Saucy Fops returns to Pavilion

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CAYMAN Duncan and Terri Runnalls as David and Kate in Audible, which returns to Pavilion Theatre starting Thursday.

Kate loves David. David loves Kate. They both love music and that's a problem when she suffers sudden and profound hearing loss.

Saucy Fops, Kamloops' favourite fringe troupe, returns to the Pavilion Stage Thursday with Audible by Cayman Duncan.

The troupe first road-tested the drama on the Canadian fringe circuit four years ago before bringing it home to local audiences.

Recognizing the play's distinct take on disability, WCT artistic director Jeremy Tow tucked it into his first season between The Miracle Worker, the story of deaf-blind activist Helen Keller, and the forthcoming Kevin Kerr drama Skydive, which presses the bounds of perception.

“I think that's one of the reasons why Jeremy put it in the season,” Runnalls said. “He knew it would be a good companion piece to The Miracle Worker.”

The first few scenes of the play serve as comic explorations of the act of listening as opposed to simply hearing. David is a radio host bombarded with listener requests for old Bon Jovi tunes, which he loathes. Kate is one of David's biggest fans, calling in surreptitiously to make her own requests and grooving to the music. The audience gets to know her fully before symptoms develop.

“I think what stands out in this show is that it really hits the softer side of Cayman,” Runnalls said, alluding to the play's sober side. “This one's a really grown-up piece and took a lot more research. We feel we really touched something here.”

They have tweaked the Audible script, making improvements in character development for this production.

Over the past nine years, the Fops have produced about 40 short shows and five one-act dramas, all of which were original works. Along the way they've developed a keenly supportive audience likely to fill seats once again.

“We are very fortunate with the audience we have and very lucky that they come. They always seem to be asking, ‘When's the next show?'”

ONSTAGE

WHAT: Saucy Fops present Audible

WHEN: Opens Thursday, continues to March 20

WHERE: Pavilion Theatre

TICKETS: Kamloops Live! Box Office

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