Information – Jeff Culbert, (519) 645-1130, jculbert@gtn.on.ca

Back to the Motel with Ausable Theatre

Following up our highly acclaimed production of Problem Child, by George F. Walker, Ausable Theatre returns to the Grand’s McManus Studio Theatre this November with two more Walker plays that are set in that same rundown motel room.

Risk Everything is the sequel to Problem Child, and it follows the main couple, Denise and RJ, as they deal with Denise’s mother Carol, a sexy, lying gambler with a lust for life. The play is a wild comedy – a life-or-death romp about living life to the fullest.

In The End of Civilization, a middle class couple moves into the room. They are victims of corporate down-sizing, desperately seeking employment in a new town, but hounded by the fear that they may lose it all. It has Walker’s trademark comedic touch, but like Problem Child, it is also an exploration of the darker side of human experience. Critic Vit Wagner called The End of Civilization “the best of the bunch”.

The plays will open on consecutive evenings – Risk Everything on Thursday, November 27th and The End of Civilization on Friday, November 28th – and then run through to Saturday, October 6th. The full schedule is given below.

All of these plays are from a series called Suburban Motel – six George F. Walker scripts that are all set in a single motel room. By running the two plays in repertory, Ausable Theatre is trying to capture the spirit of the series – that a single motel room is the setting for hundreds of stories, told and untold. The set used in Problem Child, designed by London artist and city councillor candidate Judy Bryant, will be resurrected for the latest production.

In Risk Everything, Rachel Holden-Jones will re-create the character of Denise, Linda Ham will appear as her mother Carol, Jayson McDonald will take on the role of RJ and Simon Goodwin will play Michael, the pornographic film-maker from next door.

The teetering couple in The End of Civilization will be played by Caitlin Murphy and Jeff Culbert; two burned-out cops are portrayed by Dean Hall and Serge Saika-Voivod, and this time, the room next door is occupied by a hooker named Sandy, played by Claire Porter.

Both plays will be directed by Ausable Theatre’s Artistic Director, Jeff Culbert. Of these George F. Walker plays, Culbert says, “I think that the Suburban Motel series contains some of the best Canadian plays ever produced. It’s funny and exciting and compassionate theatre, and it’s an absolute delight to work on these brilliant plays”

Critical Responses to Problem Child

Here is what the reviewers had to say about Ausable’s production of Problem Child in January of 2003:

This Ausable Theatre production is just plain masterful ... a meaty, memorable production -- Christopher Doty, Theatre in London

An admirable job balancing the conflicting elements of grim reality and funny moments ... Tragic, comic, depressing, thought-provoking, poignant, bizarre and all too frighteningly real -- Noel Gallagher, London Free Press

4½ stars - A triumph ... remarkable depth ... skillful social commentary that brings tears of both laughter and sorrow -- Maggie Wrobel, UWO Gazette

Ausable Theatre's production of this masterpiece is a must-see ... they achieve greatness. -- Patricia Black, Scene Magazine

Ticket Prices
(Grand Box Office: 672-8800 or www.grandtheatre.com)

Regular performances: Single ticket - $15, Both shows - $25

Opening nights (Nov 27 and 28): Single ticket - $15, Both shows - $22

Saturday matinees – admission by donation

Performances

Risk Everything
Thursday, November 27, 8 pm

Saturday, November 29, 4:30 pm

Saturday, November 29, 9:30 pm

Thursday, December 4, 9:30 pm

Friday, December 5, 9:30 pm

Saturday, December 6, 9:30 pm

The End of Civilization
Friday, November 28, 8 pm

Saturday, November 29, 2:30 pm

Saturday, November 29, 7:30 pm

Thursday, December 4, 7:30 pm

Friday, December 5, 7:30 pm

Saturday, December 6, 7:30 pm