Promethean Theatre announces world premiere of Tragedy, Slander, & Wine, November 13 to 19

Production spanning comedy, mystery, and mockumentary examines spread of misinformation after a small-town murder

SPONSORED POST BY Promethean Theatre

Tragedy, Slander, & Wine. Photo by Sarah Cherin

Theatre and film elements converge in the world premiere of Promethean Theatre’s Tragedy, Slander, & Wine, a murder mystery without a murderer, playing November 13 to 19 at the NEST on Granville Island.

The residents of a small B.C. town gather in their local community theatre to watch the opening night of a new play, which ends in tragedy—literally—when an actor dies onstage.

The media circus pounces on the story, turning the quaint community into a hotspot for true-crime tourists. Conspiracy theory junkies brand everyone in the town as a suspect. The finger-pointing grows so rampant that the victim’s sister Shannon, played by Mai Stone, can’t even have a healthy relationship with her own mother.

Shannon’s longtime friend Alec, played by Drew Ogle, promises to help rid her of the pariah status she’s been given by the public. The pair soon finds out that manipulating the media is harder than they anticipated, and have to get past power-hungry reporter Penelope (Sophia Paskalidis) and gatekeeping publicist Colin (David Underhill).

Soon, Shannon uncovers a secret plot that upends everything she thought she knew about the tragedy. The production has audiences questioning what really happened to Shannon’s sister, and whether this deadly event can repeat itself.

Written by David Volpov during the pandemic, Tragedy, Slander, & Wine draws inspiration from the spread of conspiracy theories and misinformation. One of the unique aspects of the production is its innovative multimedia storytelling. In the style of true crime, Promethean Theatre hired artists to film interviews with the townsfolk, which audiences will see played alongside the onstage action.

As a result, the production features an eclectic mix of mediums and genres, including comedy, mystery, and mockumentary. Many creative team members learned new trades quickly for the show, including director Larisse Campbell, who stepped out of her theatrical comfort zone to master the art of creating a film shot list.

Promethean Theatre invites urgent dialogue about media literacy by presenting a student matinee showing of Tragedy, Slander, & Wine on November 15 for high schools in the Lower Mainland, in partnership with Ground News.

Tickets and more details can be found here.

Post sponsored by Promethean Theatre.