Most plays run between one and two hours – a far cry from the 90-second YouTube bites to which your ADD-addled brain is accustomed. But a new year is upon us, and the time is ripe for some cultural rehab. Thus, we present you with a handy, ADD-friendly guide to Calgary theatre. Go forth, and get cultured.
Lunchbox Theatre is as close as theatre comes to drive-through: Lunch hour shows never run longer than 50 minutes. Light comedies like Mr. Fix It, about love and toaster repair, abound. Or, take a small dose of musical with This Could Be Love. Lunchbox Theatre, 160 115 9 Ave. SE, 403-265-4292, $18.
Ground Zero Theatre made a splash with last season’s bloody funny Evil Dead: The Musical. This season, they’re talking about the only thing anyone actually cares about in My First Time. If sex doesn’t hold your attention, consider upping your Ritalin dosage. Vertigo Studio, 115 – 9 Ave. SE, 403-613-8114, $27.50.
Theatre Calgary offers the city’s biggest (and priciest) productions. This season kicks off with the spiritual rock musical Beyond Eden and ends (in spring) with the splashy and allegedly “H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S” musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Max Bell Theatre, 205 8 Ave. S.E, 403-294-7447, $50 – $60.
Festivals offer non-committal sampling. This month, One Yellow Rabbit’s High Performance Rodeo will bring gothic prairie peep shows and surreal sketch comedy (Last Stand to Reason, pictured above). Too weird? Try Alberta Theatre Projects’ Enbridge playRites Festival next month. Venues and admission vary.
