There is not much funny about death, but for award-winning writer/performer Ann Randolph, she has transformed pain into humour.
Mining her grief for hilarity she wrote the critically acclaimed solo show, Loveland, which she will be performing on Friday in Penticton at the Shatford Centre.
The impetus for the show was the year preceding Randolph’s father’s death. Continuously flying between Los Angeles and Loveland, Ohio, Randolph thought every time she boarded the plane it’d be the last time she’d see her father. Loveland was written in flight as a way to deal with the anguish.
“I thought the grief would overtake me,” she said. “So I explored every aspect of what I thought would happen if I let myself lose it and I found the humour along the way.”
In Loveland, Randolph takes the audience on an unforgettable cross-country flight that is hilarious and deeply human. Randolph embodies multiple characters, including heroine Frannie Potts, an out of control, sexually charged misfit overwhelmed by grief. Facing the loss of the greatest love of her life, she stumbles from outrageous confrontation and awkward confusion to a glimpse of the mystery, tragedy and beauty that unites us all.
Randolph’s past productions have examined social issues running the gamut from homelessness to mental illness. Mel Brooks and the late Anne Bancroft produced her solo show, Squeeze Box, Randolph’s story about working the graveyard shift in a homeless shelter. Squeeze Box ran off-Broadway and garnered many awards including LA Weekly’s Best Solo Show and the Ovation Award for Best Solo Performer.
In conjunction with her show, Randolph will be leading a mini writing workshop immediately following the performance. Also, the following day, Randolph will lead a two-day workshop for the Okanagan School of the Arts. In addition to being a performer, she tours the country teaching regularly at art centres helping people write their stories.
The Friday performance takes place at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $20 at the Shatford Centre.
To register for the workshop visit www.osarts.com, email info@shatfordcentre.com or call 250-770-7669.