Workshop Production Diary

My first play Prodigals was produced by Twenty-Something Theatre at Vancouver, BC’s Havana Theatre from April 27-May 2, 2010. All in all, the production was a huge success. The house was packed every night of our week-long run, and audiences responded enthusiastically.

Check out the critical reaction to

- Prodigals 2010 (workshop production) and
- Prodigals 2011 (professional production).

What started as a simple writing exercise has turned into a serious – though unavoidably comedic – investigation into what it was like growing up in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario (my hometown for 10 years).

Production Stills (May 2010)

Here are a few of the updates I posted as we were developing the play. To check out all of my Prodigals-related blog posts, click here.

Update (10/19/09):

A great reading last night with some friends at the Firehall Arts Centre. All the actors were on their A-game, and the Q&A session afterward brought up some helpful tips for a few pre-production tweaks. Overall, we seem to be in really good shape. Lots of laughs and some thoughtful “hm”s. Couldn’t have asked for a better response!

Update (11/25/09):

Twenty-Something Theatre has locked Prodigals in for production following the 2010 Olympics here in Vancouver (I’ll announce the specific dates closer to the production). We’ve got a venue and are in the process of casting – using a deep pool of local young actors. Really looking forward to hearing the audience response.

Update (01/27/10):

Our cast is now somewhat kinda almost locked. Knock on wood. This past weekend, Producer Sabrina Evertt arranged for a number of amazing male and female actors to audition for the two leads of Prodigals. Director Peter Boychuk ran the auditions, changing up the pairings every time to find the two that best fit what we were looking for. It was a hard choice to make because we had to consider how these new additions would affect the rest of our cast, and more intangibly, how they’d “feel” together in front of an audience.

Of course, we forgot there was a kiss in the scene, but everyone was game. Sometimes a little too game. Actors… :)

We chose what we felt were the most-fitting actors for our purposes so our team is nearly complete for an April 27th to May 2nd  production at the Havana Theatre on Commercial Drive in Vancouver.

Since rehearsals will be starting in late March/early April, I’ve got a short amount of time to make any last tweaks to the play. Exciting stuff.

Update (03/29/10):

When I said the cast was locked, I definitely spoke too soon!

Everything has fallen into place except for one role. We’re currently looking for a male actor between the ages of 20 – 30 who has a way with sarcasm. This character is a ton of fun. Check out this post to learn more. If you’re interested or know someone who might be, drop producer Sabrina Evertt an email and come out to the auditions this Friday.

Rehearsals start this weekend, so if you want to get involved with a great team for what I hope will be a memorable and funny-as-hell play, jump in!

Update (04/08/10):

All is calm in the Prodigals den now. We’ve locked our cast (check out our latest addition, Jameson Parker) and started rehearsals. We’ll be cruising at an altitude of 10,000 feet until we move into the Havana on April 26 for a final rehearsal, at which time Director Peter Boychuk will engage performance thrusters and commence a week of ass-kicking performances.

I’m not sweating at all… not one bit…

Update (04/20/10):

This past weekend I saw the first “stumble through” performance of the play in our rehearsal space. Honestly, I’m blown away with the life these actors have brought to Prodigals. And I’m totally in love with how Peter Boychuk has made use of the set Jonathan Tsang has designed for us. Everything felt right during their performance — and at this point, that’s the most important thing to me: do these characters feel like old friends; how does the set represent the bars I knew back in Sault Ste. Marie?

Only one week left until the first preview performance!

Update (04/27/10):

Tonight’s Preview performance was amazing. After a year of developing this play, I’m so happy to see and hear an audience engaging with these characters. All the actors nailed it. Couldn’t be happier with how it went. Tomorrow is the official Opening Night, so I’m going to dust off the ol’ blazer and trim the beard. It’s going to be a great night!

Update (05/03/10):

Our week-long run has come to an end. The actors and crew were amazing. We had a packed house every night, with a few completely sold out shows. I’m completely exhausted now — and all I had to do was watch! As a newcomer to the theatre world, I can see how people can get addicted to live performance. You really never know what you’re going to get; the crowds can be so different, and the actors always bring a unique energy to the shows. Each night was different and the show only got better as the week progressed. There might be more in store for Prodigals in the future. I’ll keep all of you posted.

Now, I’m going to return to my regularly scheduled programming. Looking forward to eating and sleeping like normal people do. ;)