Theatre company goes back in time for debut

There’s a new theatre company in the area, launching their live season tonight with The Importance of Being Earnest.

Twenties Street Productions is rolling out their debut theatre show tonight for a five-day run at the newly recreated Capitol Theatre in Fort Edmonton Park.

The Capitol Theatre, once one of Edmonton’s major cinemas, is a historical recreation of the 1920s theatre once located on Jasper Avenue and 100 Street.

The Fort’s new theatre matches many of the old building’s ornate details and has a seating capacity of 243 seats, about half of the original building. It is located on 1920s Street in the park, near the Selkirk Hotel.

What better way to launch a new era in theatre than with a Victorian melodrama or sentimental comedy? “Earnest is a classic. It’s comedy and a lot of people are familiar with it either through film or as a play,” says artistic director Amanda Bergen.

Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest leads a three-part series that includes The Curse of Pigeon Lake opening Oct. 15 and The Velveteen Rabbit on Dec. 9.

Bergen’s vision incorporates traditional staging with Victorian costumes and props. But instead of using costly elaborate sets for backdrops, she is adding a contemporary twist by using three different projectors.

One of the reasons Bergen selected Earnest as the opener was her admiration for Wilde’s witticism in ridiculing the hypocrisy of society’s moral arbiters that come across as shallow and ineffectual.

“He liked to poke fun at everyone around him for being of the same mould. All the characters are hypocritical and snooty.”

Part satire, part comedy of manners and part intellectual farce, Earnest looks at two dandies who lead double lives with different names creating a maze of lies and intricacies. But when they fall in love, their lives are placed under a microscope and held accountable to society’s moral authority.

According to Bergen, the show’s strength is the eight-member cast that includes St. Albert’s own Jenny McKillop. “They create a wonderful chemistry. They are all so generous in their work.”

McKillop plays Miss Prism, a daffy governess. It is a secondary but pivotal role in the story. “She reveals everything. She is the piece of the puzzle that is missing.”

Ironically, mature actresses usually play the role of the dotty Miss Prism. McKillop is in her mid-20s.

“When she auditioned, she was Miss Prism right away. She was flighty and a funny character to watch. In rehearsal, she’s very present. She’s adventurous and tries new things.”

Although the script is over 100 years old, it continues to be relevant in today’s society. Bergen compares the play’s Victorian high society to contemporary consumers splurging on must-have cars, clothes and technological gadgets. “People go into debt to buy a house they don’t need. What we see in the play is not dissimilar to people today.”