Theatre buffs will want to mark their calendars for Unity 1918, a Governor-General-Award-winning play coming to the Eagle Eye Theatre for three days only, April 25 to 28.
Between Shifts Theatre presents Unity 1918 by Kevin Kerr, which was originally produced in 2001, and won the Governor General Literary Award the following year.
The play is set between 1918-1920 in Unity, Saskatchewan, a small farm town experiencing the tumultuous years when Canadian soldiers returned from WWI and brought with them the mysterious and deadly Spanish Influenza virus.
The virus ended up being the most destructive pandemic in history, killing between 30-50-million people in two years.The story has some relevance to Squamish, said Daniels, because both are small towns with similar dynamics.
"There's lots of information about the Spanish flu in the media right now making the play quite timely," said actress, and Between Shifts founding director Kathy Daniels.
Although the play depicts intensity and devastation through the characters, it also incorporates elements of humour. But due to the nature of the plot, Daniels suggests that the play might not be suitable for children.
Seventeen people from Squamish, Pemberton and Vancouver make up the cast and stage technicians, and all say they're happy to be producing such a powerful, historically significant play.
Assistant director, Paul Fletcher is a retired teacher, and said he thinks plays "can teach us about society, and help answer a few creative impulses."
Amanda Anderson is a student at Langara College, who said she enjoys playing Sissy, a young "tornado on the prairies" farm girl, according Uchatius.
Travis Woods plays a blind war hero who returns to Unity after the war. Woods said his role in Unity 1918 is important to his acting career "because no one had seen me do anything serious- and it's a challenge."
Between Shifts Theatre has been presenting plays in Squamish since 1993. Now, with four people on the executive, the group accomplishes three to four productions per year.
The group's dedication to the three or four practices per week never falters, according to Unity 1918 director Susanna Uchatius. "This is a very committed group," said Uchatius. "This is a tough play, and if you want to do it with honour and integrity, you need to be committed. I like to work with people like this."
On May 11, the troupe travels to the North Shore Zone Festival to complete with four other groups at Presentation House in North Vancouver. In previous years, Between Shifts has won awards such as Best Director, or Best Actor. This year, the group insists it's their time to bring home the Best Play award.
Tickets For Unity 1918 are on sale at Billie's Bouquet, $14 for adults, and $10 for students and seniors.
