Theatre West Van presents The Farndale Avenue . . . A Christmas Carol, Kay Meek Studio Theatre on select dates until Nov. 10. Visit theatrewestvan.com for showtimes and to reserve tickets.
Theatre West Van has revived the “Farndale universe” with its big characters and farcical humour, this time as the townswomen try – and fail – to stage Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
It’s been almost a decade since the small community theatre group won accolades for its production of The Farndale Avenue… A Murder Mystery and this fall, they’ve recreated that “Farndale universe” with a production of The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society’s Production of A Christmas Carol.
Director Angie McLeod describes it as “a play about a play going wrong… where these really silly, dotty characters from the Farndale universe attempt to put on Dickens’ Christmas Carol and a series of very funny things happen.”
After being asked to direct the play and then looking over the script, McLeod was hooked.
“As soon as I read it, I was, like, I have to direct this, it’s too funny to pass up the opportunity to be involved in it,” McLeod said, adding she loved how it was character driven and farcical, and yet allowed her to add her own “spark of humour.”
The play, written almost half a century ago, is still relevant today, because its characters, big and exaggerated as they are, are people one meets in real life, McLeod said, with a diva, the young try-hard and others who are just bossy and self-absorbed.
Written by David McGillivray and Walter Zerlin Jr., it is very loosely based on Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol, or rather the attempt to put on the classic Yuletide tale by a group of characters who manage to get everything wrong.
There’s a lot of physical comedy with an element of slapstick, McLeod explained, with set and lighting mishaps, costume malfunctions - even one character donning a neck brace and casts on both arms.
During rehearsals, there was a lot of improvisation and collaboration taking place, McLeod said, after which was able to cherry pick the best ideas.
In true millennial fashion, McLeod has many jobs, and while not acting and directing, she teaches drama with Lights Up Musical School and works as an announcer at the lumberjack show on Grouse Mountain.
She was asked to direct the Farndale comedy after directing the last two Christmas pantos with Deep Cove Stage. British comedies have “kind of become my niche,” she said.
McLeod, a 2014 graduate of Capilano University’s acting program, said she’s having fun directing with the mindset of an actor, looking at characters, their wants and needs and what drives them.
She has liked transitioning to that role as a director, breaking down each character from an acting perspective and creating a whole production to see what it will look like from the audience’s perspective.
“I find it creatively satisfying to see your show and at the end of the production, I get to sit back and watch and enjoy what I’ve helped to create,” she said. “It’s really creatively satisfying to a point that I’m kind of at a crossroad where I don’t know if I want to pursue acting or directing – maybe a bit of both.”
Theatre West Van is in its 71st year of existence, with a brief interval in the 1990s when it was dormant – it was revived by David Barker and Bill Elliott, two drama teachers from West Vancouver, in late 1990s.
The community theatre group began in 1945 when North Shore resident Edith Powell put an ad in the local paper to spark interest in forming a local theatre group – in 1946, there were 20 members who were putting on productions. Powell, who also acted professionally and was part of the North Vancouver Operatic Society, acted in many of the early Theatre West Van productions.
Barker said the Theatre West Van has struggled over the years because of a lack of a permanent home, unlike other groups, like the North Vancouver Community Players who have a permanent home at Hendry Hall.
Theatre West Van rents Kay Meek Theatre for its productions, which can cost $20,000 per run – all of the money for their shows comes from ticket sales.
Challenges abound for a community theatre group, usually run by a core group of volunteers, ranging from where to store their costumes and props, how to raise enough money for a good production, and how to find young male actors. But Barker believes community theatre’s value lies in offering amateur theatre enthusiasts a place to be creative and involved in the magic of theatrical storytelling.
When he started with Theatre West Van, there weren’t many professional theatre companies in the Lower Mainland.
Audience expectations have gone up with the increase of professional productions, and so have the expectations of audiences at community theatre productions.
They are used to a more sophisticated venue, Barker said, and gone are the days when plays could be mounted at a local elementary school with a flat stage and metal chairs.
In addition, audience expectation is for the Theatre West Van to put on comedies like Fawlty Towers, not serious plays, Barker said; hence, they were called the “PBS group” at some point, referring to their productions resembling the “little British comedies” that run on the American public network.
Barker has stepped back from the executive, and, in his seventies, has volunteered to put up signs for the show and in that way stay involved in theatre.
He sees community theatre as a great venue for those amateurs who want to stay involved for the love of theatre.
“It’s an art form and if you’re interested in the art form, you want to participate in it, and not every artist is a professional artist,” Barker said. “It’s a lot of fun, to get up there and stand in front of an audience. There’s nothing like being in a good comedy and doing something and the audience kills themselves laughing.”
Theatre West Van’s president Alison Jopson, who has been involved in theatre since growing up in London, England, said that more volunteers are always welcome – especially people who like to work back stage.
“We have a wonderful core group... but they’re always looking for more help,” she said, adding that volunteers can indulge in a hobby at no cost except their time, to offer the community local shows at their local theatre.
The Farndale Avenue… A Christmas Carol runs on Nov. 2 and 3, and Nov. 7-10 at 8 p.m. with a matinee on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. at the Kay Meek Studio Theatre, 1700 Mathers Ave. Tickets are available at 604-981-6335 or theatrewestvan.com.
