Yellowknife (Mar 24/06) - A play on stage at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre is intended to push boundaries, according to director Vince McCormick, but not the boundaries one might imagine at first glance.

Lunch Pail Theatre is presenting Stop Kiss, a play written by Diane Son about two women whose chance friendship turns to attraction, which is instantly set to the backdrop of a violent tragedy.

This tragedy, in turn, is the catalyst for a deeper bond. The play revolves around a single event, a shared kiss between Callie and Sara, the play’s main characters, and the violent attack that follows it.

McCormick said the play might be challenging viewing for some, but for its emotional intensity, rather than its portrayal of sexuality.

“I think we’re going to push emotional boundaries, versus controversial boundaries,” he said. “This is one of the most on-edge pieces we’ve done.”

McCormick said he has wanted to stage Stop Kiss for years. He said he was drawn to the way the story plays with the timeline of events, and the way the characters are portrayed.

The plot jumps from Callie and Sara’s chance meeting in New York to the aftermath of the attack and back again throughout the play. Unlike other stories involving same-sex relationships, he said, this play is not heavy-handed about sexuality or homophobia, but traffics instead in shades of grey.

“It doesn’t fall into stereotypes,” he said. “All the characters are very life-like... they all have ups and downs.

“It’s not just about sexuality, this is a story about two people drawn together as individuals.”

Lunch Pail Theatre has recruited a number of new performers and seasoned veterans from amongst Yellowknife’s theatre scene to fill out this play. The performers were selected after a general casting call, which McCormick said was well attended.

“We had more people than parts, which was a pleasant surprise,” he said. This created more depth in the leading and supporting cast, he said.

“That’s one of the things I’m really tickled about.”

The play opened last night and plays tonight and Saturday and again March 30 and April 1.