Other Entertainment the Other Press Kinsella At The Waterfront The warm and witty baseball stories of W.P. Kinsella come to the stage of the Waterfront Theatre for the first time in April. Produced by the New Play Centre, three of Kinsella’s stories open at the Waterfront on April 8th under the collective title of The Thrill Of The Grass. Kinsella’s debut as a playwright follows a spell last year as Playwright-in-residence at the New Play Centre where he adapted three of his whimsical tales of baseball: The Val- ley of the Schmoon, The Night Manny Mota Tied the Record and The Thrill of the Grass. | The award-winning author didn’t find playwriting a new experience, but it is one he has not repeated since he graduated from the University of Victoria in 1974 with a Crea- tive Writing degree-majoring in playwriting. "At the time of graduating,"he says," fiction was what i felt more comfortable with-and it looked to me like a way to make money. It’s a terribly long struggle to get plays produced." All three plays capture the same dream- like, timeless atmosphere that is found in all of Kinsella’s baseball stories, says NPC Ar- tistic Director Pamela Hawthorn, who is directing the pieces. The first, The Valley of the Schmoon, deals with the reminiscences of an aging, over-the-hill baseball coach, who spends a cross-country, through the night drive recounting the wins and losses of his life. In THE NIGHT MANNY MOTA TIED THE RECORD Kinsella writes himself onstage in a part which sees him facing the ultimate human test - would he trade his life for somebody else’s? Faced with an electronically equipped ‘trader’ who poses the question, Kinsella comes up with con- clusions that are funny, sad and, of course, unexpected. The final piece, THE THRILL OF THE GRASS, sees two ardent baseball fans finding a way to cope with the horren- dous problem of artificial turf on the baseball field. The two leading actors in all three plays are both veterans of Canadian film, television and,m of course, theatre. Thomas Peacocke has a host of theatrical credits from the role of Bridges in SPRUNG RHYTHM at the Na- tional Arts Centre to his last Vancouver. ap- pearance as Willy Loman in the Vancouver Playhouse production of DEATH OF A SALESMAN. He has made a host of television appearances including DANGER BAY, JJ STARBUCK and OAKMOUNT HIGH, for which he was nominated Best Supporting Actor in the 1986 Gemini Awards. He also won Best Actor as Pere Murray in THE HOUNDS OF NOTRE DAME. Wes Tritter was last seen in Vancouver as Wayless in the Arts Club Theatre production of REFLECTIONS ON CROOKED WALKING. He has performed in theatres across Canada, including two seasons in major roles at the Shaw Festival. Other most recent roles include Honza in PRAGUE at the Western Canada Theatre Co., Art Findell in the Alberta Theatre Projects production of B-MOVIE - THE PLAY and Shelley Levine in the Arts Club Theatre production of GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS. Wes’s most recent television includes MAMA MIA, a Lies From Lotusland CBC TV show, and two episodes of BAILEY’s LAW also for CBC TV, Vancouver. Supporting members of the company are Bruce Harwood, Thomas Hunt, Don Mac- Kay and Beatrice Zeilinger. They appear in a variety of ‘chorus’ roles from baseball fans to policemen. rt THE THRILL OF THE GRASS opens at the Waterfront Theatre on April 8th and runs through April 30th. Performances are Mon- day to Saturday at 8:00 p.m. with a Wednes- day matinee at 2:00 p.m. The preview is on April 7th. KOKORO DANCE, Vancouver’s most surprising dance company whose premiere Firehall performances sold out last year and whose Asia Pacific Festival and Canada Dance Festival performan- ces drew standing ovations, unveils their latest creation, "EPISODE IN BLUE," a cantata from Hell at the Firehall Arts Centre April 13 -23. Directed by Tamahnous Theatre Ar- tistic Director, Kathleen Weiss with lyrics/script by Jay Hirabayashi, "EPISODE IN BLUE" features actor Ian McDonald as a three hundred pound singing dog in service to a mysterious dark power. Imagine "WEST SIDE STORY" with the devil meddling with the love story. Why wait for summer when Jeff Corness’ music for "EPISODE’S" fourteen songs leaves "CATS" in the kitty litter? Forget about Montreal dance companies! Barbara Bourget and Jay Hirabayashi’s dancing will have you saying oh la la la without getting vertigo. A KOKORO DANCE/FIREHALL ARTS CENTRE co-production, "EPISODE IN BLUE" previews (2 for 1) on April 13th and then runs until the 23rd. Performances are at 8 p.m. nightly except for the 22nd and 23rd when shows are 6:30 and 9:30 p.m.; no show on the 18th. "EPISODE IN BLUE" was created with funding from the Explorations Program of the Canada Council and the Leon and Thea Koerner Foundation. MUSIC Jane Siberry April 8, 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm "New" York Theatre Tix VTC/CBO Midnight Oil special guests House of Freaks April 22, Orpheum Theatre Tix VTC/CBO Terence Trent D’Arby April 28 86th St. Music Hall Tix VTC/CBO Sinead O’Connor featuring ex-Smiths Mike Joyce & Andy Rourke April 18 86th St. Music Hall Tix VTC/CBO Lynne Stone’s Children’s Spring Concert White Rock Christian Fellowship 2265-152nd St., Surrey Sat. April 23, 2:00 pm Tix $3.00, advance sales only info 531-8301 THEATRE Dictators Cabaret Studio 2, SFU Theatre Tix $5.00, $3.00 April 7-9, 14-16, 21 & 22 at 8:00 pm Free Performances april 6, 13 and 20 at 6:00 Info 291-351 CATS is back!! Aug 8-Sept 10 $32.50-$45.00 evening $27.50-$37.50 Wednesday matinees Tix VTC/CBO 280-4444 The Thrill of the Grass, by W.P. Kinsella Baseball Stories by the author of Shoeless Joe April 8-April 30 Mon-Sat 8:00 pm Wed. Matinees 2:00 pm The New Play Centre The Waterfront Theatre LOVE, DEATH and the weather one man show by Andy Graffiti April 8 & 9, 8pm $6.00 Van. East Cultural Centre Reservations 254-9578 Tix VTC/CBO ART Burnaby Art Gallery 6344 Deer Lake ave. Burnaby APRIL 8-MAY 8 -ART DECOY-antique decoy collection -PROFILES OF A HERITAGE: IMAGES OF WILDLIFE BY B.C. Presentation House Gallery 333 Chesterfield ave., North Vancouver 986-1351 APRIL 16-MAY 15 ARTISTS ne may 7 all tickets $12 available at VTC/CBO outlets, 280-4444 x