By Erin Knutson

Cranbrook Community Theatre’s latest production, The Aliens, written by Annie Baker and directed by Duncan Chalmers, met with success at a sneak peek for guests at The Studio Stage Door before its official Feb. 11 opening to the public.

“Thank you all for taking a chance on the kind of show you might not typically see on a community theatre stage. The Aliens is rough around the edges at times, and it’s true to life nature is not always built to satisfy,” said Chalmers in his director’s message to theatregoers.

For two hours, the audience was enlightened by the performances of three young male actors as they bravely took to the stage, opening up the strange and unusual world they inhabited behind a Vermont coffee shop.

Woody Maguire (Jasper), Matt Van Boeyen (KJ), and Will Nicholson, who played the charmingly awkward Evan, brought Bakers’ play to life through each of their undeniably unique contributions and commitment to their characters.

The combination and contrast of the three characters’ strikingly different personalities allow the viewer to be drawn into a believable summer of comedy, tragedy, hope, and discovery through the eyes of three young men grappling with identity, finding their humanity, and discovering their place in the world.

“It’s also funny and an opportunity to spend time with three fascinating characters that feel like they could have walked off the street onto the stage. It’s the kind of play I’ve wanted to act in for years, except I can’t because I’m the one directing it. So instead, it’s awarded me an even greater opportunity, directing these three awesomely gifted actors,” said Chalmers.

Producer Marnee Bellavance and the entire production team do an outstanding job of bringing The Aliens to life through careful set transitions, colourful props and captivating sound and light design.

The audience is treated to fireworks, guitar solos, and a drunken display of sorrow on a picnic table, all in the pursuit of honesty and an undertaking to reflect the depth of the young men as they bond and try to make sense of an unusual and transitional summer.

“The Aliens. I can’t promise it will match everyone’s sensibilities, but with some patience and curiosity, you’ll witness the charm, empathy and rue humanity Annie Baker captured on those hot days behind that coffee shop in Vermont. You may laugh and cry,” said Chalmers of the experience.

Van Boeyen, who portrays KJ, called it a social commentary on young men’s issues.

“It’s funny and sad and deals with issues that young men everywhere, including here in the Kootenays, deal with every day. I’ve known many KJs and Jaspers, and I’m sure you have too,” he said.

The Aliens is playing at the Cranbrook Community Theatre and its home, the Studio Stage Door, from Feb. 17-19 and 23-26 at 7 p.m.

For more information or to purchase tickets: Cranbrook Community Theatre | HOME | Cranbrook BC |Theatre

Lead image: Woody Maguire (left), Matt Van Boeyen (centre), and Will Nicholson in The Aliens at the Stage Door Theatre in Cranbrook. Photos by Erin Knutson

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