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Wednesday, November 17, 1999 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER C1 Arts & Entertainment O akville B ea ver E n te rta in m e n t Editor. Carol Baldwin 845-3824 (Extension 254) Fax: 337-5567 Shadowlands: a pi B y C. S. Lewis an d about C. S. Lewis and his crisis o f faith in dealing with his wife' s cancer auditioning for the part. He felt the real-life spousal chemistry between him and his wife SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Brenda would embellish the roles. "We are finding it rewarding and challeng I he very "touching" Shadowlands, a ing," he says. `There are painful and joyful 'play which delves into an eight-year scenes." period in the life of scholar and Shadowlands is a moving story of suffering writer C. S. Lewis, opens the and triumph, pain and happiness spirituality and Oakville Players' season at the humanity, explains Thompson. `To me, it's a Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts tomor love story, not a tragedy, although one of the row night. leads dies tragically." Shadowlands, which runs Nov. 18th to 20th "We are also marketing it to churches. Lewis and 26th to 29th, features the husband-and-wife acting team of Chris and Brenda Worsnop in the wrote a lot about Christianity. It's a play acted out as a crisis of faith for him. We are suggest roles of Lewis and Joy Davidman, a younger ing it would make an appropriate outing for an divorcee whom Lewis married late in life and adult group, a Bible study group, for example," then lost to cancer after just a few years. This traumatic event knocked the wind out of says Worsnop. The friendship between lead actors and Lewis' whole belief system, and through his director goes back to the first season of the wife's strength, he bears witness to the connec Oakville Drama Series 21 years ago. tion between joy and pain, explains George "George directed and Brenda and I when we Thompson, director of the Oakville production. were both in The Country Wife, a restoration `T he play says something to me. It touches a comedy," recalls Worsnop. lot of things that mean something to me - the That friendship also breeds a healthy whole relationship of people to God, of loving rehearsal environment, he says. God and suffering, the connection between love and God and suffering," says Thompson, who `T he play is technically challenging. There are 28 scenes m two acts. Those are the kinds of urged his friends the Worsnops to audition for the lead roles. plays George likes, ones which are technically as well as artistically challenging." Not only is the role of Lewis "a wonderful This is Thompson's first directorial assign part for a man my age," it's also a very moving ment with Oakville Players but his ninth alto production, adds Worsnop. "I think there's gether with the Drama Series. something in it that will please an audience. It Tickets for Shadowlands are $16 and are isn't just a run-of-the-mill comedy or farce. It's available by visiting or calling the Oakville a very touching play that will connect with many, many people." Centre box office at 130 Navy St., 815-2021. With the play being marketed to church In an interesting twist, Worsnop was a gradu ate student of Lewis' medieval literature lec groups, there are special rates of $10 per ticket tures while attending Cambridge University in for groups of more than 10. For further informa the 1950s. tion call Mark St. Jean at 337-7848. "He was a phenomenal teacher. He was a performer. He illustrated and acted out." Photo by Barrie Erskine Having known the man himself, "gives me a place to start from", says Worsnop. Brenda Worsnop, who plays Joy, and "He was an ordinary looking man, a very Chris Worsnop (C. S. Lewis) rehearse a outspoken person. He was quite a contradiction. scene from the Oakville Players' upcom When people met him, they were often very ing play, Shadowlands, which opens surprised at how ordinary he was." tomorrow night at the Oakville Centre. There was another motivator for Worsnop in B y K a th y Ya n chu s T R A D ITIO N SALE EVENT M l TM L»bwn W cer Sow * 2 0 0 0 's ONE PRICE BEST DEAL P a u la L is h m a n K N I T F U R 209 Lakeshore Rd, K, Oakville (1st lights west of Trafalgar) 845-2031