For St. Albert playwright Lynda Celentano, creating strong characters lies in adapting experiences from her Italian-Canadian childhood.
The title of her new short play, Gifted, receives its premiere reading at Springboards: A New Play Festival running March 25-30 at Edmonton’s Gateway Theatre.
Operated under the banner of Workshop West Playwright’s Theatre, Springboards is an annual festival dedicated to curating works of new Canadian plays and playwrights.
Throughout the six-day run, audiences will see nearly 50 Edmonton and area leading talents read, write and direct a buffet of plays in development. Full length readings, 10-minute plays and snippets from up-and-coming projects will be in full swing over the five-day run. Gifted receives a one-day reading on Friday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m.
Gifted continues the Giorgi Passarelli series about a young girl who desperately desires to fit in with her Canadian peers. Yet her Italian parents’ strict rules at times prevent her from immersing herself in adolescent experiences.
“In Gifted, a new girl transfers to Giorgi’s school. Riley Ann is mesmerizing. She’s the most gifted kid in her class and she’s a debating whiz. Giorgi thinks this new friend is out of her league and tries to find out more about her. Riley Ann doesn’t have strict parents. She drinks coffee and she has an attaché case,” said Celentano.
Riley Ann takes Giorgi under her wing and teaches her to be a mini-me. Slowly Giorgi turns into a different person. When Giorgi receives an invitation from Riley Ann to attend a slumber birthday party, their friendship goes into a tailspin. Giorgi’s mother allows her daughter to attend the birthday party but refuses to permit the sleepover.
The lighthearted mini-comedy runs about 40 minutes. St. Albert’s Hayley Moorhouse, Sophie May Healey and Garrett Ross, as well as Abby McDougall, Robyn Clark, Michele Fleiger and Kaley Jade Wiebe, will tackle nine roles.
“I just wanted to express that sometimes you have to experience something upsetting to realize the gifts you have in your life and maybe it’s something you’ve taken for granted.”
Additional play offerings are Darrin Hagen’s Pansies on March 25; Beth Graham’s Amber Hope Porter on March 26; EDMONten on March 27; Natalie Meisner’s Subhumn on March 29 and The Springboard Cabaret on March 30.
Springboard Festival takes place at 8529 Gateway Blvd. All shows start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are pay-what-you-will.
