Wildly entertaining and delightfully quirky, TheatreXtra's season opens with the debut performance of Muse Control, by University of Lethbridge student James Wade. Muse Control won the 2010 U of L Play Right Prize, and is the first play from the competition to be produced.
In the David Spinks Theatre from Sept. 30 through Oct. 2, at 8 p.m. nightly and at 2 p.m. on Oct. 2, this premier production plunges audiences into the fantastic life of a struggling author, desperate to break his writer's block. Reality is suspended and twisted as his muse encourages and exposes his creative truths.
Wade, who is working on a BFA (multidisciplinary) degree, was inspired by the writing of Woody Allen and a summer lecture he attended two years ago.
"The lecture revolved around the idea of the muse and its role in society. That lecture inspired me to think of the muse as a literal character," says Wade. "I started writing Muse Control and finished it to enter the Play Right Prize competition."
The U of L Play Right Prize and U of L Striking Prose competitions are made possible by the generous support of Terry Whitehead, a U of L alumnus. In addition to earning the first place prize for play writing, Muse Control also received a public reading in March.
"This show is exciting because the playwright is one of our students and also because it's a great show," says Derek Stevenson, fellow student and TheatreXtra artistic director. "It was really well received by the audience at the reading in March."
"TheatreXtra provides opportunity and experience to students with a passion and commitment to theatre," explains Stevenson. "Our shows this semester, Muse Control and The Good Egg by Michael Lewis MacLennan, are both light-hearted and comedic in nature. TheatreXtra, for the most part, is student-run and these shows showcase and challenge drama students' abilities."
Tickets for Muse Control and The Good Egg are on sale at the U of L Box Office (403-329-2616), priced at $11 for regular admission and $7 for senior/student. Box Office hours are Monday through Friday from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. in W510.