really, a tribute to a time touched through the memories of my parents and the nostalgic living out of that memory in a gospel quartet, of which my Dad was a part, rehearsing in our living room. Theirs was not the tight, polished harmony of the Blackwood Brothers or the Stamps Quartet, whose records graced our modest family collection, but the music that came to life in that farm house rollicked with the same passions expressed on those albums and those voices became touchstones to a yearning of spirit that to this day is awakened in me with the swing of the bass line in "On The Jericho Road," the exuberant harmonies of "Walking In Jerusalem," or the longing reflected in the phrasing and lyrics of "Softly And Tenderly Jesus Is Calling."

Thirteen years ago, a company of actor/singers and this writer/director assembled in Edmonton, Alberta, to create a theatrical event, a recollection of a time just beyond their reach when tents were erected in small towns all across North America and revivals of the heart were brought about with travelling evangelists and quartets. The play was called Tent Meeting and its development was a celebration of the magic that occurred when whole communities gathered together under a canvas roof to sing and cajole friends and neighbours into the presence of a living God, to invite them to follow a tug in their hearts brought on by songs whose melodies somehow would not let you go, and the relief from that lump in your throat was a walk away, down an aisle covered in sawdust.

My son Luke spent the first summer of his life listening in on that rehearsal, and the sounds of my two-fingered typing as I worked through the dialogue that threaded the music together in that first production. It seems poetic to think that as his voice changes and begins to find its adult timbre, I have the privilege of revisiting this celebration of religion and life, inspired by my own parents and a small country church where, as a six-year-old, I first sang in public a gospel tune called "Dare To Be A Daniel."

It was the original production of Tent Meeting that introduced Ron Reed to me and his passion after seeing the piece was truly flattering. It has been a privilege to collaborate with him in the further development of the script in a way that, I trust, has resulted in a story that with greater clarity opens a window to a time when faith was as integrated in the lives of communities as a trip to the grocer.

I trust you enjoy the journey, as I have, and leave the theatre inspired to look in garage sales for recordings of groups with names like "The Stamps Quartet," Hovie Lister and the "Sensational Statesmen," and of course "The Blackwood Brothers," to play on your dusty outdated turntables.

Morris Ertman

HOLY MO & SPEW BOY (Feb 21 - Mar 8, 1997)

by Lucia Frangione
A Potluck Production
A post-modern Old Testament comedy

HOLY MO! was the hit of the 1994 Vancouver Fringe Festival, its off-the-wall comedy and reverent irreverence winning it a wildly enthusiastic reception from everybody! Critics, fringe-goers, even children delighted in this epic three-woman deconstruction of the story of Moses. And then there was... SPEW BOY! An equally wacky reinvention of the life of King David.

A Guest Production by Potluck Productions

*

CAST
Bufoona, a fool - Erla Faye Forsyth
Follie, a troubadour - Lucia Frangione
Guff, a flunky - Anita Wittenberg

Music - Rene Russell
Director - Don Noble
Stage Manager - Kelly O
Lights - Jim Wenting
Cart Design - Rene Joshi

*

Playwright's Notes

Holy Mo & Spew Boy is based on the lives of Moses and King David. Warning: Direct Biblical quotes include violence, sex, and offensive behavior. We encourage you to read the book.

This play means more to me than anything else I have ever done to doate. I suppose that is why I jumped at the chance to do it again when Pacific Theatre offered us the space and support to do it. I can't begin to tell you how the whole concept of Holy Mo & Spew Boy began. In some ways I wrote it as a challenge to the things I have struggled with. One, being a woman in the arts, two, being an artist with the title "Christian" thrust upon my shoulders. When we first began two of my dear actor friends sat me down and told me that "girls just aren't as funny as guys." We started rehearsals for our 1994 Holy Mo tour in a church lobby . The elders got a hold of the script an decided to kick us out on the grounds of blasphemy. We countered with an offer to see a run-through of the show. Our audience consisted of a mass of grim-faced bespectacled men, pencils and illegally copied scripts in hand. We said a quick and fervent prayer behind the circus wagon and began. During the show, laughter burst from them, almost by accident. They banged their pots and pans, shouting "Mo is a twinkie!" with tears running down their faces. At the end of the show, they laid their hands on our wagon, blessed us, and sent us off on our ministering way with a frying pan full of donations.

This play is really about faith. Faith that three women can be allowed to share the stories of these amazing Bilical characters with everyone, not just a select, sanctified few. Faith that we can get a few laughs, even if we are "only girls." Faith that truth is worth any offence taken, and will stand for itself without us having to convince our audiences to believe anything. Faith that my "faith" and my "art" amount to the same thing in the end.

Lucia Frangione

MASS APPEAL (Jan 24 - Feb 15, 1997)

by Bill C. Davis

Mark Dolson is a fiery young idealist who has become a candidate for the priesthood. Father Tim Farley is the well-loved, complacent senior priest assigned to put him in his place. But when controversey erupts over the young man's past, the priest finds his own life and beliefs on trial.

CAST
Mark Dolson - Dirk Van Stralen (Kevin Brady, understudy)
Tim Farley - Tim Dixon

Director - Jeremy Tow

Christmas Presence (Dec 13-21, 1996)

A memorable theatre event unfolds before your eyes in the unslickest Christmas show ever to take place outside of a living room. These magical evenings of readings, music, sketches, monologues, short stories and reminiscences have become an essential part of the Christmas season for many. No two nights are the same as a variety of musicians appear on different evenings, joining Ron Reed to "bring forth treasures old and new" in celebration of the birth of Christ.

Dec 13, 14, 20, 21

TALLEY'S FOLLY (Oct 11 - Nov 2, 1996)

by Lanford Wilson

When Matt Friedman returned to his big city accounting office after falling in love with a small-town girl, he had no idea that she would suddenly refuse to answer his letters and calls. A year later, he returns to the scene of their summer romance, determined to win her back. Set in 1945 against a background of home-front anti-semitism, this Pulitzer Prize winner has a rare ability to touch our hearts and make us laugh.

CAST
Matt Friedman - Tim Dixon
Sally Talley - Pam Raven (Muir)

Director - Ron Reed

Death On The Rocks (Sep 19-28, 1996)

by Tim Anderson

8th Annual Murder Mystery Fundraiser

Our Murder Mystery Dessert Theatre Fundraising Event has been so popular over the years that we've gradully inched up from one evening a year to five! The 8th Annual Murder Myster provides plenty of clues for you to get to the bottom of this highly entertaining conundrum. Help Pacific Theatre launch its CELEBRATION@ SEASON - and enjoy some decadent desserts, fabulous prize draws, a brand new mystery, and walk away with a tax receipt while you're at it!

Sep 19, 21, 26, 27, 28

1996-97: Celebration! Season

Talley's Folly, by Lanford Wilson
Mass Appeal, by Bill C. Davis
Holy Spew, by Lucia Frangione (Potluck Productions)
Tent Meeting, by Morris Ertman & Ron Reed
You Can't Take It With You, by Moss Hart (Pacific Theatre Community Shows)

Death On The Rocks, by Tim Anderson (8th Annual Murder Mystery Fundraiser)
Christmas Presence
A Night At The Improv (2nd Annual Improv Comedy Fundraiser)

*

Greetings from the Managing Artistic Director,
Ron Reed

We have a lot to celebrate! We've successfully completed the second season in our new theatre, acquired additional theatre equipment and received more nominations for Vancouver's Jessie Richardson Awards (bringing our total nominations to eight over the last two years)!

We want to celebrate our success by presenting our CELEBRATION! SEASON. All of your favourite Pacific Theatre actors will be back onstage and invite you to return - as a season subscriber.....

*

Mainstage Season Package (3 plays + Christmas Presence)
(Weeknight/Matinee / Weekend)
Adult: $37 / $49
Student/Senior: $22 / $34

Guest Production Package (2 intriguing plays, only available to Mainstage Package Subscribers)
Adult: $21.50 / $25.50
Student/Senior: $11.50 / $15.50

Murder Mystery: $32 (tax receipt for $25)
Improv Comedy Fundraiser: Individual $20 ($15 tax receipt), Family $75 ($55 tax receipt)

HOWARD BUYS A MOTORHOME (Apr 12-27, 1996)

HOWARD BUYS A MOTORHOME & HOWARD IN HELL:
THE HOWARD CYCLE
by Scott Hafso

Howard: Tim Dixon
Howard: Paul Muir * (mid-run)
Lucia Frangione
Erla Faye Forsyth *
Francis Boyle
Anthony Ingram
Kate Newman

Director: Scott Hafso
Stage Manager: Nicole Vieira

GAMBLING, by J.P. Allen (Feb 29 - Mar 9, 1996)

GAMBLING
Guest Production

Feb 29-Mar1, Mar 7-9

J.P. Allen
Director: Laurel Allen

MACBETH (Feb 9-24, 1996)

MACBETH
by William Shakespeare, adapted for five actors by The English Suitcase Theatre

Feb 9-24, 1996 (probably re-opened after GAMBLING closed, Mar 9)

Macbeth - J.P. Allen
Lady Macbeth, Witch - Erla Faye Forsyth
Macduff, Duncan, Witch - Ron Reed
Banquo, Witch - Tim Dixon
Murderer, Witch - Dirk Van Stralen
Director: Kevin Williamson

PAPER WINGS (Oct 20 - Nov 4, 1995)

PAPER WINGS
by Gillette Elvgren

Oct 20 - Nov 4, 1995

Jamie: Pam Raven
Stan: Ron Reed
Director: Morris Ertman

1995-96 Season

Paper Wings, by Gillette Elvgren
Macbeth, by William Shakespeare
Gambling, by J.P. Allen (Guest Production)
Howard Buys A Motorhome, by Scott Hafso

A prototype of the brochure was released as the Early Bird Edition: "Look for the Time Limited Early Bird Ticket Prices in this brochure. Valid before July 31, 1995 only!" It listed the following plays:
The Runner Stumbles, by Milan Stitt | Oct 13-21
Navy Wife, by Jason Milligan | Nov 24 - Dec 2
Macbeth, by William Shakespeare | Feb 9-17
Howard Buys A Motorhome, by Scott Hafso | Apr 12-20
plus...
Gambling | Mar 1 2 7 8 9 & Mar 2 matinee
Christmas Presence | Dec 14 15 16 21 22 23
Murder Mystery Fundraiser | Sep 22 23 29 30
Improv Fundraiser | Jan 12 13

Jessie Richardson Awards (Jun 11, 1995)

Pacific Theatre Nominations

Supporting Actor - Dirk Van Stralen, Voice of the Prairie
Musical Direction - Allen des Noyers, Cotton Patch Gospel
Set Design - Morris Ertman, Damien
Ensemble Cast - Spencer Capier, Allen des Noyers, Tim Dixon, Ron Reed, Wyndham Thiessen, Cotton Patch Gospel
Actress - Erla Faye Forsyth, Voice of the Prairie
Director - Morris Ertman, Cotton Patch Gospel

THE FOREIGNER (Mar 31 - Apr 22, 1995)

by Larry Shue

Charlie is visiting from England, shy and very much in need of rest. His friend has just the solution – he leaves him at a rural fishing lodge, telling them Charlie is from an exotic foreign land and speaks no English. All is well until Charlie overhears more than he should...

"I laughed start to finish. One surprise after another!" New Yorker

CAST
Froggy - Kevin
Charlie - Ron Reed
Betty - Erla Faye Forsyth
David -
Catherine - Pam Raven (Muir)
Owen - Francis Boyle
Ellard - Dirk Van Stralen

Director - Molly Anderson (Lyons)

TRAVELER IN THE DARK (Feb 17 - Mar 4, 1995)

by Marsha Norman

Even our most firmly held convictions can be shaken by the loss of a friend or the questions of a 12 year old. Marsha Norman serves up a fascinating contemporary exploration of the boundaries of the mind and the reaches of the heart.

"Bittersweet and totally engrossing" Dramalogue
"Traveler In The Dark has emotional power, insight and a hearteningly great ambition" Time

CAST
Sam - Tim Dixon
Glory - Erla Faye Forsyth
Everett - Ron Reed
Stephen - Joel Stephanson

Director - Angela Konrad

End Of The Line (Jan 13-21, 1995)

by Vicky McLeod

The Sixth Annual Murder Mystery Fundraiser sees - GASP! - Inspector Mull on trial for murder!! It started as an innocent search for family connections through the global computer information network. Now his only hope is to hunt down the real villain, with the help of one of his spirited kinsmen. Travel with us to where the ancient Scottish lore and modern technology cross wires, where you'll come face to face with a virtual killer!

"I neverrrrr miss it" I. Mull, The Manchester Gordian
"Bring the kids - they'll eat this stuff up!" The Caterer
"The feel-good comedy laugh riot of the year!! Pacific Theatre's best yet!!! Should win some kind of award!!!! I laughed 'til I ate!!!!!" Dick Lloyd

Jan 13, 14, 20, 21 1995

CAST
Francis Boyle
Damon Calderwood
Tim Dixon
Erla Faye Forsyth
Kate Newman
Ron Reed
etc.

Christmas Presence (Dec 12, 19, 26, 1994)

Dec 12, 19, 26

COTTON PATCH GOSPEL (Dec 9-31, 1994)

COTTON PATCH GOSPEL
by Tom Key & Russell Treyz
music by Harry Chapin

Jesus comes to modern Georgia in this witty, passionate bluegrass version of The Greatest Story Ever Retold. Pacific Theatre brings back the cast of this spring's hit for a December revival that is guaranteed to bring a whole new meaning to your Christmas season.
"Drop everything and go see Cotton Patch Gospel. Your feet will be tapping and your fingers will be snapping. You will be regaled." Christianity Today

Dec 9-31, 1994

Spencer Capier
Allen des Noyers
Tim Dixon
Ron Reed
Wyndham Thiessen
Director: Morris Ertman

VOICE OF THE PRAIRIE (Oct 21 - ?, 1994)

by John Olive

1925. The early days of radio. Davey, an itinerant storyteller, hoooks up with huckster Leon Schwab to travel the midwest, selling radios and thrilling audiences with reminiscences of life on the run with "Frankie The Blind Gir." Until one day, when romance and reality come face to face.

"First-rate entertainment. I can't remember when I last so enjoyed a play." The Register
"That rare thing: a small, skillful play with a deft heart" Los Angeles Times

Runs in rep with Damien until the opening of Cotton Patch Gospel, then revived for a 1-week run in the new year.

CAST
Davey - Dirk Van Stralen
Frankie - Erla Faye Forsyth
Leon - Tim Dixon

Director - J.P. Allen

*

5 Feb '95

Thanks v. much for a lovely show. I saw Voice Of The Prairie last Friday and though it a fine piece of work: nice play, well directed and with some lovely acting. I don't know quite what I was expecting - certainly nothing so deft and thoughtful. Thank you again for a most enjoyable show.

Christopher Newton,
Artistic Director,
Shaw Festival

DAMIEN (Oct 14 - ?, 1994)

by Aldyth Morris

One of the most controversial figures of his day, Father Damien was an uneducated Belgian priest who defied state, family and church to live and work among the outcast lepers of Molokai. This memorable one-man-show celebrates the life and remarkable vitality of an extraordinary man.

"A fiery, multi-layered performance. Riveting. A tour de force." Vancouver Courier
"Brilliant! A definite must see." Richmond Times

The inaugural production at the new theatre at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 12th & Hemlock, Vancouver.
Continues in rotating rep with Voice Of The Prairie until the opening of Cotton Patch Gospel.
Revived Apr 11-15 1995.

CAST
Damien - Ron Reed

Director - Morris Ertman

Popular Demand Readings (Oct 5 - Dec 6 1994)

Come hear public readings of five new plays, and choose the one which we'll premiere next spring!

Oct 5 1994: NAVY WIFE by Jason Milligan
With her husband assigned to overseas military service, a courageous young woman's brand-new faith must withstand life-changing decisions in one of the most tender, well-crafted new plays to come along in years.

Oct 18 1994: INVENTING CHICAGO by Jeanne Murray Walker
On the eve of a speech which can win him a prestigious chair at Harvard, a celebrated and charismatic theatre critic is confronted by a young woman devoted to him and his work. But it soon becomes apparent that she is not who she claims to be... A fascinating new play about identity, compulsion and ambition.

Nov 9 1994: FOR BETTER, FOR WORSE by Gillette Elvgren
A church community is torn apart as two marriages disintegrate in this highly theatrical and powerful play by the award-winning author of "I Am The Brother Of Dragons."

Nov 22 1994: OSWALD'S TRAVELING PROPHECY SHOW by Tim Anderson
A modern day prophet turns his family into an out-at-the-elbows theatre troupe, but what begins as an effort to spread the good news threatens to end the family altogether. Astute, bitingly funny and profoundly moving.

Dec 6 1994: HARMON AND RUTH by Paul G. Enger
The gentle, human story of a middle-aged couple whose quiet love and faith is called on to weather the impending loss of ther farm and painful struggles with their sons, as the changing world threatens everything they care about.

Church Drama Festival (Jun 17-19)

At Holy Trinity Anglican Church

THE RANGER NED STORY / THE TOP TEN THOUSAND OF ALL TIME (May 13-21, 1994)

THE RANGER NED STORY, by Scott Hafso
THE TOP TEN THOUSAND OF ALL TIME, by Ron Reed

May 13, 14, 20, 21
Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Parish Hall


Ranger Ned Cast
Ron Reed
Gina Chiarelli
Mark Hopkins
?

Director - Tim Dixon

Top Ten Thousand Cast
Ron Reed
Director - Tim Dixon

DADDY'S AMEN / PRIVATE MOMENTS (Apr 15-23, 1994)

by Jennifer Morison

Apr 15, 16, 22, 23
In the Holy Trinity Parish Hall

Daddy's Amen Cast
Karl Petersen
Kate Newman
Paul Fieber

Director - Ron Reed


Private Moments Cast
Chris Hawley
etc

Director - Cynthia Hopkins

COTTON PATCH GOSPEL (Mar 25 - Apr 2, 1994)

by Tom Key & Russell Treyz
music by Harry Chapin

Premieres in the upstairs sanctuary of Holy Trinity Anglican Church (Vancouver)
Continues on tour to Bellingham, Harrison, etc. until May 7.
Revived Dec 1994 in the new theatre

CAST
Spencer Capier
Allen des Noyers
Tim Dixon
Ron Reed
Wyndham Thiessen

Director - Morris Ertman

1994: Spring Season

We won't be opening our new theatre until the fall, but that's not stopping us from doing plays, let me tell you! Six, count 'em, six plays from February to May (well, some people insist on calling our Murder Mystery Fundraiser a play - others of us have more stringent definitions...)

We're starting this theatrical avalanche with a revival of the most popular show we've produced - Cotton Patch Gospel. I don't suppose there's a show that would better embody the heart of our theatre company than this. It's "the greatest story ever retold" - the life of Christ set in modern Georgia, backed by a hot bluegrass band. Cotton Patch is an energetic, funny, dramatic, irreverent and profoundly Christian piece of theatre that thrills audiences whether they come willing to believe the story or not. Ron Reed and Allen Desnoyers, co-founders of Pacific Theatre back in 1984 and members of our 1990 cast, will be featured, along with Tim Dixon, who'll be part of PT's Rep Company this fall.

Following its Easter Week run in the Holy Tirinity sanctuary (just upstairs from our eventual theatre home), we're taking the show on the road to local churches until May 7. Nothing could be better for a community outreach, a fundraiser or a dinner-theatre setting. For tour booking information, call Karen Elgersma.

In mid-April we'll be showing you another side of our work - Community Shows, where professional company members work with non-professional casts and crews to create fine amateur productions. Daddy's Amen, the story of a young woman coming to terms with the death of her minister father, was the first play ever comissioned by Pacific Theatre and, while we have presented it as a public reading (to overwhelming response), the piece has never been fully performed. Private Moments is also a Premiere, the highly personal story of three very different music students whose need to perform and excel proves costly. Outstanding non-professional casts under the direction of Artistic Director Ron Reed and Church Resource Director Cindy Hopkins will bring to life these touching dramas from the pen of Jennifer Morison.

Then in May you'll see another professional production, a Workshop presentation of two quirky, comic one-acts with a bit of a punch. Scott Hafso's The Ranger Ned Story was the hit of the Edmonton Fringe a few years ago: the host of a long-forgotten kids' TV show appears one morning in a yuppie living room to help sort out the career crisis of a former Junior Forest Ranger. Ron Reed's The Top Ten Thousand Of All Time is an evocative one-man-show about a late-night disc jockey with an unusual audience demographic...

LEARNING TO LIVE WITH PERSONAL GROWTH (May 9-25, 1991)

Learning To Live With Personal Growth
by Arthur Milner

A delicious black comedy about life, love and real estate

In spite of a reasonably sucessful career in social work and an apparently happy marriage to a sharp young lawyer, Jeff feels... Stuck. Paralyzed. Ineffectual. So he starts making a few changes, and soon finds himself faced with tough choices between doing what's safe and doing what he thinks is right.

A small masterpiece, brilliantly conceived. It will make you think and it will make you laugh. Don't miss it!"
CBC Ottawa

Political theatre at its best... subversive without being obtrusive, challenging without being condescending."
Newest Review

Richmond Gateway Studio Theatre
(Originally advertised in the season brochure for Mar 14-30, but the dates on the handbill are May 9-25)

CAST
Jeff - Ron Reed
(Jeff's wife) - Terrilee Shannon
Link - Steven Hilton
Ginny - Celia Clemens

Director - Morris Ertman

THE FURNITURE OF HEAVEN (Dec 12-22, 1990)

by Mike Mason & Ron Reed

The wonder of magical stories well told!

Treat yourself to the storytelling craftsmanship of Mike Mason and others as their writing sre brought to the stage in a lively, imaginative ensemble performance. You'll be transported to worlds of kings and medicine men, artists and angels – haunting, whimsical, enthralling places – worlds both like and unlike our own.

Imaginatively directed and adapted by Ron Reed, The Furniture of Heaven expands Pacific Theatre's Christmas tradition with a form of theatre as old as communication itself. Experience the power and enchantment of story in this exciting community production.

Terrific stuff! Mike Mason is an enchanter." Harold Fickett

Stories by Mike Mason, Thomas C. Davis, Edward Hays & Paul Flucke
Adapted for the stage by Ron Reed
A Pacific Theatre Community Show
Richmond Gateway Studio Theatre

CAST
Craig Erickson
John Hetherington
Lucia Frangione
Andrea Smith
Anita Wittenberg
Karen Ydenberg

Director - Ron Reed
Musicians - Royal and Gareth Sproule
Costumes - Kate Hutchinson
Design consultant - Morris Ertman
Stage Manager - Grant Prittie

*

C.S. LEWIS ONSTAGE (Oct 25-27, 1990)

Assembled by Tom Key from the writings of C.S. Lewis

Tom Key's tour de force performance

Spend an enchanting, exhilarating evening with one of the century's most fascinating minds and hearts. Tom Key, creator of last year's hit Cotton Patch Gospel, brings C.S. Lewis to life in a tour de force one-man-show acclaimed by audiences across North America.

"Was it theatre, or were we actually in the lodgings of C.S. Lewis, regaled by the wry and whimsical wit of the late Oxford don? Beguiling!" Mel Lorentzen, Wheaton College

Gateway Theatre Main Stage

CAST
C.S. Lewis - Tom Key

1990-91: The Encore! Season

C.S. Lewis On Stage, by C.S. Lewis & Tom Key
The Furniture Of Heaven, by Mike Mason & Ron Reed
Learning To Live With Personal Growth, by Arthur Milner

Join me for our Encore! season. We'll make you feel, we'll make you think, and we'll make you laugh - theatre for the heart, head and belly!

Ron Reed,
Artistic Director

*

Subscription prices
(Tue-Wed / Thu-Sat)
Adult: $29 / $34
Student/Senior: $19 / $24

SILLY SEASON (Feb 15 - Mar 3, 1990)

REMNANT (Dec 14-30, 1989)

1989-90 Season

Pacific Theatre's first subscription season

Cotton Patch Gospel, by Tom Key & Russell Treyz, music by Harry Chapin
Remnant, by Ron Reed
Silly Season, by Aaron Bushkowsky

Murder Mystery Fundraiser

On Tour;
I Am The Brother Of Dragons, by Gillette Elvgren
Say No, Max!, by Gillette Elvgren

DAMIEN (Mar 16 - Apr 1, 1989)

Mar 31 - Apr 9 1988 | hearts & bones

 

TALLEY'S FOLLY (Apr 24 - May 9, 1987)

DREAMS OF KINGS AND CARPENTERS (Dec 9-20, 1986)

DREAMS OF KINGS AND CARPENTERS
by Jennifer Morison, Ron Reed, Loren Wilkinson and Tim Anderson
with music by Allen Desnoyers
additional material by Frederick Buechner, Roderick Jellema, Ron Klug, Rainer Maria Rilke & Luci Shaw

Dec 9-20, 1986, Richmond Gateway Theatre, Studio B

Cast
Judy Buchan
Cheryl Campbell
Allen Desnoyers
Ron Reed
Director: Angela Anderson

FIRST CHRISTMAS: AN ENTERTAINMENT (December, 1984)