Move over, Martin Scorsese. Grade 12 Cambie secondary school student Cole Beaulne is about to make his directorial debut with this holiday seasons newest production, NuPlay.
Actually made up of four one-act plays, NuPlay is not only being co-directed by himself and drama teacher Joe Ritchie, but Beaulne also wrote the play.
I wrote the script last year during one of the units for directing, said Beaulne. Mr. Ritchie said, Oh, lets put them on for the winter show.
Working with Ritchie five or six days a week, the duo, along with 27 cast members and seven crew people, has been collaborating since October to bring the plays to life.
The first play is called Horror Witness, which explores the struggles of soldiers returning home to be with loved ones only to be met by an adversorial colonel.
The second play, Small Gift, is about the internal struggle of one man who cant decide whether or not to propose to a woman hes been with for three years.
Third is Mexican Odyssey, which Beaulne described as kind of like the movie Hangover.
Several people wake up in a desert after a night of partying and discover theyre trapped with a Mexican individual that theyve kidnapped.
The final play in the series, Siblings, is the one that Beaulne was most excited about, but had the most difficulty describing.
Its just a day in the life of siblings, he said, pausing, adding his own sister provided some inspiration for the idea.
Its all whacky and topsy-turvy...very abstract and very weird, continued Beaulne, who said he tried to exaggerate the sometimes strange interactions siblings who live together can have.
Ritchie hinted that theres a scene with Santa, a bathtub and a giant hungry octopus.
Its borderline absurdism, said Ritchie.
A Christmas theme is loosely weaved throughout the 90-minute production, and a troupe of elves will introduce the play and tie the disparate acts together.
There hasnt been a student-directed play at Cambie since 2010, and Beaulne said he is anxious to see how the audience will react to his first public script.
He is also currently working on a novel based on a 1960s romance that has been an ongoing project for the last three years, something he hopes to finish by the time he graduates this summer.
NuPlay starts on Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. and runs each night until Dec. 14. Tickets are $5 for students and $8 for adults available at the door, or in advance by calling the school at 604-668-6430 or emailing [email protected].
