Live theatre is an art form that lives in the moment.
But sometimes that moment changes to such an extent the script needs a rewrite.
Such was the case last fall for the drama Late Company, which will be remounted at Coquitlam’s Evergreen Cultural Centre this and next month by Touchstone Theatre.
The highly acclaimed drama by Canadian playwright — and Governor General Award winner — Jordan Tannahill needed two substantive updates.
One change was needed to reflect the loss of the Conservative government following the Oct. 15 vote. In the play, one of the characters is a Tory MP in an Ottawa riding and, because his party is no longer in power, the dynamic in the play shifted, said Touchstone artistic director Katrina Dunn.
But perhaps the biggest rework to the script came following the death of Chris Hyndman — a co-host on the CBC-TV hit series Designer Guys — last summer. He and his life and business partner, Steven Sabados, were talking points in Late Company on being openly gay.
“When he died, of course, all of that stuff plays out very, very differently on stage,” Dunn said, “so they were replaced with a British couple who are gay in a British sitcom.”
The altered narrative — along with the replacement of two actors from the original production — make for an interesting remount, Dunn said.
But it also makes an interesting farewell for Dunn herself.
With Touchstone marking its 40th anniversary this year, Dunn has decided to throw in the towel for the 2016-’17 season after 20 years with the company. She plans to freelance, teach and spend more time with her children, age 10 and seven.
Dunn applied in 1997 to an open call to be Touchstone’s new artistic director when her predecessor left to work with the Belfry Theatre.
Touchstone, a mid-sized theatre company, offered her the chance to develop new pieces — largely from Canadian playwrights — that dealt with powerful, modern and often-uncomfortable issues.
Late Company, of which Touchstone received nominations for four Jessie Awards including Best Production in 2015, explores challenges like bullying and teen suicide. It imagines a restorative justice dinner held a year after a tragedy between the parents of a dead gay son, his tormentor and that boy’s parents.
For this year’s remount, which will also include a run at the Cultch in Vancouver from April 5 to 9, Linda Quibell takes on the role of the grieving mother Debora while Katharine Venour returns as the visiting Tamara. Michael Kopsa and Gerry Mackay play their spouses and Arthur MacKinnon is the young Curtis.
Dunn said she wanted to bring back Late Company as many people didn’t get a chance to see it. “The themes around bullying, teen suicide and how we navigate young people in their early life is so topical and pertinent that it needed a wider audience. It continues to be relevant and strong.”
• Late Company runs from March 29 to April 2 at the Evergreen Cultural Centre. Call 604-927-6555 or visit evergreenculturalcentre.ca.
CONTEST
Want tickets to see Late Company at the Evergreen Cultural Centre? Email [email protected] by Monday, Mar. 21.
