Category: 2014 SEASON

by Tom Noonan

Feb 19 – Mar 8

The film version of What Happened Was won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 1994. The rarely performed stage adaptation is every bit as quirky, insightful, and humourous as the acclaimed film. This is a first-date encounter story like no other, in which two co-workers find unlikely common ground in what at times is more of a surrealistic joust than a date. The “real-time” progression of the story draws us into the awkwardness and openness of each second. There is a heightened theatricality about this piece that makes ordinary life magical, offering an irresistible perspective on those confounding moments when we feel inspired, desperate, or obligated to make connections with others.

“The best theatre often delves into the murkiest corners of the human psyche. What Happened Was… is a worthwhile example of this… disturbing, brave and, paradoxically, often funny… Michael Romano… is well cast as Michael… Black’s portrayal of Jackie… was admirably convincing… Noonan reveals each character with great acuity… It’s well worth seeking out.”
Adrian Chamberlain, Time Colonist

“Just like many a first date, What Happened Was… is quirky… and vulnerable. It also has a deliciously dark twist that elevates it from standard rom-com territory, and takes it into the realm of bold social commentary… Black and Romano… do great justice to the arc of the story… Director Clayton Jevne… imbues the play with a sense of great portent and meaning…  I left the theatre pondering the lives of the main characters, and the intersections with my own.”
Janis Lacouvee, I Have My Own Life to Live

Directed by Clayton Jevne, and starring Catriona Black (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and The Golden Dragon), and Michael Romano (The Golden Dragon).

Preview  8pm:  Feb 18
8pm:  Feb 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27  &  Mar 1, 4, 6, 7, 8
2pm:  Feb 22, Mar 1 & 8

The show is 90 minutes long (including intermission)

Reservations and Ticket Sales

Through TICKET ROCKET:  ticketrocket.org <http://ticketrocket.org/>  or   250-590-6291 (price will include a $2  surcharge).

Ticket prices:  $14 (regular), $10 (seniors, students, unwaged)
Feb 18 – Preview is $7
Wednesday, Feb 26 is Pay-What-You-Wish admission

Subscribers and complimentary tickets: to make a reservation, please reserve directly through Theatre Inconnu at 250-360-0234, or by email.

We are handicap accessible.  And for those with special seating needs, please make your reservations directly through Theatre Inconnu (see above).

Theatre Inconnu is located at 1923 Fernwood Road (across the street from the Belfry Theatre).  For parking we suggest the side streets west of Fernwood Road as these do not have parking restriction signs.

Michael Romano and Catriona Black

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by Jean Anouilh

May 6 – May 24

This modern classic – based on an ancient Greek classic – achieves what few plays do: it presents so deeply both sides of a moral issue that the theatre goer will be challenged to differentiate between antagonist and protagonist. This was indisputedly borne out during its premiere in occupied France. The Nazis sanctioned the play in the belief that the role of Creon, the king, represented justification for European dominance; and the French resistance drew inspiration from the character of Antigone (Creon’s niece), who represented for them, a rallying cry against the oppressor.

In this modern retelling of the story, Creon decrees (on pain of death) that Antigone’s rebel brother’s body be left to the vultures on the battlefield, deprived of the burial needed to put his soul to rest. Antigone dares to challenge this order, and Creon must weigh the consequence of imposing his edict on a beloved family member. Antigone is one of the richest and most perplexing of all plays, and Anouilh has transformed this Greek classic of Sophocles into a play for the modern age.

“A very solid production… very nice performances… amazing ideas… beautiful writing… passages that are transcendent… well worth the visit.”
    CBC
“Exquisitely written… a brilliant study of human nature… it’s a pleasure seeing Jevne on stage… Blank’s fire is on full display…  Kinghorn is a show-stealer.”
    CVV Magazine
“Elegantly and subtly interpreted… thoughtful and intriguing… skillfully-rendered… restrained fever-pitch… nothing distracts”
    Janis Lacouvee – I Have My Own Life to Live
“Incredibly rewarding… such a powerful cast. I would absolutely encourage folks.. to see.. this.. remarkable piece of theatre… each psychological profile presented is equally stimulating.”
    Marble

Preview  8pm:  May 6
8pm:  May 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24
2pm:  May 10, 17, 24

Reservations and Ticket Sales

Through TICKET ROCKET:  ticketrocket.org <http://ticketrocket.org/>  or  250-590-6291 (price will include a $2  surcharge).

Ticket prices:  $14 (regular), $10 (seniors, students, unwaged)
Preview (May 6) is $7
Wednesday, May 14 is Pay-What-You-Wish admission

Subscribers and complimentary tickets: to make a reservation, please reserve directly through Theatre Inconnu at 250-360-0234, or by email.

We are handicap accessible.  And for those with special seating needs, please make your reservations directly through Theatre Inconnu (see above).

Theatre Inconnu is located at 1923 Fernwood Road (across the street from the Belfry Theatre).  For parking we suggest the side streets west of Fernwood Road as these do not have parking restriction signs.

Melissa Blank and Clayton Jevne

 

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By Christopher Durang

Oct 2 – Oct 18

Baby With the Bathwater defies categorization.  It begins as a comedic roller-coaster ride through a madhouse of parenting nightmares, and just when we have forgotten that there might actually be a little person at the root of Helen and John’s struggles, Durang thrusts us into the wake of their misguided voyage; and we find ourselves watching the world from the identity-challenged perspective of their progeny: the child whose name never quite sticks. Durang manages to simultaneously enthrall and appall with joyful abandon. Cringes and belly-laughter topple one on top of the other, with the unlikely consequence of revealing a deep sense of reverence for the family ties that bind. This is an irresistible outing with an absurd genius of a writer.

“an outrageously funny show and a somehow accurate portrayal of the insanity of parenting… Harried and humorous.”
CVV Magazine

“horrifyingly funny, played to gloriously absurd perfection by an accomplished cast… laughter and much food for thought.”
I Have My Own Life to Live     Janis Lacouvee

Starring: Lorene Cammiade, Jack Hayes, Mathew McLaren, Tea Siskin, Rebecca Waitt
Directed by: Clayton Jevne

Preview  8pm:  Sept 30
8pm:  Oct 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18
2pm:  Oct 4, 11, 18

Reservations and Ticket Sales

Through TICKET ROCKET:  ticketrocket.org <http://ticketrocket.org/>  or  250-590-6291 (price will include a $2.50  surcharge).

Ticket prices:  $14 (regular), $10 (seniors, students, unwaged)
Sept 30 – Preview is $7
Wednesday, Oct 8 is Pay-What-You-Wish admission

Subscribers and complimentary tickets: to make a reservation, please reserve directly through Theatre Inconnu at 250-360-0234, or by email.

We are handicap accessible.  And for those with special seating needs, please make your reservations directly through Theatre Inconnu (see above).

Theatre Inconnu is located at 1923 Fernwood Road (across the street from the Belfry Theatre).  For parking we suggest the side streets west of Fernwood Road as these do not have parking restriction signs.

 

Jack Hayes, Matt McLaren, Loreen Cammiade, Rebecca Waitt

 

 

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A musical by Tom Waits, Kathleen Brennan, Paul Schmidt and Robert Wilson

DEC 4 – DEC 20 (half price preview Nov 30)

A Canadian Premiere !

Tom Waits is one of the most influential singer/composers of the late 20th century, and continues to inspire and challenge listeners to the present day. Waits and his three long-time collaborators have created a highly theatrical and richly textured performance piece, inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass.  A number of the more familiar episodes from the Alice stories are enticingly reworked with Waits’ music and Paul Schmidt’s script, giving Lewis’ characters a new voice that powerfully explores the plight of innocence in a duplicitous world.   This is Alice with an adult edge. Theatre Inconnu once more joins forces with Victoria’s own musical renegades, The Party on High Street; who so dynamically contributed to Love Kills, the Musical (2010).

And for those concerned about volume in our intimate venue; the music and accompaniment are performed mostly acoustically with minimal amplification.

Critical response:

“Imaginative costuming by Shayna Ward… talented acting… Together, the cast and production team bring to life characters from the Alice stories with an edge you’ve never seen in them before… Alice is a play that risks much and touches deeply.”
Coastal Spectator

“There is no shortage of creativity… it demonstrates Inconnu’s continued commitment to taking risks… it’s consistently entertaining… Melissa Blank makes an ideal Alice… Marina Legace sings beautifully… Reese Nielsen shines… The production itself is worth seeing… for its ingenuity in bringing such a strange story to the stage.”
CVV Magazine

“A compelling production… you could easily see twice… an aura of deep mystery…The songs display outstanding variety… The artists… are geniuses at working magic by unusual means… a hidden treasure.”
Janis Lacouvee – I Have My Own Life to Live

“Another feather in the Theatre Inconnu cap… Kudos to Melissa Blank as Alice and Graham Roebuck… as Charles Dogdon…. I love the crazy costumes by Shayna Ward and the live musical accompaniment by The Party on High Street… it does stick with you.”
CBC

“A colourful and hallucinatory production that will charm… glimmers of transcendence… Kudos go to Robert Randall, whose brightly coloured illustrations (projected onto a backdrop) are simple and child-like in the best sense of the words. The Party on High Street… provides suitably funky, boho accompaniment with guitar, bass… percussion… accordions, a theremin and that strange horned instrument known as the Stroh violin.”
Times Colonist

Directed by Clayton Jevne, musical direction by Donna Williams, choreography by Stephanie Geehan, costumes by Shayna Ward, production design by Robert Randall, musical accompaniment by The Party on High Street (Travis Charuk, Nick Houghton, Brin Porter).

Cast: Melissa Blank, Wendy Cornock, Cam Culham, Marina Legace, Matt Mathiason, Reese Nielsen, Brin Porter, Graham Roebuck, Donna Williams

Preview: 8pm:  Nov 30 (half-price)
8pm:  Dec 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 10, 20
2pm:  Dec 6, 13, 20

Reservations and Ticket Sales

Through TICKET ROCKET:  ticketrocket.org <http://ticketrocket.org/>  or  250-590-6291 (price will include a $2.50  surcharge).

Ticket prices:  $14 (regular), $10 (seniors, students, unwaged)
Preview – Nov 30 is $7
Tuesday, Dec 9 is Pay-What-You-Wish admission

Subscribers and complimentary tickets: to make a reservation, please reserve directly through Theatre Inconnu at 250-360-0234, or by email.

We are handicap accessible.  And for those with special seating needs, please make your reservations directly through Theatre Inconnu (see above).

Theatre Inconnu is located at 1923 Fernwood Road (across the street from the Belfry Theatre).  For parking we suggest the side streets west of Fernwood Road as these do not have parking restriction signs.

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Cam Culham and Melissa Blank
Photo by Monique Cartesan