Bint. A literary tip of the hat BC Book ae Shortlists Announced ileal ee -ATHLEEN WITH By Cody Klyne, Arts Editor ritish Columbia is as talented and diverse as it is diversely talented. From our growing local independent film sector and defining music scene, to more traditional arts, theatre productions, and hilarious improv; communities have developed and exploded out in every which way across the province. Not to be overlooked, BC’s literary types — writers, novelists, poets, editors, and publishers—are as distinct a group as any of the aforementioned and, with the recent announcement of the BC Book Prizes shortlists, now it’s their time to shine. Now in its 27 year, the BC Book Prizes continue with what has evolved into a tradition of celebrating literary excellence across seven categories (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and children’s lit, to name a few.) This year’s shortlists, 6 like those of the past, are comprised of a number of notables (including Jack Whyte and Douglas Coupland) with the lists themselves acting as a reminder of the great work being done by both up- and-coming and veterans of the industry. The Prizes provide financial support— some $14,000 to be distributed this year alone—and represent a means for local writers to gain face time with the public through the BC Book Prizes On Tour program (to take place in mid-April) which will take a selection of finalists to schools, bookstores, and libraries in communities throughout the province to encourage discussion, reading, and writing. While the winners won’t be announced until the Lieutenant Governor’s Gala on April 21, more information, including the complete shortlists, is available now online at www. bebookprizes.ca. A discussion with actor Marc Williams Twelfth Night on now until March 19 By Angela Espinoza, Arts Reviewer ith the Douglas College rendition of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, ‘or What You Will’ now underway, only six shows remain until Saturday, March 19. For those who’ ve yet to see their peers take on this classic romantic comedy, here to help me entice you folks is actor Marc Williams. Some of you may remember Marc from his recent role as Skelly Mannor in last semester’s showing of The Rimers of Eldritch. Here, Marc will elaborate on his role in Twelfth Night, his experiences behind the scenes, and what readers can look forward to in upcoming performances. Angela Espinoza: Who is your character in “Twelfth Night’? Mare Williams: I play Orsino, the Duke of Illyria; he’s one of the main characters. He is very loved by his people, he’s a bachelor, and he is in love with Lady Olivia. [Orsino] meets up with Cesario/ Viola and urges ‘him’ to go through with a plan that'll woo Olivia. AE: Have you performed in any previous Shakespeare works? MW: I did [‘The Merchant of Venice’ ] probably about twelve years ago, where I played the prince of Morocco, but it was different because we didn’t have the actual formal training. I just got on stage and said my lines [without] exactly knowing what I was supposed to be saying. That’s the difference with this year, because now we’re told to [understand the text], so it sounds a little more authentic. AE: What’s your experience been like working with [Director] Thrasso Petras? MW: Thrasso’s awesome; he’s got more of a physical approach to working, especially with memorizing our lines. He’s taught us to actually look at the punctuation that we see in the words, and then allow that to carry us. Eventually what you learn with Shakespeare is that a lot of the work is done for the actor already, just in the text; you don’t have to get your brain into a completely different mode. It’s there for you, and then when you follow through with that, the text will carry itself out the way it’s meant to. AE: Has Thrasso’s approach influenced your take on the character of Orsino? MW: Yeah, actually, today Thrasso was telling me how to cut down on over-acting. How I like to approach a situation— especially my second situation—is to get out there and try to make it as big as possible, and then leave it to the director to chop things down. I learned that you’re able to be yourself in your character, instead of relying on your voice. Just by concentrating on the text and what I’m Marc Williams supposed to do, it all comes out properly. AE: Now that it’s started, what will we be seeing in “Twelfth Night’? MW: It’s going to be an awesome show. What’s great about this play is that you’ll be able to pick your favourite character, like The Rimers of Eldritch. So you could have your choice of say, Sir Toby Belch or Sir Andrew Aguecheek [portrayed by Charlie Black and Sean Knoll], and you’d see the interesting dynamics between them. Malvolio especially is going to be a very interesting character [as we see his outcome], and Feste the Jester [portrayed by Lara Deglan] will be singing and playing guitar. There’s also going to be a lot of interaction with the audience; it’s not the type of play where [the audience just sits there]. The characters are going to be coming out into the audience area, so everyone can get involved. Thrasso believes that if you’re just sitting in the theatre watching, then you might as well go see a movie; allow the interaction to happen. Twelfth Night ‘or What You Will’ is playing at the Laura C. Muir Performing Arts Theatre. Most shows will be playing at 7:30pm, with matinees at 2:00pm. Tickets are $8.00 for students with valid ID, while general admission is $15.00. You can purchase tickets at the door (cash only) or online through the Massey Ticket Centre.