HEATHER MORRISON
Arts Writer

Persephone Theatre’s second offering of its 35th anniversary season may be gaining the attention of the national theatre community, but that doesn’t mean you have to put on your top hat to attend. 

In fact, you may want to leave any high-brow attire at home in order to enjoy an evening of slightly offensive but most definitely palatable fun. 

Local Cree playwright Kenneth T. Williams’s Thunderstick is a two-man show that employs the talents of Lorne Cardinal and Craig Lauzon, who have graced TV’s glittering screen in Corner Gas and Air Farce respectively.

Saskatoon and Edmonton audiences will both be able to enjoy their antics since Persephone Theatre is co-producing with E-town’s Theatre Network.

As an added touch of camaraderie, the artistic directors of the two theatres have decided to co-direct. This is practically unheard of in the industry but a new convention that Persephone Theatre’s Del Surjik and Theatre Network’s Bradley Moss would highly recommend. 

“It’s revitalising,” said Moss. “There’s a lot of preciousness in the arts around directing and that kind of stuff. But Del and I have been around long enough that we feel, ”˜Say what you gotta say and we’ll deal with it.’ And if we disagree with it, we’ll disagree. And why can’t you have an environment where you disagree?”  

“We just got into the room and did what came naturally,” said Surjik. “And it was seamless.”  

It helps that the actors have been more than open to the process, even offering up an artistic experiment themselves. Cardinal and Lauzon have decided, with the consent of the co-directors, to swap roles each performance.  

“Those two park their egos at the door and just go into it,” said Surjik. “And we are reaping the rewards.”  

“Those guys are going to rip it up out there,” said Moss. “There’s drinking and there’s fighting and there’s swearing and cousin and family problems and fights and an adventure and a road trip and all these things.”Â Â 

With such playfulness in the rehearsal hall and on stage, it’s surprising that the source material comes from a rather dark place in Canadian history.  

“Comedy can veer into being nothing but a diet of sugar in the evening but this play has some meat on the menu,” explained Surjik.  

The script was derived from Williams’s  experience with and knowledge of residential schools. With the mentality that humour heals, he penned Thunderstick. 

“It’s a challenge for our audiences,” agreed Moss. “It’s not going to be easy fare. It is great entertainment but it’s also got some bite.”Â 

What makes it work is Williams’s  ability to switch back and forth between comedy and tragedy. 

“Ken has that knack on both sides,” said Moss.

“He has such a deft hand,” said Surjik. “He can take us to a place of relative darkness and adroitly land us on the other side with two lines and we’re back in comedy land.”Â 

This leaves both Moss and Surjik confident that students will enjoy this production. 

“They’ll laugh their fucking arses off,” said Surjik. 

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photo: Kenneth T. Williams