Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Actors given free rein to write know just what playwright wants
Steven Ratzlaff is half of Theatre Projects’ In the Chamber. (TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS )
Theatre Preview
In the Chamber 2010
Theatre Projects, 8 p.m. Jan. 14-16
Rachel Browne Theatre, 211 Bannatyne Ave.
$20 adults, $17 seniors, $15 students
GIVE a performer free rein to write what he wants, and it's fascinating what he'll come up with.
Busy actors both, Winnipeggers Gordon Tanner and Steven Ratzlaff accepted the challenge from the local company Theatre Projects Manitoba to write one-act plays on whatever moved them.
Their separate commissions form the production called In the Chamber 2010, which Theatre Projects will present tonight through Saturday in the Winnipeg Contemporary Dancers' Rachel Browne Theatre, 211 Bannatyne Ave.
It marks the fifth year in a row in which Theatre Projects, a troupe mandated to produce made-in-Manitoba drama, has staged an In the Chamber piece.
"For a lot of our audience, it's their favourite thing we do," says company artistic director Ardith Boxall.
"It's very intense, very immediate, very topical work."
Ratzlaff and Tanner (who is Boxall's husband) met in August to come up with a workable theme. Based on an idea that had been rattling around in Ratzlaff's brain, they settled on the oddball notion of exploring catastrophic system failures through something called "human factor analysis."
Though it sounds a tad academic, Tanner notes that compelling drama often follows "from when things go wrong."
The two men then went home to work out their ideas. Ratzlaff came up with a story based on actual incidents in the Health Sciences Centre pediatric coronary surgery inquest of the 1990s.
"The transcripts from the inquest are available online," says Ratzlaff, who most recently appeared in Manitoba Theatre Centre's ensemble production of It's a Wonderful Life.
"Once I started reading, I was captivated by them."
Tanner, who also appeared in It's A Wonderful Life, as well as the MTC season opener, Strong Poison, invented a story about an engineer sent to investigate a horrible fire in an Alberta hog barn.
"He has a crisis of conscience," says Tanner, who left a master's program in agricultural engineering to take up acting.
"He's like me 20 years down the road if I'd gone the other way."
Both plays are essentially one-handers with their writers also doing the acting. Both are directed by Winnipeg writer-actor Sarah Constible. Both shows clock in at under an hour.
Tanner calls his Last Man in Krakendorf, which refers to the German town where his character has gone for training.
Ratzlaff calls his play Last Man in Puntarenas, a reference to the Costa Rican province where his character has an epiphany.
Both men say they find writing their scripts a satisfying departure from interpreting others' work.
"I know what's supposed to happen," Ratzlaff says. "If something's not working, you know you need to change the words."
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 14, 2010 D6
-
WFP Hockey
Download our new hockey app for the iPhone for Winnipeg Jets updates
-
Editor's Bulletin
Sign up for daily bulletins from editor Margo Goodhand
-
Winnipeg Jets
All things NHL on our Jets landing page
-
Twitter
Follow our reporters and our news feeds on Twitter
-
News Cafe
Check out the menu, read our blog posts or get info on coming events
-
Facebook Fanpage
Follow our Facebook Fanpage for story links, contests and special events
Ads by Google
- Back to Top
- Return to The Arts
Poll
Most Popular
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Two Mounties shot and wounded in rural area southeast of Edmonton
- Jets defeat Leafs 2-1
- Jury on Stobbe trial down to 13 members
- Madonna 'not impressed' over M.I.A Super Bowl finger
- LeAnn Rimes in pain following 'minor surgery'
- M.I.A. splits from fiance
- Slain woman appears before jury on video
- Province rules out reports of cougar in Transcona
- Police say it's a miracle anyone survived crash that killed 10 migrant workers
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Three winning tickets sold for Friday's $50 million Lotto Max jackpot
- Woman sexually assaulted during noon-hour in Exchange District
- Woman's car stolen at gunpoint at St. Vital mall, police say
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Smith injured after transit fare protest
- Stobbe said slaying during shopping trip 'strange': sister-in-law
- Eleven people killed after truck hits van in southwestern Ontario
- Tactical squad storms St. Vital house
- Do you smoke marijuana?
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- George Clooney's prank could end Pitt's career
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Tina Maze strips down to her sports bra to send out underwear message: 'Not your business'
- Group's speed-limit sign removed from Pembina Highway
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Two children, two women die in fire
- Kate Beckinsale's weight fears over Underworld catsuit
- Obama torn by conflicting allies
- Trapped bear commits vehicular mauling, also manages to open garage door
- Harper driven by libertarian ideology, not reality
- All the single ladies: 'Bachelor Canada' launches tour to find contestants
- Conservatives cut short House of Commons long-gun registry debate
- Province rules out reports of cougar in Transcona
- Power outage over
- Two Mounties shot and wounded in rural area southeast of Edmonton
- RIM up against 'bring your own device' trend in workplace where it dominated
- Casting tour for The Bachelor Canada stopping in city Feb. 23
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- Northern fishing lodge destroyed by fire
- Police target drivers talking on cellphones, texting
- Time, it appears, is on Assad's side
- Obama torn by conflicting allies
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Woman's car stolen at gunpoint at St. Vital mall, police say
- Bridging the gap between suburbs
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Paddler Starkell was modern-day voyageur
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Local shooting spoofed on SNL
- Winnipeg mother watches as car stolen with child inside
- Canadian woman 'badly injured' in Mexico, local media report apparent beating
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- 4 dead in northern Ontario plane crash
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.