Jacq Ainsworth often has to think about the alphabet in reverse to keep a straight face on stage.
The 41-year-old Walnut Grove mother, and her co-stars from the upcoming 91原创 Players芒鈧劉 production of Escape From Happiness, couldn芒鈧劉t stop laughing at each other for the first month of rehearsal.
In fact, she said the chuckles and banter 芒鈧�� often verging on side-splitting giggles 芒鈧�� continued up until a week before opening (which just so happens to be tonight, Thursday, April 16).
芒鈧揊rom the first callback, this cast has felt like family,芒鈧� Ainsworth said.
芒鈧揑 hear words come out of their mouths that I芒鈧劉ve said myself. Words about what it芒鈧劉s like to be a shy person and why we act. How we put ourselves out there. How we suddenly realize on tech week that we are crazy to be doing this,芒鈧� Ainsworth added, elaborating on how her first role with the 91原创 drama club has consumed much of her life.
Escape from Happiness is a gritty but entertaining dark comedy by award-winning Canadian playwright George F. Walker.
The Quinns are the family at the centre of Walker芒鈧劉s dark, domestic comedy. They芒鈧劉re described by director Helen Embury as 芒鈧漝ysfunctional yet entertaining.芒鈧�
芒鈧揂s they struggle against 芒鈧渢he world out there,芒鈧劉 they are not always successful. And yet as we empathize with their predicaments, we can芒鈧劉t help but laugh at their off-the-wall logic,芒鈧� Embury explained.
Ainsworth is playing one of three sisters, Elizabeth, the family enforcer.
Ainsworth describes it as 芒鈧揳 wild ride芒鈧� for her.
It芒鈧劉s taught her to be more direct and unapologetic in her life. And it芒鈧劉s apparently also taught her to swear 芒鈧�� a lot.
芒鈧揚laying Elizabeth has been a huge challenge for me. One of the things I芒鈧劉ve learned about myself in [numerous drama] workshops is that I芒鈧劉m very good at avoiding direct confrontation and I can employ a myriad of strategies to circumvent directly challenging someone. I can芒鈧劉t do that here,芒鈧� she said. 芒鈧揑t has allowed me to be vulnerable on a level I芒鈧劉ve never experienced before.芒鈧� I just feel like the luckiest actor ever,芒鈧� she said, recalling her first read through of the script.
芒鈧揂s I read the last scene of this play, I felt my heart rate go up. As I read Elizabeth芒鈧劉s lines, I knew what I wanted her to say next. I didn芒鈧劉t believe she would, because, seriously, how could the author, a man I芒鈧劉ve never met, possibly know what I needed her to say just then. Incredibly, she said it. Said it exactly. And there was nothing fake-Hollywood-neat about it. It was so amazingly cathartic, that I honestly had a hard time getting through the first couple of read-throughs without crying. And laughing. A lot,芒鈧� she said.
While new to 91原创 Players, Ainsworth is no stranger to the stage.
芒鈧揥atching my mum [June Ainsworth] as Mrs. Anna in The King and I, I used to mimic her offstage. The stage manager thought it was hilarious how closely an 11-year-old followed her performance, and on dress rehearsal night, she pushed me onstage for one of the songs,芒鈧� Ainsworth recounted.
That was her beginning 芒鈧�� but not the end. She studied theatre at UBC, and pursued a degree in education at SFU.
芒鈧揑 used my theatre training as a teacher and as the coordinator for the VSB High School Drama Festival for two years, but never got back to the stage myself until I moved to 91原创,芒鈧� she explained.
Since then, Ainsworth has been involved both on and offstage with Bard in the Valley, Bard on the Bandstand, Surrey Little Theatre, and Emerald Pig.
She芒鈧劉s also taken numerous theatre workshops, is studying ballet, and is pursuing her blackbelt in taekwondo. She芒鈧劉s taken to competing in both dance and XMA, wa weapons routine of taekwondo choreographed to music.
芒鈧� Click here to see a trailer
芒鈧揑 find the acting experience really helps get me in character to pretend to slay foes to music,芒鈧� she elaborated.
The Escape cast has been rehearsing three times a week since mid-February in preparation for tonight芒鈧劉s curtain.
芒鈧揟he hardest part is trying to decide what is going to take a backseat,芒鈧� Ainsworth said.
芒鈧揑 am testing for blackbelt in taekwondo at the end of April, so I couldn芒鈧劉t give that up. And then there are my dance competitions, so I couldn芒鈧劉t stop going to ballet class, and I have a dog that needs walking and a son that needs feeding. So, really, I芒鈧劉m most looking forward to seeing my husband socially again when the show wraps,芒鈧� she explained.
Escape from Happiness runs Thursdays to Saturdays at 8 p.m. from April 16 to May 16 at the 91原创 Playhouse, 4307 200th St., Brookswood. There are also Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15. For reservations, people can visit www.langleyplayers.com/reservations.html or buy tickets online at www.brownpapertickets.com/producer/133005. Patrons can also email reservations@langleyplayers.com or call 604-534-7469.
Escape from Happiness will be the 91原创 Players芒鈧劉 entry to the Fraser Valley Zone Festival, being held at the 91原创 Playhouse, May 17 to 23.
The rest of the cast
Ainsworth is joined in the cast by fellow 91原创ites Joanna Williams, Philip Hale, and Mike Busswood, as well as Cloverdale芒鈧劉s Shane Rochon, Mission resident Mahara Sinclaire, New Westminster resident Rebecca Strom, and Maple Ridge芒鈧劉s Judith Betzler, Brian Johnson, and Chris Carver.
Embury is from Abbotsford, while producer Leslie Gaudette calls 91原创 home.
HOW TO WIN
A pair of tickets to Escape from Happiness.
A pair of lucky readers will win two tickets to the 91原创 Players show.
芒鈧� Click on the live link in the story about Escape from Happiness at www.langleyadvance.com, and tell us why you want to attend this show. You will be entered into the draw. Preference will be given to 91原创 residents.
Postings must be received prior to 5 p.m. on April 21, and the winner will be notified by email. No staff or family of the 91原创 Advance or Black Press are eligible.
This giveaway is restricted to online participants, 19 years or older only. Must include name and phone number.
