Nanaimo Theatre Group will finally present two plays that had originally been planned to be staged during the 2019-20 season.
According to a press release, the group will present Legoland and Never Swim Alone at the Bailey Studio beginning April 27.
Legoland, penned by Victoria-based Jacob Richmond, features Penny Lamb, 16, and her brother Ezra, 13, played by Tasha Ballantyne and Zane Downey. The pair have been sentenced to community service, “part of which is to present the story of their background and crimes to serve as a warning to the audience assembled before them,” said the press release. Utilizing ukuleles, slides, puppets, song and dance, the “two innocents” will tell the tale of how they came to experience unfamiliar circumstances.
Never Swim Alone, by Daniel McIvor, is described as a satire that is often funny, but ultimately a tragedy, “about two egotistical men locked in a ruthless competition of one-upsmanship for seemingly no reason,” said the press release. The competition is between Frank and Bill, played by Nanaimo Theatre Group rookies Aidan Heaman and Jim Maher respectively. Ballantyne will play the referee who officiates the “stylized 13-round match,” which begins with the mundane (who’s taller) but progresses to higher stakes, eventually turning “very nasty,” the press release said. The play is described as “a haunting look into egotism and how trauma shapes who we are.”
Both one-act plays will be directed by Sherri McLean, the press release said, and are meant for mature audiences.
WHAT’S ON … Legoland and Never Swim Alone open April 27 and run until May 14 at the studio at 2373 Rosstown Rd. Tickets are $24 and can be purchased by calling 250-758-7224 or visiting www.nanaimotheatregroup.ca.
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