 As part of SOAP's year-long theme of presenting Canadian theatre to the South Okanagan, we are excited to sponsor an original comedy in addition to our regular season: Double D Diner, written and directed by Jim Dinwoodie of Osoyoos BC.
After spending over 30 years working and living in various “tourist towns" throughout British Columbia, local playwright, Jim Dinwoodie has discovered that they all have one thing in common; the local coffee shop. These places are often the heart and soul of a town and the gathering spot for some of the community's most interesting characters; characters who names may change from town to town but are all basically the same people; characters who have frequently solved all sorts of problems, ranging from World Peace to what's wrong with Silly Hall. Jim has brought all these people together for one night in the “Double D Diner”. So order a large Mocha, maybe a fresh baked muffin or scone, grab a corner table and see what happens when our beloved locals (maybe someone you know or even yourself) meet the New City Guy. Will he be accepted into their community or run out of town? Jim will be holding auditions on Sunday, September 18 at 7:00 pm at the Big Blue Building at 5840 Airport Street, Oliver, BC . He is looking for:
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Yaaaay !!
All are welcome to attend the auditions, including those interested in technical aspects such as
set construction, lighting, sound, costumes, make-up, etc.  Interested in Theatre? Consider attending a workshop during the Mainstage Theatre Festival in Vernon Workshop dates are July 12 - 15, 2022. Workshops are listed below. Visit the Theatre BC Website for full details and registration links.
 Our regular season run of When the Wind Blows wrapped up on Saturday, April 30 to great audience reviews. If you missed it, it was a great show, centred on a retired English couple who hopelessly reminisce about World War II in the face of a pending nuclear strike at the height of the Cold War. This was also our entry in the 2022 Okanagan Zone Theatre Festival, where it was recoginzed for the following awards:
What audience members said about When the Wind Blows:
Saw the show last night. Poignant, powerful, funny and frightening. Really enjoyed it. Hope you get the crowds it deserves. Well done to all of you. - Sylvia S. (Osoyoos) I was at the opening night. Ritchie and Margie were awesome - I never thought two people could carry a whole show, but you proved me wrong! - Miles K. (Penticton) Saw the show last night ….I would recommend it to anybody….great play...great acting. - June J. (Oliver) Enjoyed the show. Acting was spot on. The set was well done and the audio-visuals were frighteningly effective. -Scott M. (Oliver) I've been privileged to watch this extremely satisfying play. A cast that has chemistry and weaves its magic. The story is poignant, it echoes todays international mayhem. This play was written 40 years ago but it could have been yesterday. Thank you Ritchie, Margi, set designers, cast, crew, M/C and myriad behind the scenes supports... - Jill M. (Kelowna) Great play! Glad I went. Valeria D. Amazing show. Bittersweet as this is going on now in Ukraine. Let there be peace. - Doris K. Excellent acting. Kept me engaged the entire time. - Colleen M. Very well done! - Nicole N. (Penticton) Wonderful show. So well done. Difficult to watch at times. Thank you. - Lefa S. (Saskatchewan) Well done. I cried. Especially when this world of ours is in such a horrific state. Peace and Love is all we need. Imagine… - Wendy C. (Oliver)  We are pleased to finally stage When the Wind Blows, by Raymond Briggs. Planning for this show began in 2019. It was originally scheduled for production in April 2021, before our season was fully cancelled by Covid. Now, here we are in the spring of 2022, presenting an anti-war play that was first written almost 40 years ago, at the height of the Cold War, when nuclear disarmament protests were at their height throughout western democracies. Some of you may remember the annual Mother’s Day ban-the-bomb marches held throughout Canada. Now, 40 years later, we are witnessing a devastating invasion of Ukraine, along with rising tensions between “The West” and the Russian government, arguably at an unprecedented level. What can we make of a play that is centred on a nuclear attack by Russia in these uncertain and worrisome times? How can we respond? Some of our patrons have suggested to us that current world events will turn this dark comedy into just something dark. But we take a different view. The threat of war, including nuclear war, was front and centre in our popular psyche in the 1980s. Anti-war protests were not uncommon. These worries and protests were the catalyst for Briggs to originally write When the Wind Blows. Now, as we contemplate the current world situation, we realize that not much has changed in 40 years. While the threat of war may have taken a back seat since the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, and some say it was swept under the rug, we realize it has remained a real threat all along. So, we present this show in its original form, with its original message: Can any population really be prepared for a nuclear conflict? Are there any winners? Is war an answer to our worldly problems? All world leaders must hear this message loud and clear and cannot be supported in their pursuit of military conquest! The people of Ukraine are the most recent, living, eyewitnesses to the horrors of war. We dedicate this show to them and to all other peoples suffering from the effects of invasion, civil war, terrorist insurrection and all armed conflict around the world, including Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Ethiopia and Palestine, to mention only a few. You Can Help ..... Click on a logo, below, to donate:
 Each year we strive to stage three productions (Fall, Winter and Spring).
We are looking for past, current and future directors and producers to come forward with show ideas for our Fall and Spring shows next season. (The winter show will be The Black Bonspiel of Wullie MacCrimmon, postponed from earlier this year.) If you have a favourite play you want to see staged in the South Okanagan, why not consider directing or producing it? It's a great chance to revitalize your artistic juices! Alternately, if you are interested in directing, but don't have your mind set on a specific play, let us know and perhaps we can explore some options together. If you have theatre experience but have not directed before, perhaps we can team you up with someone in our group be your mentor and assistant. Once we have a draft list of plays and proponents, the final selection is up our Board of Directors. We look to having our season locked in and ready to announce in early May. If you are interested please contact us by email at info@soplayers.ca.  While performance venues in BC are still allowed to operate at 50% capacity, and closed rehearsals are allowed to continue as a "workplace", the current situation with the Omicron variant of Covid-19 has created an unacceptable risk to the success of this production.
As director, Nathan Linders, summarized the situation in recent communication with cast and crew, "By mandate of the PHO, any cold symptoms have to be treated as having the potential for Covid, and a cough, fever, etc. mean we have to self-isolate, meaning missed rehearsals or even missing performances. Given the speed with which Covid and the current common cold is racing through our communities it has become clear to me that counting on ten cast members and three to six critical backstage members getting through a two week span (during performances) without someone coming down with a cough are very low." Already in December, three rehearsals had to be held with stand-ins for cast members in isolation and one rehearsal was cancelled outright. Rehearsals in the first week of January were also cancelled for the same reason. The risk of last-minute show cancellations just seems unacceptably high at this point. SOAP has, therefore, decided to pull The Black Bonspiel off of this year's roster and reschedule it for next season. Our spring show, When the Wind Blows, is still scheduled to proceed as scheduled (April 22-30). We hope to have rounded the current fifth wave of Covid by then. In addition, that show only has a two cast members, who live in the same house, so self-isolation are not a concern and any last-minute cancellations are much less of a risk. Ticket holders for The Black Bonspiel will be contacted by Venables Theatre shortly with options to exchange tickets for our spring show, exchange for gift certificate credit that can be applied to next year's show(s), or to receive a refund. We apologize for this unfortunate decision and thank all of our patrons for their ongoing support and understanding. |
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