jul 21-25 | frank nickel | The 4H Club

PT's own Frank Nickel is a core member of Genus, and he can be seen onstage in this next crazy Genus offering...


The Apocalypse or Bust!

Vancouver, BC – Genus Theatre invites its faithful following to take a shockingly comedic trip back through the past century as it premieres its latest production, Frano Marsic’s The 4H Club, at the Neanderthal Arts festival this July. A brazenly comedic look at the follies of the newest Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the story spans the past century as the dysfunctional quartet of Death (Alex McMorran), Famine (Frano Marsic), Pestilence (Jordan Bodiguel), and War (Kelly Sheridan) barge their way through history. Desperate to rehabilitate their image and successfully bring about the end of the world, the foursome face their biggest challenge yet: each other. The pace is fast and the scope is grand, but the focus is wonderfully and pettily personal, as the 4H Club’s headstrong desires and very human weaknesses inexorably bring humanity closer to the end of the road.

In 2006 a Genus team comprised of Kristian Ayre, Jordan Bodiguel, Frano Marsic, Aidan Maxted, Frank Nickel, and Kelly Sheridan participated in Show Off – Theatre Under the Gun, a 48 theatre festival in which companies are given a prop, a line of text, an image and a sound clip that inspires the creation of a 10-15 minute piece. That process resulted in the first incarnation of this work. The production won an audience choice award and was held over at Performance Works on Granville Island. In 2009, The 4H Club was resurrected and featured in a Best of Theatre Under the Gun anniversary festival. Frano Marsic has based this evolution of The 4H Club on that original creation.

Since 2003, Genus Theatre Company has been presenting original, groundbreaking productions that have incorporated both live theatre and integrated film/media elements. The company has developed a reputation for producing carefully constructed works that are both accessible and provocative. As The 4H Club’s director Heather Doersksen relates: "Genus Theatre has always towed the line between 'dark', and 'comedy', and The 4H Club is no different. I love smart, witty writing, and I love playwrights that don't do what they're 'supposed' to do. That's what attracted me to this play. Here, we explore the inner workings of the four horsemen of the apocalypse while they try their darndest to successfully bring about the end of the world with a deadline of one hundred years. All this, while trying to deal with their own intimate relationships in a very human way. With 14 people in the cast, and different actors playing multiple roles, it's a fast paced jaunt through the last 100 years of our world. I think audiences will laugh and gasp and hold on for the ride."

The 4H Club, a 65 minute show, premieres at the Vancouver East Cultural Center (The Cultch) on the historic stage this July 21, as part of the inaugural Neanderthal Arts Festival. Tickets are $15 and may be purchased at the door or in advance online, or by calling the Cultch box office at 604.251.1363.

The Cultch Historic Stage – 1895 Venables Street, Vancouver

Wed July 21, 9:30
Thu July 22, 7:00
Fri July 23, 9:30
Sat July 24, 7:00
Sun July 25, 4:30

genustheatre@gmail.com | 604.338.3194