New "POWER" play opens at Malaspina March 1

It’s all about POWER.

That’s the theme for Malaspina University-College Theatre department’s “controversial and thought-provoking ” spring production called POWER, which opens March 1 at the Nanaimo campus.

“It promises to be an exciting, challenging and provocative multi-media collage exploring the many aspects of power in our society,” said theatre instructor and director Ross Desprez.

“From the power used to run your home computer to the power of big business or the power struggles in our own personal relationships, this show explores it all. The sky’s the limit.”

For the first time ever, the spring show is a collaborative effort between students and faculty in Malaspina’s theatre and digital media departments.

“We’ve been working on the script for nearly a year, brainstorming and testing new ideas and visual imagery,” said Desprez. “It’s been an amazing process.  This play represents a major departure from anything we’ve done in the past. The involvement of digital media has added a whole new exciting visual element to what we do."

Desprez and Doug Stetar of Malaspina's Digital Media department discussed a possible collaboration about a year ago.

"The hard part was figuring out what to write about," said Desprez. "We decided on the theme of power because theatre is all about human relationships. People are always battling over power and status."

Desprez held several brainstorming sessions with students and asked for input on how they define power in relationships and in their daily lives. "Their input became the framework for the script,” he explained.

The show deals with the power of love, loss, peer pressure, status and more.  "It's chock-full of teenage angst and emotions,” he added. The ultimate message is that despite all the rapid technological advances, humans somehow have lost their ability to communicate.

"At the end of the day, the most powerful elements in human relationships are the power of love, forgiveness and hope," Desprez added. 

The show comes with a warning: it’s not suitable for all family members. The production includes violence, coarse language, nudity, and the use of smoke, strobe lights and disturbing visual imagery.

POWER opens Thursday, March 1, and runs to March 3, then March 6 to 10 at the Malaspina University-College Theatre, 900 Fifth Street, Nanaimo. Showtime is 8 pm.  Tickets are $10 for adults, and $8 for students and seniors. A special preview night takes place Feb. 28 at 8 pm, and all seats are $5.

For reservations, call the Malaspina Theatre box office at 740-6100.