Rehearsals are underway as the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company returns to the era of modern classics with J. B. Priestley’s “Time Play,” Dangerous Corner. Directed by Bill Dow, Dangerous Corner plays at the Vancouver Playhouse (at Hamilton & Dunsmuir) May 1-22.
J. B. Priestley (1894-1984) was an English novelist, playwright and broadcaster. His “Time Plays,” are a series of dramas so called because in each play an alternative theory of time becomes the central metaphor or theatrical device of the play, the characters’ lives being affected by how they react to the unusual temporal landscape they encounter. The theory of time plays a part in the plots of Dangerous Corner, Time and the Conways and his best-known play, An Inspector Calls.
In Dangerous Corner, Robert and Freda Caplan are entertaining guests, all of whom are associated in the same publishing company for whom Robert works. A chance remark by one of the guests ignites a series of devastating revelations, revealing a hitherto undiscovered tangle of clandestine relationships and dark secrets, the disclosures of which have tragic consequences. The play ends with time slipping back to the beginning of the evening and the chance remark not being made, the secrets remaining hidden, and the “dangerous corner” avoided.
The cast: Jennifer Clement (Freda Caplan), Vincent Gale (Robert Caplan), Charlie Gallant (Gordon Whitehouse), Anna Galvin (Olwen Peel), Anastasia Phillips (Betty Whitehouse), Tom Scholte (Charles Stanton), and Christine Willes (Miss Mockridge).
Director Bill Dow is an award-winning actor and director (and occasional writer) in theatre, film, and television, with scores of credits over a long and varied career. He has directed several award-winning productions for the Vancouver Playhouse (where he was Artistic Associate for many years) including an innovative and moving production of Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men.
Dangerous Corner is designed by Alison Green (Set and Costumes) and Gerald King (Lighting). The production is stage managed by Jan Hodgson (Stage Manager) and Peter Jotkus (Assistant Stage Manager).
