Performing arts festival brings distinct monodramas to Gabriola Island

Five distinct one-person plays will bring a mixture of comedy, drama and LGBTQ programming to an upcoming Gabriola Island performing arts festival.  The plays, part of the Gabriola Theatre Festival, will showcase talents from Vancouver, Victoria, Edmonton, Toronto, England and the Gulf island itself.   Associate festival producer, Dibs Barisic Sprem, said the selection committee whittled the original 18 applicants to the selected five, and focused on productions that could inspire, uplift and challenge audiences.  The festival is also planning for an opening night party and a closing night party. First to the stage will be an autobiographical story by Frank Moher called Boy Player on Tuesday, Aug. 26 and Aug. 30. Boy Player tells of Moher's experience as a child suddenly orphaned and transplanted from Edmonton to New York City.  The following production, The Heterosexuals by Jonnie McNamara Walker, will be staged on Tuesday, Aug. 26 and Aug. 27. Walker's performance will take a tongue-in-cheek 'deep-dive' into the shocking world of heterosexuality. "As a queer person, I love material that flips the script on cultural norms," Sprem said. "Johnnie McNamara Walker has been receiving rave reviews after having sold-out shows in Hamilton, Montreal, Orlando, Edmonton, and an off-Broadway run in NYC."  Next up will be Jem Rolls: Adventures in Canadian Parking Lots on Wednesday, Aug. 27 and Aug. 30. Rolls, who has "done more Fringe Festivals than anyone on earth this century," is a high-energy English performance poet who will feature "dumb comedy, smart comedy and dark tales" in his new show. How I Met My Mother by Jon Paterson will show on Aug. 28 and Aug. 29 and follow a bachelor as he answers the call to care for his ailing mother.  "This gives me the impression that it's going to be one of those shows where people might shed a tear," Sprem said. "Paterson has described his show as cathartic … this is the first show that he has written for himself." Katie-Ellen Humphries joins the festival with her show No Worries If Not, which shows on Aug. 28 and Aug. 29, and will deliver a "funny and surprising tale of love, lying and laundry." "No Worries is a show that speaks to me, as a recovering people-pleaser myself," the associate festival producer said. "Katie-Ellen has a very sharp way of writing jokes and connecting to audience members with relatable, observational humour."  All productions can be caught at the Gabriola Theatre Centre, 1475 Peterson Rd., from Aug. 26-30 with performances at 5 p.m. or 7 p.m. Each production will have two stagings. Ticket information can be found online at www.gabriolatheatrecentre.ca [https://www.gabriolatheatrecentre.ca/].