Comedy Circus is partnering with the Kimberley Arts Council to bring an interactive, mobile show to Kimberley this summer: The Great Cuckoo Clock Caper.
The show will run Tuesdays and Saturdays (with a couple Fridays in August) for the remainder of the summer, at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.. Shows run about an hour long and have small audience capacity due to their mobile nature.
The show dates are July 13, 16, 20, 23, 27 and 30 as well as August 2, 6, 10, 13 and 16. Tickets are $10 and are available through Centre 64, (250-427-4919) info@kimberleyarts.com.
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The show is about the legend of the origin of Kimberley’s giant Cuckoo clock in the Platzl. The cast includes all local comedians and actors including Brigitte Franyo, Jerrod Bondy, Sioban Staplin and Lisa Aasebo Kennedy.
Kennedy says it’s a family friendly show, reccomended for ages seven and up.
“I had read the ‘Mystery in the Platzl’ article by Britt Bates in the spring edition of GoKimberley magazine and couldn’t believe I had never heard the charming story before,” she explained. “Then I thought, what a wonderful show it would make one day, and put the idea in the back of my mind for maybe next summer or next year.
“About a month later, I read on-line about the unfortunate cancellation of Kimberley’s Summer Playhouse theatre this summer and thought, well, there’s no time like the present! So I sent off an email to the Kimberley Arts Council that night and within the coming weeks I proposed the idea of a partnership to produce the show this summer and we were given the green light.”
READ MORE: Kimberley Arts Council cancels Summer Theatre
She says it hasn’t been easy to pull the show together in such a short amount of time, but she has a great team behind her to help.
“It’s been a crazy timeline researching, writing, rehearsing, and producing the show in record time - but everyone has been very supportive and it’s amazing what can happen when the community pulls together,” Kennedy said. “Creating the world’s largest freestanding cuckkoo clock or creating a show both with minimal budget, resources, and time; I feel like we’re on the same path just 44 years apart.”
She adds that the interactive, mobile aspect of the show will bring a whole new kind of entertainment to Kimberley and Centre 64.
“I have always been very interested and excited by interactive, site-specific theatre, as they tend to put their energy and focus on characters and story, as opposed to flashy costumes, sparkly set pieces, and intricate technical requirements,” she said. “I believe the audience plays a large role in any show and should be invited and encouraged to feel a part of the storytelling ‘team’ in whatever capacity they feel comfortable.”
Kennedy adds that Comedy Circus is focused on creating shows that everyone can enjoy with minimal impact on the environment.
“Comedy Circus is dedicated to creating sustainable theatre for everyone. Which means we build our shows through community partnerships, and focus on borrowing, up-cycling, and re-purposing materials for costumes, props, and set pieces that aren’t already naturally provided by site-specific theatre locations,” she said. “Theatre productions can be incredibly wasteful in the amount of one use only, production-specific materials they require and we are finding ways to produce entertaining shows that do not require a depletion on the environment.”
corey.bullock@kimberleybulletin.com
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