Portal Players Dramatic Society will present The Importance of Being Earnest as their entry in the North Island Zone Drama Festival later this spring—an event that will take place this year at the Capitol Theatre here in Port Alberni.
Today the Alberni Valley News starts a series on the volunteer actors and directors responsible for the upcoming presentation.
The dynamic husband and wife acting duo, Elliot and Teresa Drew, team up again for the next Portal Players’ dramatic rendition of Oscar Wilde’s 'The Importance of Being Earnest' that opens in May. Teresa plays Miss Prism and Elliot tries his hand at Jack Worthing.
Both Teresa and Elliot are Port Alberni transplants, hailing from other parts of Canada. They met at the Capitol Theatre, as both spend long stretches of time there acting, directing, teaching, and doing stage makeup.
Elliot is the theatre’s general manager, so separating work from extra-curricular time is a blurry line for him. Teresa has a background in the arts, holding several diplomas in theatre, film and special effects makeup. They are a team, with success an obvious outcome.
“Teresa is the reason I am able to continue to work so hard at my passion [theatre] because she shares it with me,” Elliot says. “And my two daughters, Alexandria and Maegan are also both involved in theatre. It is something they have grown up with and is now ingrained in them.”
The Importance of Being Earnest is the first professional play that Teresa saw when she was in high school. She remembers seeing it at the Arts Club Theatre in Vancouver.
Elliot says that the play was the first he ever saw when he was 10 years old. He says that the language, social commentary and humour drew him to audition for the Portal Players’ rendition. He looks forward to bringing to life Wilde’s dry wit.
Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest opens May 5 and runs through to May 21 at Port Alberni’s Capitol Theatre on Argyle Street. It is the Portal Players’ entry in the North Island Zone Drama Festival that is being held at Capitol Theatre this year.
The Importance of Being Earnest competes in the festival on May 22. For tickets, please call the box office at: (250) 723-1195.