After two years of hiatus because of Covid-19, we are so excited to announce that the Okanagan Zone Theatre Festival is back again; and even more excited that SOAP is the host club for this year's event. There will be six different plays presented at the Venables Theatre in Oliver during the week of May 22 to May 27, followed by an awards banquet at the Oliver Senior Centre on Saturday May 28.
Five of the participating performances will be competing for a range of awards and recognition, to be announced and presented at the awards banquet at the end of the week. The May 25 performance is not part of the competition. It is a new play that Nicolle will be workshopping with the playwright and the actors. Anyone with a ticket to any one of the competing performances will be able to attend the workshop play free of charge. Each adjudication will include a "coffee critique" held in the lobby of the Venables Theatre the morning following each competing performance. Ticket holders to each of these competing shows can attend its coffee critique the following morning, free of charge. |
![]() Meet our Adjudicator, Nicolle Nattrass: "Be Kind. Those two words resonate with me deeply, not only because of the past 2 years but also as I reflect on my career in the Theatre. To be kind requires collaboration with others for a greater good, an openness and a tenderness, and it feels good to give and receive it. I am honored to be here to give and receive in adjudication and I want to thank you all for your kindness and warm hospitality."
Nicolle Nattrass is an actress (CAEA / UBCP), playwright (Playwrights Guild of Canada) and a Director/Dramaturg. Nicolle has served as Deputy Chair for the Women’s Caucus (2008- 2012) as well as National Forum Rep for Vancouver and the Gulf Islands (2016-2019). She is a graduate from the University of Victoria (1991) with a BFA in Theatre, Acting Specialization. Nicolle is thrilled to be back working for Theatre BC. She has worked as a Juror, Workshop Instructor, Dramaturge and Assistant Director for Theatre BC. She was honored to work as Workshop Director with Nanaimo Theatre Group’s production of, God of Carnage, which won Best Production at the 2014 Theatre BC Mainstage Awards, and the play, Bus Stop, which swept the 2015 Mainstage Festival with 10 awards. She was Artistic Associate for Theatre One’s Emerging Voices as both a Dramaturge and Director from 2013 to 2021. She worked as a Director and Dramaturg on a new play, Shield Maiden, written by Melanie Froh-Teichrob, which allowed her, pre-Covid, to debut on Theatre Row, 42nd Street at the United Solo Festival in New York. As an actress, Nicolle has performed for many regional theatres across Canada and worked in film, tv and radio. She is a Jessie Richardson Theatre nominated actress & playwright who has explored her own work since her very first play, Brownie Points, which received nominations for Outstanding Performance and Outstanding New Play. Other recent acting credits include: Post Secret: The Show. Nicolle joined the Canadian cast for both 2015 & 2016 at the Firehall Theatre in Vancouver. Her comedy duo, The Drama Queens has also been featured on She Kills Me comedy TV series. Currently Nicolle is working on her new solo play, Suddenly 50, with Director/Dramaturge TJ Dawe as well as coaching actors/artists, through Tender-hearted Revolution Coaching. |
Ticket InformationTicket pricing will be similar to what local theater patrons are used to paying for SOAP Theatre productions:
Remember, if you buy a show ticket, you can attend its critique by the adjudicator the following morning at no cost. Also, the workshop play scheduled for May 25 is free to anyone who holds a ticket for any of the other plays. |
The Line-upSix Dramatic Days of Live Theatre, plus a banquet are scheduled as follows. All performances are at Venables Theatre (6100 Gala St. Oliver). The Awards Banquet will be at the Oliver Senior Centre (5876 Airport St. Oliver).
|
Synopsis of the Festival Plays
When the Wind Blows, by Raymond Briggs: Jim and Hilda Bloggs are English retirees, living in a country cottage during the height of the Cold War. War with Russia seems imminent, and Jim starts taking precautions against a nuclear attack. Nostalgic about World War II, Jim and Hilda staunchly believe that everything will be okay, even if nuclear weapons are involved. But will it? This powerful, poignant play mixes nonchalance and English laugh-in-the-face-of-danger humour with some incredibly shocking reminders of the effects of nuclear war – funny, terrifying, and emotional all at the same time. We see flashes of Jim and Hilda's history, the life they had, the simplicity and innocence of their existence and how this is shattered. (Full details here)
|
![]()
Raymond Briggs was born 1934 in Wimbledon, London. He went to Rutlish School for Boys and enjoyed producing cartoons. From 1949 to 1953 Briggs attended Wimbledon School of Art. He completed two years of National Service in Catterick in the Royal Corps of Signals. Briggs became an illustrator, adding images to children’s books. When the Wind Blows, released in 1982, is a powerful graphic novel about a couple dealing with the reality of nuclear war. It was later made into an animated feature film and a stage play, caused a sensation in England for its depiction of a nuclear attack. |