Comedy comes from a new perspective
Realwheels Theatre Company celebrates Canada’s 150th birthday with belly laughs
On stage
Comedy on Wheels: Celebrating Canada’s Birthday with Belly Laughs!
May 18-20, 8 p.m.| Performance Works, Granville Island
Tickets: $20-$25, at Brown Paper Tickets
For the past six years Vancouver’s Andrew Vallance has been a part of the Realwheels Theatre Company.
Vallance lives with cerebral palsy and, like many people with disabilities, he recognized that isolation could be an issue, so decided to join the professional company. Realwheels produces shows that focus on broadening the understanding of the reality of disabilities.
“It allows me to connect with my fellow human beings and fight boredom, preventing me from feeling overly lonely,” said Vallance, 36.
“It has given me many important contacts in the broader community, and given me more confidence as a performer.
“Before getting involved with Realwheels, I never would’ve thought of myself as theatrically inclined. Realwheels has opened up a whole new world for me.”
That world has included five productions with the company. Right now he and 18 other performers are preparing for Comedy on Wheels: Celebrating Canada’s Birthday with Belly Laughs! to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday.
The show is a bit of departure for the company: While it still has theatrical features it is more of a comedy variety show.
“There’s a lot of people. We are not working from an existing script,” said Realwheels’ Rena Cohen, who is also producing and directing the show.
“It’s a large cast creating their own work — developing, shaping the material and stitching it together so it has a narrative coherence.
“It’s all about finding the authentic voice, and reflecting the authentic voice of the disability community on the stage, and there is tremendous diversity as well.
“This is an amazingly talented community cast, with an incredible work ethic, great senses of humour and highly collaborative. I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to work with,” said Cohen.
Headlining the show is former Vancouverite and now U.K.-based Tanyalee Davis. An international performer, Davis is not only participating but has also been offering pre-gig support.
“She has been providing some individual Skype sessions with some of the participants,” said Cohen.
“It’s so great to have role models. It is so great to have someone who lives with disability (in Davis’ case dwarfism/diastrophic dysplasia) and who has embarked on a career, who is living the life of a comic and performing all around.”
It’s that comedy life that is interesting to Vallance, who been exploring that entertainment avenue for the past three years.
“I was encouraged to take a stand-up comedy class at Langara College by Jordan Kerton, the remarkable woman who was, at that point, running the recreation department in my group home,” said Vallance about the David Granirer-instructed class.
Comedy clicked with Vallance, and to date he has done some gigs and will be hosting a comedy benefit for the group home on June 5 at Yuk Yuks.
While he has some standup credits, Vallance admits that moving from a theatrical group setting to a solo spot on the stage can be nerve-racking.
“Depends on the situation, but in general I’d say stand up is more difficult,” said Vallance.
“Typically a comic is on stage by himself with a microphone for company. He or she sinks or swims on their own. There is no support in that situation. It’s like living inside an Ayn Rand novel.” See? He’s funny. The Realwheels Theatre Company, which began in 2003, operates under the umbrella of the Wheel Voices project, carrying an underlying theme of communication with the greater community. Issues and stories are approached from a disability perspective.
“We offer experiences in the performing arts to anybody who self identifies as having a disability,” said Cohen.
“We offer the training and new work is created and then the project culminates in a show. This is our biggest one to date. It’s massive.”