Youth tackle tick…tick…BOOM!

There’s some fresh game in the region.

The newly formed Rabid Marmot Productions (RMP), a young theatre collective dedicated to producing new Canadian plays and established works, is about to debut its first show with an edgy Jonathan Larson creation.

Founded by Jenna Greig and Nicholas Mather, RMP is a reaction to what few in the local theatre community openly discuss — that young talent is often shut out of established companies. Artistic directors, with multiple creative and administrative duties, often choose to work with the more experienced actors who are guaranteed draws.

“Our vision was to bring out a youthful element that doesn’t exist outside the fringe,” says Greig. “We don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves with only edgy, or only Canadian or only new work. We want to be open to exploring any new work and work with as many new and creative people as possible.”

RMP’s first choice is tick…tick…BOOM! kicking off June 22 for a five-day run at the Living Room Playhouse/Azimuth Theatre.

Larson, composer of the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning rock opera Rent, composed tick…tick…BOOM! prior to Rent as a solo act. Finding no takers, he shelved it.

After his unexpected death on the eve of the official opening of Rent on Jan. 25, 1996, friends and collaborators reworked tick…tick…BOOM! into a three-hander.

An autobiographical story, it follows Jon, a yet undiscovered composer, about to blow out the candles on his 30th birthday. The big 3-0 has Jon questioning his career path and his life.

This puts him on shaky grounds with the two most important forces in his life — Susan, a girlfriend, who wants a life in the ‘burbs, and Michael, a buddy who left acting for a high-income marketing career.

The adhesive that holds the 90-minute show together is 15 rocking tunes, a sharp deviation from the usual Broadway fare of showy jazz and tap numbers. “It’s a guitar-heavy show with some gritty rock numbers,” says Greig.

Byron Martin (Boy Groove), a graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and a St. Albert Children’s Theatre instructor, plays Jon. “He has this spark, this youthful exuberance and love of theatre. He loves talking about his craft and for us there was no other.”

Sarah Horseman playing Susan has “a voice that fills the room. She’s the most positive, happy, giving actor I’ve worked with.”

And St. Albert resident Steven Angove takes on the role of Michael. “He’s only 18, but when he starts singing, he becomes Michael before your eyes. He definitely has a gift and he’s one to watch.”

Larson is a composer that created layers of subtext. As Angove sees it, there was one clear message throughout. “You can have big dreams and you can be successful at what you love.”