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Bring on the zombies and break out the smartphones

Theatre production
demands audience
participation
SU) hinge
<> Arts Editor
nboigithenttesgress.co

 

et ready to save the world

from a zombie apocalypse,
because The Virtual Stage’s
latest production has more
zombies, more action, and more
interactivity than your average
theatre show.

The Zombie Syndrome:
On Death Island is a theatrical
scavenger hunt that challenges
the audience to solve clues,
interact with the cast, and
explore seven zombie-filled
sites—five indoor and two
outdoor.

“The whole purpose of
this show is that the audience
must hunt down and find

Set. Sullivan [from last year’s
show] and recover the cure to
the zombie syndrome amidst
the zombie apocalypse, which
is going to be lots of fun,” said
' ady Thompson, the show’s
titer and director.
The show relies on
iartphones for GPS
\vigation, texting, and more
ivr audiences to navigate their
way through the show.
Thompson had hoped that
each audience of 15 members
would have at least one member
with a smartphone and that
person could read the clues and
work the GPS. Now he finds, in
most cases, at least half of the
audience has smartphones and
wants to take part in receiving
the clues and using GPS.
“There’s so much dumb
entertainment out there [that]
really puts the audience ina
passive seat,” Thompson said.
“This does the exact opposite. It
requires the audience be smart.”
While technically a sequel to

last year’s sold-out production,
The Zombie Syndrome,
audiences don’t need to have
seen the first one to know what's
going on—there’s a recap at the
start of the show.

“We've got more zombies
and it’s really bigger, bolder
and bloodier than ever before,”
Thompson said. “It’s kind of like
last year but on steroids.”

The show takes place in the
Vancouver area, but the actual
location of the production is
only revealed to ticket holders
via text message a day before
their show.

“There's a lot of stuff I
can’t say and don’t want to
say because I want it tobe a
surprise,” Thompson explained.

Last year’s show featured
three different endings,
which were determined by
the audience’s choices. Many
groups failed to get the one
good ending where they save
the world.

One of those alternate

storylines is what inspired this
year’s plot where one of the
characters runs off with the only
cure for the zombie syndrome.
Except this time, there will be
more alternate endings and,

for the first time, high score
rankings.

“The audience actually
decides on a team name and
then scores points based on how
well they do. And we're going
to post those on our website. So
it’s a little bit inspired by video
gaming,” said Thompson.

Actor Tyler Clarke, who
plays an autopsy zombie in
the show, likes how this one of
a kind production can attract
unlikely theatre patrons.

“A lot of teenagers, they
go to the movies, they don’t
really go and see plays. So this
is something also for younger
generations to enjoy,” he said.

Thompson thinks
zombies are not only a form of
entertainment but also reflect
cultural insecurities and fashion

Local theatre troupe offers fresh faces and
longtime friends

Vagabond Players RICRS
off 77th season

Cheryl
= inns
== MR Arts Editor
ubsigithenthereseoa

 

he Vagabond Players have

performed at the Bernie
Legge Theatre for more than
75 years and are still going
strong with both lifetime
members and fresh new talent

“T had come here when I
was a young girl to see a play,’
actress Donna Thompson
recalled. “I remember sitting
there with my mom thinking,
‘Oh, they’re so lucky! How I'd
love to be on that stage!”

Thompson has been in
the group since 1999 and is
performing in their latest
production, Let’s Murder
Marsha, the 77th season
opener.

“T’ve worked in bigger
theatres, state of the art
theatres... this one’s a true
theatre,” she said. “The
people that are here, they’ve
been here forever. They’re so

oo

dedicated and put in a ton of
time.”

Claire Temple, a Douglas
College theatre student,
stumbled upon the group
last year when she searched
online for community theatres
and saw an open audition ad
for the Christmas show, Dear
Santa.

“It’s the best thing in the
world if you like theatre,”
she said. “It’s such good

auditioned for the Vagabond
Players’ Babes in Arms and
has been working with them
ever since.

“It’s just a wonderful
experience to know that
you're responsible for making
people happy and giving
them an opportunity to enjoy
themselves,” he said. “T guess
that’s why over the years, I’ve
always considered myself
more of an entertainer than an

surprise.”

Lead actress, Julia
Chayko, said the role is fun to
play but also difficult because
her character is so over the
top.

“I’m one of those people
who likes to find the logic in
what I’m doing. With this one,
I tried to do that for the first
couple weeks and then I went,
‘Oh, this isn’t working,’” she
said. “Once I let go of trying

- The comedy-thriller is about an eccentric housewife who Is obsessed with murder

him discussing her ‘birthday surprise.”

experience and you meet
people and you never leave.”

Dwayne Campbell, one
of the few living lifetime
members, has been with the
Vagabond Players since 1977
and at one point became the
group’s youngest president at
age 25.

With a background in
theatre from high school and
various community theatre
productions, Campbell

artist.”

Nowadays, Campbell
is director for the group,
including their latest play,
Let’s Murder Marsha, which
runs until October 26.

The comedy-thriller is
about an eccentric housewife
who is obsessed with murder
mystery novels and thinks her
husband is going to murder
her after she overhears him
discussing her “birthday

mystery novels and thinks her husband Is going to murder her after she overhears

to find the logic then it was a
little easier to sort of become
her.”

This play was Campbell's
second choice after his first
choice, The Black Bonspiel
of Wullie MacCrimmon, fell
through because there weren’t
enough men who auditioned.

Instead, he quickly had to
cast a new play and had a few
people in mind.

“T got on the phone and

choices.

“People are interested in
zombies perhaps because they
represent the ultimate fear that
we're going to die and then just
rot and actually still be alive.
It’s a symbol, in a sense,” he
explained.

Thompson also compared
zombies to fashion and society’s
view on what is attractive.

“It’s been interesting this
year to talk to my zombie
[actors]. Some of them are quite
young and personally interested
in their appearance—which is
normal for anyone, especially
youth—and telling them, ‘You
need to look as ugly and crappy
as possible.’ It’s been a fun
discussion. I said, ‘Okay, it’s a
contest. Who can be the ugliest?’
It’s a different kind of fashion.”

The Zombie Syndrome: On
Death Island will be playing
until November 3. Tickets can
be purchased online at www.
thevirtualstage.org / tickets

called up a lot of people that

I knew that were very quick
and really good,” he said. “T
knew exactly who I needed to
put in the show.”

Even Let’s Murder
Marsha required a few
rewrites. Temple's character,
Bianca the maid, was
originally supposed to have
a police officer boyfriend,
but when actor George Kopf
was cast, the character was
changed to being her father
because of the age difference.

Since most of the cast had
met before at other Vagabond
Players’ productions, they
were at ease trying out
different styles of comedy
among friends.

“We had a lot of fun at the
rehearsals,” Campbell said.
“Some stuff worked, some
stuff didn’t, but it was fun
that everybody was willing to
really put themselves out there
to do it. J think it has really
made a difference in this one.”

Tickets for Let’s Murder
Marsha and four-show season
passes are available online at
www.vagabondplayers.ca/
tickets.htm