Daron Letts
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (July 22/05) - A Taste of the Wildcat is back for a second year at the Prince of Wales Heritage Centre auditorium. This year Rene Bourque shares the stage with Vancouver actor Derrick Metz.

Derrick Metz and Rene Bourque portray a smorgasbord of characters recounted in stories told at the Wildcat Cafe. A Taste of the Wildcat plays at the Prince of Wales Heritage Centre auditorium July 22-24 and 28-31.

Metz studied with writer/director Ben Nind at the National Theatre School in Montreal. His first visit to the Wildcat this summer put him in touch with the stories people tell in Yellowknife.

"I sat there listening to the locals, tourists and servers," he said. "There's no way you can be at the Wildcat without becoming part of the conversation."

That connection between story tellers and their listeners is recreated in Nind's play.

"It's a journey we take with the audience," Metz said. "The demand for the actor is to discover the richness of that journey and be open to whatever the stories demand of us."

The 40-minute play is composed of six vignettes told with simple costumes and a minimal set. Characters include bush pilots, ice road builders and prospectors. In one scene, Bourque portrays Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

"The emotional transitions are quick," she said. "Because the stories are so condensed they require a strong emotional commitment from the actors."

The play was commissioned by the Museum of Civilization in Hull, Quebec, where it will debut next summer. The NWT gallery features a life-sized replica of the Wildcat.

Bringing history to life

Jennifer Boyes-Manseau, artistic director for the national museum's theatre company, worked with Nind to develop his play.

"I try to find ways to create theatre in the various exhibits that bring history to life," she said.

"What I like about Ben's material is that the actors go in and out of story-telling mode, becoming the characters. There's no fourth wall - no distance between the players and the audience. The actors must be really authentic and engage with the audience."

Evening performances of A Taste of the Wildcat run at 7 p.m. from July 22-23 and July 28-30. Matinees are at 2 p.m. on July 24 and July 31. Admission is free.

Audiences are invited to stay for bannock, tea and discussion following the performance.