During the 2008-2009 theatre season Andrea Loewen was one of the company apprentices at Pacific Theatre where I work for a good portion of the year. This past spring as the culmination of her apprenticeship Andrea wrote, produced and acted in a 1-woman show entitled Silk Threads. Now Andrea has developed her own company and is producing Neil Labute’s Bash: Later-Day Plays under the name Xua-Xua Productions. I had a chance to chat with Andrea about Bash, Silk Threads, and what she’ll be doing next.
Of course, she also gave me a pair of tickets to give away, good for any night she’s running. To win, leave a comment with the name of one of the three directors. I’ll be drawing a winner from all correct answers on the 16th (just make sure you’ve posted with a valid e-mail address).
LD: Tell me a little bit about Bash: 
Latter-Day Plays.
AL: Bash is Neil Labute in his element. It’s made up of three dark one-act plays inspired by Greek mythology, the Bible, and pop culture that take the most beautiful elements of American (and really, let’s be honest, Canadian) society and rip the lid off of them to reveal… something underneath. I can’t tell you what or it will ruin the story.
LD: What drew you to want to tell these stories?
AL: Well, first of all, Neil Labute is one of my favorite playwrights of all time. Also, if we’re going to get all practical, it was also a good play to produce on a budget: 4 actors, minimal sets. Easy! But really, what I love about it is that nothing is easy about this play. It shows you that everyone’s got secrets, and that they aren’t the fun, sleep-over, truth or dare, kind of secrets. They are dark and creepy and more than you ever wanted to know that your next door neighbour is capable of.
LD: This spring you wrote and performed in your one-woman show “Silk Threads”. How has that experience informed the bringing together of b:ldp?
AL: I think the main thing it taught me is that it’s much easier to do one job at a time. I was writer, actor, and producer/promoter when I put on Silk Threads. Now I’m just producer/promoter, which is about a thousand times easier. Other than that, I guess there are some similarities between the shows–certainly not in terms of content, as my show didn’t really have any darkness to it at all, but more in terms of the basic essence of storytelling. Both my show and the three one-acts that make up bash are at their core about people telling their own stories. The difference being that my story was about the inspiration my Grandpa gave me in life, and bash is not quite so uplifting.
LD: Why should people come see your show?
AL: Like I said, it’s people telling their stories. This is what theatre, and most art, is about. We have an inherent need as people to know what’s going on with other people, and bash definitely fulfills that need. Also, don’t let all the darkness that I emphasized earlier fool you–you will laugh, smile, and have your heart warmed in between all the creepiness.
LD: What’s next for you after Bash?
AL: Next I’m looking into bringing Silk Threads to Abbotsford, since it’s pretty much about Abbotsford. Then a couple of rewrites and I’ll be pitching it to the school district!
Bash: Later-Day Plays runs at the Carousel Theatre Studio from August 19-22nd with a 2-for-1 preview on August 18. Tickets are $12-15 and can be reserved by e-mailing bash.play@gmail.com or by visiting www.bashplay.com.
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