Event

Parents Night / The Bigger Issue

Our fall show will be a double bill consisting of two one act plays by George F. Walker, Parents Night and The Bigger Issue.

In Parents Night, grade three teacher Nicole confronts two quite different parents. John is a neurotic Type-A businessman, insistent that his son be taught to be competitive, a lesson he'll need in life. Rosie, a confrontational mother who doesn't understand why her daughter is ostracized in class, and is good at getting in peoples faces.
As we learn this trio's secrets, the parents become more and more like children, to the point where Nicole has to treat them as unruly students.

The Bigger Issue is, well, a bigger play in terms of what it tackles. We're still in school, this time a grade seven class, where teacher Suzy has pushed a large student who was threatening a classmate. Her principal, Irene is worried about repercussions, especially with the appearance of the boys parents, Maggie and Jack the former a daunting legal type.

But the confrontations here are economic as well as educational; the difference between haves and have-nots drives the action, and not just in the classroom. The defiant way characters oppose each other has the feel of some of Walker's earlier works, especially the Suburban Motel cycle.
Given the stress each character faces, the play ends on an unexpectedly optimistic note, revolving around a redefined sense of family, or, as Maggie phrases it, valuing a human rather than a convenient truth.
Things could get better for these people, all around.

NOTE: Season Pass holders that reserve for October 20 or October 21 are entitled to bring a guest at no extra charge! But, we do need to know in advance. We will contact those patrons in early October to see if they would like to act on this offer.