Stewart Matthews and Katie Bunting of Plosive Productions rehearse for The Importance of Being Earnest.
A new theatre company is making an ex“plosive” entrance into Ottawa’s growing drama community.
Plosive Productions will hit the stage Feb. 10 for an already sold-out first performance of The Importance of Being Earnest.
The three co-founders were keen to work on the Oscar Wilde classic, says David Whiteley, one of the creators of Plosive. “And audiences are always drawn to it whenever it’s staged.”
“It’s not selling out for the sake of getting bums in the seats, but it absolutely addresses what audiences have a priority to see,” he adds.
Plosive’s founders – Whiteley, Kel Parsons and Teri Loretto – promise an “audience-first approach,” a method they claim distinguishes them from other theatre companies in the city.
That means “entertainment first and foremost,” says Whiteley, who will be directing The Importance of Being Earnest..
It’s all about choosing productions the audience wants to see, rather than performing simply what the actors wish to do, says Parsons.
“There are a lot of theatre companies, not just in Ottawa but in general, who tend to do very experimental work, which is very important, but has very little appeal to a general audience,” says Loretto.
“So we were looking for pieces that, although not boring or run-of-the-mill, would challenge the audience but be familiar and accessible enough that (the audience) could have a good time.”
In the fall, the three creators with big aspirations decided to squeeze their way into Ottawa’s small, tight-knit theatre community.
“There’s an issue about space and there’s an issue about money. I mean, how many shows can the general public afford to go to, especially when you add in other forms of entertainment, like music, dance and sports?” says Iris Winston, a member of the Capital Critics’ Circle who has been reviewing arts since 1972.
Plosive isn’t too worried, however, about space and money.
The theatre company is mostly supporting itself so far, but it islooking for potential funding sources.
The Preston Street BIA has given some financial support and created a dinner-and-theatre package for Plosive’s first production.
And although theatre in Ottawa is relatively small, the city’s arts scene is growing.
“Ottawa has really exploded culturally just over the past few years and continues to do so. It’s become a very, very vital place kind of culturally,” says Parsons. “I think it’s kind of part of that wave.”
But it’s not about competition.
“It’s about growing the pie,” says Whiteley.
“If our ambition were to wrestle for a slice of the existing pie, I would say, ‘No, it’s too small and it would be taking away from others to do that.”
But his reaction to the belief that the theatre community is too small is, “Therefore, it ought to get bigger.”
The Importance of Being Earnest runs from Feb. 10 to 26 at The Gladstone theatre.