Haunted theatre in spotlight in new novel

North Kildonan

West Broadway

As the curtain raises on David Jón Fuller’s debut novel Venue 13, it’s telling that a spirited force in the story hopes the show won’t go on.

Subtitled A Man. His theatre. And its ghost., the book — which is published by Winnipeg-based Turnstone Press/Ravenstone — follows protagonist Robert Laliberte.

According to Turnstone’s website, Laliberte’s dream is to convert a run-down building into a premier space for bring-your-own-venue productions in the city’s Summer Theatre Festival, a.k.a. Skeeter Fest. But achieving his dream isn’t easy — amid mounting debt and technical problems, Laliberte is unaware Venue 13 is also haunted.

The book is flavoured with autobiographical elements, as Fuller — who spent time growing up in North Kildonan and attended River East Collegiate, where he “became hooked on theatre” — is a longtime fixture in the city’s theatre community, and was involved with several Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Productions in the 1990s. His day job is copy editor at the Free Press, and he’s also a freelance writer and editor. His work has appeared in numerous anthologies.

“This book is rooted in my own experiences as an actor, performing at Fringe Fest, and community theatre,” said Fuller (no relation to this reporter), who lives in West Broadway. “The on-stage attempts at brilliance and the chaos going on backstage — this is a love letter to that kind of theatre.”

In terms of theme and plot, Fuller said a throughline in the story is the fact Laliberte “finds out quickly he can’t do it all himself.”

“Relationships start suffering when he can’t be everything to everyone,” he said. “One theme is there’s no such thing as a one-man show.”

To mark the launch of Venue 13, Fuller held an event at McNally Robinson last month, and he’s looking forward to being part of the Wild & Wonderful Words reading series at Sookram’s (479-B Warsaw Ave.) on Wednesday, July 8 at 7 p.m., which showcases a number of local writers (and is hosted by writer and Free Press Community Review managing editor Sheldon Birnie). The event will also feature readings by Richard Zaric, M.C. Joudrey, and Lindsay Wong.

Fuller added he had fun writing the book, a process which harnesses a different part of the mind than copy editing: “I’ve included in the narrative some stage directions … and there are a few lines when I have the character break the fourth wall. I wanted to bring in some theatre grit.”

Fuller is grateful for the support of writer Susie Moloney, who provided substantive edits to the book, and Turnstone associate publisher Jamis Paulson. “We’re delighted to publish a novel like Venue 13, a novel that brings out the best qualities of a great ghost story with of course a little bit of mystery, and a little romance. It’s a novel about people, both living and dead, the things that haunt us and how we overcome what holds us back to truly start living,” Paulson said.

“What’s really exciting about Venue 13 is that given the way the novel is structured, readers find themselves part of the action, part of the theatrical experience, so to speak. All from the comfort of wherever they are reading. It’s an exciting way to engage with a book.”

As a publisher, Paulson said, it has been rewarding to work with Fuller “and see his passion for theatre, and specifically, fringe theatre fused into a great piece of spec-fic.”

“He has a keen and careful eye, and has woven a few threads from Icelandic traditions of ghost stories into a modern context. I think readers are in for a real treat.”

Go online at www.turnstonepress.com for more information.