Award-winning play comes to Gas Station Arts Centre

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This article was published 16/11/2022 (1380 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A local theatre troupe is hitting the stage at Gas Station Arts Centre (2-445 River Ave.) this month with an adaptation of American playwright Ken Ludwig’s The Game’s Afoot.

Founder of 7 Ages Productions, George Buri, has been involved with theatre since he was a child. Before founding the company, he acted in and directed various shows and was a high school drama teacher. Starting a community theatre was the obvious next move, said Buri. The production company has now been performing musicals, comedies, dramas, murder mysteries and revues for the past 26 years. The group was founded in Brandon, Man. but has since moved to Winnipeg.

“Somebody had called me asking if I knew anybody who could do a play for their organization,” Buri said. “I thought about it for a minute and I thought, ‘Well, I’ve always wanted to start a community theatre group, so my answer was, ‘Yes, I could.’”

Theatre is important in any community, Buri said. It gives actors opportunities to perform, and helps them gain confidence while being involved with a group of like-minded people.

“There are a lot of people who really love theatre and want to get involved,” Buri added, noting the production company has had actors aged five all the way into the 70s. “We always have open auditions that are open to anyone. When we came to Winnipeg we’ve recruited a bunch of new actors to be in our shows.”

Aside from the Gas Stations Arts Centre, the group has performed at the Tom Hendry Warehouse Theatre and Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival.

“We’ve done 56 or 57 shows, plus a lot of specialized shows,” Buri said. “We’ve been quite busy over the years. Last year we did Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor at the Gas Station Arts Centre, and it did quite well. The year before that, just before COVID hit, we were involved in Winnipeg ShakespeareFest.”

The company will be performing The Game’s Afoot on Nov. 18 and 19. The comedy-mystery show, which won the Edgar Award for Best Play in 2012, follows Broadway star William Gillette as he invites his cast-mates to his home to celebrate the holidays with him as he recovers from an attempt on his life.

“He tries to solve who did it, who tried to kill him, and all the action takes place at his house,” Buri said. “It’s a really funny play; it’s both a murder-mystery and a farcical comedy at the same time.”

For more information about 7 Ages Productions, visit www.seven-ages-productions.com. Tickets can be purchased at www.gsac.com and cost $25 each. Tickets will also be available in-person at the box office leading up to and on the nights of the production. The show begins begins at 7:30 p.m.

“I think it’s a good pre-Christmas activity,” said Buri. “It’s a play by a grand-master playwright and I think everyone will have a really enjoyable evening.”