FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 28, 2005

THIRD ANNUAL SET OF 'EDGY' PLAYS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!

The Saint John Theatre Company: Second Stage continues a fringe tradition of sorts when it mounts Theatre on the Edge this August. Once again, the collective will conclude its 2004-2005 season with an evening of one-act plays that are bound to have audiences wildly discussing their content immediately afterwards.

"What initially began as an experiment to try out some offbeat or lesser explored concepts and subjects has now become a prominent and integral part of our annual programming," says Jay Rawding, Chair of Second Stage.

The plays will be "Sure Thing" by David Ives, "For Ever and Ever", a locally written play by Michael "Y." Matthews, and "Entropia: A Tell-O-Vision Pilot", another locally written original script by Scott Marshall.

"'Entropia' is about a young writer who is trying to make it in show business but has some amusingly bizarre obstacles to overcome," says Lisa Flower, who will be directing the piece. "Scott Marshall has written a rather fascinating look at the way people interact with each other."

The first Theatre on the Edge debuted in mid-August 2003 to positive audience response and has since continued to grow in popularity. Last year, tourists and out-of-towners generated even further interest in the plays.

"One of the great things about Theatre on the Edge is that we get to explore some of the more unique aspects of theatre, and there is often something for everyone, young and old," says Flower.

The story of "Sure Thing" involves two people who meet in a coffee shop and attempt to get to know each other. However, an omnipresent bell frequently rings out, causing them to re-phrase what they've just said until the conversation takes any number of wild and unexpected turns. The show will provide Hayley Hyslop, the play's director, with some first-hand experience before she heads to the National Theatre School in Montreal in the fall.

The third play, "For Ever and Ever", poses a special challenge to its cast and crew, in that it is set in the vacuum of space.

"It's about what would happen if you were the last one living after an end of the world disaster... with only a programmed robot for company," says Peter Jones, who directs with Second Stage veteran Doug Fillmore. "We have been dealing with the minimal staging and subject matter in creative ways, and, fortunately, our actors are willing to experiment."

Including the upcoming Theatre on the Edge, Second Stage will have mounted 22 plays penned by local writers in the last three and a half years alone.

The plays will be staged Thursday, August 11th, Friday, August 12th, and Saturday, August 13th at 8:00 p.m. in the Mary H. Oland Theatre at the New Brunswick Museum, Market Square. Tickets are $10.00 and are available in advance beginning August 2nd at the New Brunswick Museum lobby or at the door.

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