Wherein Rob reminisces about his theatre life, play by play
The Bear, by Anton Chekov
One-Act play, produced by the UPEI Theatre Society. Directed by Nancy McLure. Also with Linda Wigmore as Elena Ivanova Popova, and Peter Ewart as Luka.
Role: Grigory Stepanovitch Smirnov
I don’t remember a whole lot about this theatrical experience, other than I quite enjoyed it. A bigger than life character, fun lines to say, and a great little one act play. It was the first-hand in a two-hander night of one act plays that the UPEI Theatre Society put on, along with Autumn in the Han Palace by Yiian.
I remember that summer and fall, LInda Wigmore, Peter Ewart and myself were trying to conjure up creative enterprises. Peter was very eager to come up with some new and exciting type of board game. We managed to create perhaps the most complicated game ever, but it wasn’t much fun to play. I don’t remember the name of it.
So, we decided to focus our attentions on theatre, and Nancy McLure was pulled into the circle to direct us in a one-act play that either LInda or Nancy came up with. While I don’t remember anything really specific from the rehearsals and performances – other than it was my first time using a breakaway chair, borrowed from The Kings Playhouse – I can say that Peter Ewart was such a tornado to perform with. A guy whose unpredictability – caused by two-parts nerves and three-parts comedic inspiration – could create great gales of laughter and immense confusion with his actions and words and mannerisms. A one of a kind, for sure. It was a real privilege to be in Peter’s circle at that time.
The Annekenstein Monster 