Drama “Blackbird” by David Harrower opens April 25

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THE STORY of “BLACKBIRD”: This intense work by playwright David Harrower was commissioned by the Edinburgh International Festival, where it received its world premiere in 2005. After years in prison and subsequent hardships, Ray, fifty-six, has a new identity and has made a new life for himself, thinking that he cannot be found. Una, twenty-seven, has thought of nothing else; upon seeing a photo of Ray in a magazine, she has arrived unannounced at his office. Guilt, rage, and raw emotions run high as they recollect what transpired between them fifteen years earlier, when she was twelve and he was forty. The play never shies away from the brutal truth. Una is looking for answers, not vengeance. Nevertheless, the consequences are shattering.

Warning: Mature audiences; strong content and language; this play’s theme deals with sexual abuse.

Performance dates are April 25 & 26, May 2, 3, 9 & 10 at The Capitol Theatre in Port Alberni. To buy tickets, click here or on the poster below.

“Blackbird” is Portal Players’ entry in the 2025 Theatre BC North Island Zone Drama Festival – performing at The Village Theatre in Qualicum Beach on May 15.

Playhouse Paint Night: A Collaborative Art Event

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Calling all paint & sip lovers! The Community Arts Council of the Alberni Valley has teamed up with Portal Players Dramatic Society to offer this unique “paint night” style fundraiser on Thursday, April 10th. Setup on stage at the Capitol Theatre (don’t worry, you won’t be asked to perform), participants will paint an image of a winding arbutus tree at Sproat Lake, hosted and taught by local artists.

Ticket sales will support the local arts council, and concession sales will benefit Portal Players. We’ll have a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, including our signature ‘Paint Water’ cocktail/mocktail. Yes, this time you can actually drink the paint water!

This paint night is a part of a suite of art-making services hosted by the arts council, from our “paint night” special events, in-house craft nights, and creative birthday parties. If you’re a fan of paint nights, we’re available for hire to help you host your own event. The best part? You will be supporting local artists from Port Alberni, the arts council, and Portal Players Dramatic Society. The Capitol Theatre doors will open at 5:40 PM, and painting will begin promptly at 6:00 PM.

This is a 19+ event with tickets available online at $40/person. To purchase, visit alberniarts.com/playhouse-paint-night or call the arts council at (250) 724-3412, or email info@alberniarts.com. We all look forward to seeing you at this fun and creative night!

Portal Players Fundraising Notebooks

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Capture the essence of history and support the arts with our exclusive Capitol Theatre Lined Notebook Journal. This elegant, blank-lined notebook features a captivating photo from 1936 of The Capitol Theatre on its cover, transporting you to a time when the magic of theatre began to enchant our community. Every purchase not only celebrates this historical gem but also plays a crucial role in helping to nurture the future of the arts by supporting Portal Players Dramatic Society – volunteer, non-profit owner/operator of The Capitol Theatre. $10.00 from the sale of each journal goes back to Portal Players in this fundraising initiative. This project is produced in partnership with PWA Publishing of Port Alberni.

2 Journal Sizes are available:
Large letter-size, 8.5″ x 11″; and smaller statement-size, 5.5″ x 8.5″. Both journals feature over 120 blank, lined pages, numbered, for your personal notes, thoughts, reflections, creative writing, brainstorming, recipes and anything else you can think of!
Click on the links to view and order on Amazon.

Portal Players Dramatic Society
is a Volunteer & Non-Profit Organization which owns & runs The Capitol Theatre in Port Alberni, BC. All actors, directors, producers, crew, front of house & production team members are highly skilled, talented & local volunteers, working hard to help create and promote a Vibrant Arts Community in the Alberni Valley.
Thank You For Your Support Of Portal Players by purchasing this Fundraising Notebook!

“The Pillowman” sweeps at Theatre BC’s 2024 Mainstage Festival

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Portal Players Dramatic Society’s Cast & Crew of “The Pillowman”

 

In their first-ever visit to Theatre BC’s Mainstage Festival, Portal Players Dramatic Society won the coveted title of “Best Production,” along with many other awards for their performance of “The Pillowman” by Martin McDonagh. In total, Portal Players returned home from Mainstage with seven different awards as presented by adjudicator Joan McLean at the Awards Ceremony, hosted by and at the Chilliwack Players Guild in Chilliwack on July 7, 2024. The full awards list is available here.

“We had the best night of the show ever on our Mainstage night, ” said director Nicole Foster. “We felt that we did well, but there were some other really strong contenders. We couldn’t have imagined we’d end up with seven awards. Catch up on all the news about our win at MainStage in this article from our friends at the Alberni Valley News.

  • Best Props:  Hannele Talkio
  • Best Sound Design: Carl Craig
  • Best Lighting Design: Diena Tyne
  • Best Supporting Actor in a Male Role: Scott Lemkay
  • Best Actor in a Male Role: Cydney Pedersen
  • Bill Elliot Best Director Award: Nicole Foster
  • Best Production: The Pillowman written by Martin McDonagh
Producer Liane Fitzpatrick and Director Nicole Foster with “The Pillowman” awards.

Together with those awards, a Special Merit Certificate for a “Great and Well Timed Puppet Show” was awarded to to Lennon Chase, Ojas Cats, Bella Paragallo, Aurayliah Clark, Teresa Drew and Hannele Talkio.

Portal Players is incredibly proud of this team’s hard work and dedication to the production, to all of our sponsors for their support, and of course to our audiences for coming out to see the shows. A new season of plays will be announced soon – see you At The Capitol!

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“The Pillowman” WINS 6 AWARDS including BEST PRODUCTION!

Portal Players cleaned up at the 2024 Theatre BC North Island Zone Drama Festival, which was hosted by our club at The Capitol Theatre. Six awards were given by adjudicator Robinson Wilson to our production of Martin McDonagh’s “The Pillowman”:

  • Best Production – which now advances to Theatre BC’s Mainstage Festival in Chilliwack in early July
  • Best Director, Nicole Foster – in a tie with Nanaimo Theatre Group’s Nikita Towe for “All In The Timing”
  • Best Actor in a Male Role – Cydney Pedersen
  • Best Supporting Actor in a Male Role – Scott Lemkay
  • Best Set – Nicole Foster
  • Best Lighting Design – Diena Tyne

Four additional performances have been scheduled to help raise funds for Portal Players travel costs to attend Mainstage in Chilliwack – see dates above. Tickets available online below.

Photo courtesy Alberni Valley News.

Our partners at the Alberni Valley News have prepared an excellent article about the Festival and Portal Players’ wins: AV News, “The Pillowman”.

In a totalitarian state a writer is questioned by the authorities about a spate of murders that bear similarities to his short stories. Is this life imitating art or something more sinister? This black comedy is widely regarded as one of the greatest plays of the past 25 years and examines the role of the artist in society. It asks “what price do we pay for freedom of expression?”.  “The Pillowman” was awarded the 2004 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play, and was a 2005 Tony Award nominee for Best New Play.

Playwright Martin McDonagh is an Acadamy Award winner and has been nominated for six additional Academy Awards. Among his many credits, McDonagh wrote and directed the films In Bruges, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Banshees of Inisherin.

This show is for mature audiences only and includes advisories for a loud noise, racist & graphic language, discussion of infanticide, and live fire. We reserve the right to turn away minors without a guardian present.