mTHUNDER BAY— “This is a very adult, very fun, raunchy, punk rock show,” said Stephanie Celine, director of Moosef***ker.
The locally written and produced play will have it's world premiere on Thursday at the Cambrian Players theatre.
The play tells the story of a man from Moosewater, Ontario, who is trying to make his way in life while pursuing his artistic aspirations.
The message is: “There is hope for all of us yet,” said Greg Bishop, an actor in the comedy.
Bishop said nothing will quite prepare audience members for the unique theatrics.
“It is going to be so much fun, I mean it is crazy, it is rough and tumble, I get beat up and bruised up and things like that, it is something that you do not see very often in theatre,” he said
“The general synopsis is we have a young man who goes by the rap name Tumbleweed, him and his girlfriend have decided to blackmail his dad into giving them enough money to get all the way to the big city of Sudbury to record his debut rap album — and hijinks ensue,” said Celine.
Celine is a local resident, as is playwrite Andrew Paulsen (originally from Hurkett) and the production features an abundance of Thunder Bay community members, she said.
“This one I have been lucky enough to see from beginning to production, and it is just incredible because also of the connection that this play has to northern Ontario and Thunder Bay,” Celine said.
“It is about the people in Northern Ontario and you are going to recognise all the characters, and it is just really great to be able to show kind of a different side of where we grew up.”
Celine said she is thrilled to bring the production to life, adding that it has been 15 years in the works.
“Andrew Paulsen started thinking about this script about 15 years ago on a road trip from southern Ontario back to home, and since then it has gone through writing, rewriting, workshopping and now finally we have been able to get a grant from the OAC (Ontario Arts Council), which we are really grateful for, to be able to put on the world premiere of a local writers work,” she said.
With over a decade of sweat and hard work behind them, Celine said the show is something no one in the city should miss — no one over 16, that is. Performances are restricted to ages 16-plus.
“This is a play that you will probably have never seen the likes of in Thunder Bay, and you may most likely will never see again in Thunder Bay,” she said.
“This is being done by New Noise Productions, their mandate is to bring adult alternative theatre to the Thunder Bay theatre scene.”
Adult alternative theatre coming back to the city gives residents a reason to come home, said Bishop.
“This has been so fun, I am born and raised here in Thunder Bay, but I moved to Vancouver about 20 years ago, and when I heard that that New Noise was putting this show on, I immediately sent some emails and said can I audition,” he said.
“They were good enough to let me audition via the Internet, and here I am, so I am very happy to come back to Thunder Bay and work on something that is so northern Ontario, that is it.
It just feels natural to me.”
“We have got stuff that has never been seen before on a small stage like the Spring Street theatre, and you are not going to want to miss it,” she said.
The show will be on the Cambrian Players stage on Spring Street, from Aug. 7 to 9, and from August 14 to 16, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20, other than for the Aug. 14 show which is pay what you can. Details and ticket sales are available through eventbrite.
