In just three weeks, Turner and Adler productions will be presenting their first play of the year, Deathtrap by Ira Levin.
The play was written in 1978, and premiered at the Music Box Theatre in New York City.
Local performer, Jerrod Bondy, says rehearsals for the comic-thriller have been going “really well”.
“Deathtrap is going very well and I don’t think there has been one rehearsal yet where we have not shared a big laugh over something or another related to this production,” said Bondy. “I have previously worked with my fellow cast members in different productions, and, needless to say we’re all coming together in ways that make the process feel relaxed and effortless.”
The 33 year old is playing the role of Clifford Anderson, a young playwright, “[This] is a role that was offered to me years ago before I knew what the show was about.”
As Artistic Director, Tylene Turner described, Deathtrap is a play within a play, and the story begins in Sidney Bruhl’s (Michael Grossman) study one fateful afternoon in October, when the young playwright Clifford Anderson (Jerrod Bondy) arrives to work on a draft of his new play with his mentor, Sidney. Sidney is a sage old scribe who does not intend to go quietly into the good night, which greatly worries his wife, Myra (Michelle LeMay).
Deathtrap is endlessly self-aware and features two men battling for generational dominance as they write a five-character thriller — which is also a description of Deathtrap itself, the other characters being Sidney’s lawyer (played by Brodie Peterson), and the psychic Helga ten Dorp (Brigitte Franyo).
Bondy auditioned for Deathtrap by singing Turner and Adler a song from the Monty Python’s Spamalot, as well as playing them a rendition of O, Canada on his recorder.
“I had been practicing [O, Canada] on my recorder for my music in the elementary classroom course at the time,” said Jarrod, who is currently enrolled in the Teacher Education Program through the University of Victoria and College of the Rockies. “I find the whole process of auditioning, rehearsing, and finally performing to be a crazy but incredibly rewarding experience.”
Bondy says that he tends to like performances that get to the core of what it means to create a true piece of art on stage, one that can affect people on an emotional level.
“When I read a script or a joke, I tend to imagine wether or not the audience will potentially laugh, cry, discuss or think about the performance before they go to bed or when they wake up in the morning,” said Bondy.
Last summer, Bondy performed in I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change at Centre 64, “the show was a minimalist musical comedy comprised of vignettes with a little bit of honest, sentimental elements thrown in for good measure.
“The show featured four actors, two males and two females, and live piano music as the backing track. It marked the first time I performed a show with little to no set pieces or backdrops which meant that our performances would make or break the show.
“I remember standing behind stage while my fellow actors were on and I listened as the audience billowed with laughter. I thought at that moment, ‘this is what theatre is really about’. There were just two actors and two chairs on the stage, that was it. The audience gave us everything we needed to make the show a success.”
When asked what his one piece of advice is for someone who is an aspiring to persue the performing arts, Bondy responded, “keep doing, keep performing, as long as you feel it’s fun and fulfilling. Know the performing arts scene can sometimes be frustrating, disorganized and a bit of a mess, but it’s up to you to create something out of nothing; bring order to chaos.
“Don’t let a production or other performers drag you down; it’s your job as an artist to help out your fellow artists by providing encouragement or just sharing a laugh.
“Lastly, always be aware that each performance you are involved in is unique and, after the curtains close, it is likely you may never see or work with the same people again. Cherish every moment you have in a production and treat every performance as though it was your last because, as you know, art is not art unless it comes from the heart.”
Deathtrap runs June 20-24 at Centre 64, in Kimberley. Tickets are $20 and available at the Snowdrift Cafe in Kimberley (427-2001) and Lotus Books in Cranbrook (426-3415).
For more information, email turnerandadler@gmail.com and find Turner & Adler Productions on Facebook.