The 2010 Whistler Accessibility Blog (The WFTD Society)

Returning in 2010 after rave reviews from the 1st annual event, the Blank Slate Theatre Festival will mount 2 shows for 4 nights at the beautiful Squamish Lil'Wat Cultural Centre from September 1st-4th, 2010.   Festival attendees will have the option of attending the Canadian premiere of an edgy and existential comedy entitled "Almost an Evening" from legendary writer Ethan Coen or a quirky one woman show about an enthusiastic children's performer who gets knock up by accident in "The Big Oops".  Save the date and don't miss out on this year's shows!  All shows are fully accessible to the Mobility Restricted.

Be sure to call us up for your "Accessible Accommodations" section on the Right Hand Side "Links" Menu Options for this Whistler Festival.   We work in partnership with Tourism Whistler so you know your getting the best out there and at a good rate.  All of our profits go back into Supporting People with Disabilities throughout BC and Canada.   Call our reservation team at 1-888-933-9383.
 
Almost an Evening  by Ethan Coen
Squamish Lil'Wat Cultural Centre – Theatre – $20
Doors at 7pm – Show at 8pm
1 Act Play – No intermission

Synopsis - In "Almost an Evening" three short plays unsuccessfully tackle important questions.  In Waiting, someone waits somewhere for quite some time.  In Four Benches, a voyage to self-discovery takes a British intelligence agent to steam baths in New York and Texas, and to park benches in the U.S. and U.K.   In Debate, cosmic questions are taken up.   Not much is learned.
 
With their macabre humour and dark sense of irony, the Coen Brothers' films offer a distinctively skewed view of Americana, appropriating genres from screwball to noir to convey a bizarre world in which heinous things happen. A similarly twisted perspective-and a reference frame ranging from Beckett to Mamet-is applied in Ethan Coen's first solo work for the theatre, Almost an Evening, three short plays that swap planet U.S.A. for a more abstract universe in which philosophical, existential and metaphysical questions bounce around.
 
Directed by Sam Trounce
 
The Big Oops  by Brendan McLeod
Squamish Lil'Wat Cultural Centre – Longhouse – $20
Doors at 7pm – Show at 8pm
1 Act Play – No intermission
 
Synopsis – The Big Oops is an original one woman play centered on an upcoming children's entertainer, Sammi Sam, who lives to please and inspire everyone around her: the children she entertains, her long-term boyfriend Ben, and his affluent parents.  When she gets pregnant by accident, she and Ben must choose whether or not to have the child.  Part naïve children's show, part interpersonal drama, The Big Oops takes on contemporary social mores with abnormal humour and pathos.

Directed by: TJ Dawe
Starring: Cara Yeates 
 
Raves and Reviews from 2009's Festival:
 
"The Blank Slate troupe had me securely hooked on the upper lip.  This season I can hardly wait to be reeled in once again!" – Tom Thomson
 
"Blank Slate Theatre: Dynamic, Risky" - The Question Newspaper 
"The actors knocked the tough, funny play out of the park" – The Question Newspaper
 
"Interesting and edgy theatre in a beautiful venue at a reasonable price.  Bravo!" – Marlene Siemens
 
"The transformation from script to stage is brilliant and the added bonus of meeting the actors, writers and directors after the performance truly engaging. You will definitely want to be a part of this, as the festival develops into the jewel it will become." – Chris Quinlan

Be sure to visit the Blank Slate Theatre Festival website (www.blankslatetheatre.ca) for the latest updates!  Ticket Sales and Cast and Crew information contact The Squamish Lil"Wat Cultural Centre for more information about the Festival at SLCC.ca

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