Pulitzer Prize: Avert not your eyes!
MamentFest promises edginess and wit
William O’Donnell, staff
Every year, a writer is selected to be the focus of his or her own Master Playwright Festival in Winnipeg, presented by the Manitoba Theatre Centre (MTC). This year that honour goes to Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, David Mamet.
MametFest features live theatrical performances, films, and a lecture series on Mamet. Thirteen MametFest partner companies will “entertain and educate audiences” through the works of, as MTC describes, “one of the grittiest, most dynamic and compelling playwrights of the 20th century.”
Audiences unfamiliar with Mamet’s plays might know some of the films he has composed, such as Wag the Dog or Glengarry Glen Ross, (which is being presented in this festival in both its film adaptation form at the Cinematheque and original play form at the MTC Warehouse). Mamet has shown prowess as a director, filmmaker, novelist, essayist, and playwright, of course. All of Mamet’s creations are very entertaining and will make for raucous festival material.
U of M’s own Black Hole Theatre Company (BHTC) is putting on a production of Mamet’s Romance. This play continues the BTHC’s promise of a season of darker comedies. Mamet’s work, overall, can be considered rather dark, but almost always with a healthy dose of comic edge. Romance is a part of this season’s mainstage productions and will be directed by Bill Kerr and features many talented BTHC regulars.
One such regular is Jeremy Rampton, who, along with the entire cast, is very excited to bring one of Mamet’s newest plays to an audience in Winnipeg. Along with being one of the “newest” shows, Rampton says it is one of the more offensive. “[Romance] goes far beyond the regular profanity filled ‘Mamet-speak’ he is known for . . . we are expecting to shock and surprise some audience members . . . we fully expect (and are hoping) that some people walk out offended,” declares Rampton. When asked about rehearsals, Rampton says that things have been going great and that “even after who-knows-how-many hours of rehearsal, [we] are still finding new things to add, and more often than not bursting out in laughter. We can barely make it through a run without laughing.”
There was concern amongst the cast early on, as one of the lead actors, Jeff Strome, became injured not long after winning the Vanier Cup with our Bisons football team (he is a slot back on the team). That worry disappeared quickly as Strome recovered “very quickly,” according to Rampton, and no cast alterations were needed. So, there’s some additional incentive for any proud Bison fans out there.
If you want to catch Romance, be warned that it is the first to open the festival on Jan. 17, but closes earlier than the rest on Jan. 26 (two weeks before the festival completion) to comply with the regular BHTC scheduling.
Other U of M and BHTC alumni are getting involved. Theatre professor Margaret Groome is directing readings of The Cryptogram and Oleanna. As well, Bill Kerr is performing double duty by appearing onstage in Squirrels, A Sermon, aside from his directing work. Another, Mike Bell, a graduate and former professor, will be appearing in the aforementioned Warehouse production of Glengarry Glen Ross.
Mament Fest offers a plethora of options for those who aren’t afraid of something that is more in-your-face than what might be expected from live theatre (or film). Mament Fest 2008 begins Jan. 17 and runs until Feb. 10.
For more information on MametFest 2008, go to www.mamentfest.com or www.mtc.mb.ca . Buy a “Mametpass” and see all of the shows for only $59.
For more information on the Black Hole production of Romance, check out www.bhtc.ca.
