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Between classes: Stephen Drover

Stephen Drover

knows nothing's for free.

Currently:

  • Director, Italian American Reconciliation, the latest production by the Douglas College Theatre and Stagecraft and Event Technology departments

Recent projects:

A familiar story:

 Italian American Reconciliation is a Romeo and Juliet for our time. The idea of “boy gets girl” is no longer that easy because the boy hurts from being a man and the girl hates men. But they long for love and intimacy and are determined to figure things out. Sounds familiar.

Students first:

I was interested in working on an acting project with students in which my main, almost exclusive, focus would be developing the actors’ work. So very often the director’s job is wrapped around the realization of an intellectual concept or the orchestration of stage effects or choreography. In this case I was excited to engage in an acting exercise that would benefit the students first.

The age of entitlement

 I think what is most interesting is the question the play puts forward: “What will you spend on love?” We tend to find comfort in the belief that love is something we all deserve and have a right to - it’s not something we have to work at. Perhaps we live in an age of entitlement where earning something as noble and pure as love does not register too much on our radar. The characters in the play eventually learn that it’s not that easy: you gotta spend some, nothing’s for free, and there are no guarantees. That’s a hard pill to swallow.

A dash of Moonstruck

John Patrick Shanley (the playwright) also wrote the very successful Doubt and the award-winning film Moonstruck. The characters in this play feel like they live a couple of blocks away from the folks in Moonstruck, so they come from the same world. Expect Shanley’s great characters and simple yet complicated love situations.

Between Classes: Steven Drover

Coming soon

My company, Pound of Flesh Theatre, is developing a show with Caravan Farm Theatre and six other Vancouver companies called Everyone for Caravan’s 2010 Summer season. Inspired by medieval Morality and Mystery Plays (each company gets a horse, a wagon and 12 minutes), Everyone is an exciting look at contemporary ideas of morality.

Show times

See Italian American Reconciliation at the Douglas College Laura C. Muir Performing Arts Theatre, New Westminster Campus, 700 Royal Avenue, March 25-April 2. Shows on March 25, 26, 27, 30, 31, and April 1 and 2 at 7:30pm, March 27 at 2pm and March 29 at noon. Purchase tickets in advance through the Massey Ticket Centre online or by calling 604-521-5050. Tickets can be purchased (cash-only) at the door, subject to availability. For more information about the production, contact 604-527-5723.