Two Burnaby actors are onstage in a new black comedy by Touchstone Theatre.
Touchstone is producing the Vancouver premiere of Brad Fraser’s black comedy Kill Me Now, onstage Oct. 13 to 27 at the Firehall Arts Centre.
The play stars Bob Frazer as Jake, a single dad who cares for his teen son Joey (Burnaby’s Adam Grant Warren), who has a severe disability. When Jake develops a serious medical condition, he becomes the one to rely on the people around him, including his sister Twyla (Luisa Jojic), his secret lover Robyn (Burnaby’s Corina Akeson) and Joey’s buddy Rowdy (Braiden Houle).
As Jake’s condition worsens, an ethical dilemma troubles the household as everyone is forced to consider the possibility of saying goodbye.
For playwright Brad Fraser, tackling the story is part of his mission to reflect lesser-seen perspectives onstage.
“Being queer and growing up in poverty led me to see the world from a much different perspective than many, and my desire to see that world reflected in the theatre led to the democracy of my characters – a repertoire that grows with each play I write, each attempt to stretch my imagination, to understand and portray things that are outside of my immediate realm of everyday experience,” he said in a press release. “This is my obligation as an artist, to explore that which is not about me. To find the concerns we all share in the traits that make us different. This is not a play about disability. It is a play about courage and love.”
Roy Surette, Touchstone Theatre’s artistic director and the director of Kill Me Now, describes Kill Me Now as Fraser’s “best play yet.”
“I am excited to direct this tough yet loving, harrowing yet surprisingly funny play,” Surette said in the release. “He has a remarkable talent for exploring complex issues and emotional powder kegs with compassion rather than sentimentality.”
Kill Me Now was a finalist for the 2016 Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama.
CHECK IT OUT
What: Kill Me Now, by Touchstone Theatre
Where: Firehall Arts Centre, 280 East Cordova St., Vancouver
When: Saturday, Oct. 13 to Saturday, Oct. 27. Previews Oct. 13 at 8 p.m., Oct. 14 at 3 p.m., Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. , opening Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. Shows Tuesday at 7 p.m., Wednesday to Saturday at 8 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 3 p.m. Pay-what-you-can matinee Oct. 24 at 1 p.m.
Tickets: Regular $30/$33, students and seniors $25/$28, under 30 $20, preview $17. Buy through tickets.firehallartscentre.ca or call 604-689-0926.
Info: www.touchstonetheatre.com.
