Playing Zorro a family affair
Calgary actor lured from New Zealand with a part he ‘couldn’t refuse’
Derek Flores is back in Calgary where his theatre career began 30 years ago, and he owes his return to his grandfather.
Flores, who is a Loose Moose alumnus, is playing the masked crusader in Alberta Theatre Projects’ family adventure Zorro: Family Code, which runs in the Arts Commons Martha Cohen Theatre Nov. 27 to Dec. 30.
One of his Loose Moose contemporaries back in the 1980s and ’90s was Rebecca Northan, who, with Bruce Horak and Christian Goutsis, wrote Zorro: Family Code.
Northan and Flores have remained fast friends these past 30 years, and she has been trying to bring him back to Calgary to star in one of her shows but, Flores says, life kept interfering.
“Rebecca wanted me to play the villain in her show Legend Has It, and I was really excited at the prospect, but things going on in my life in New Zealand at the time made it impossible,” explains Flores who, with his wife, Michi, teaches improv in New Zealand, but also in Germany, Italy, Australia, Dubai and China.
It was at an international improv convention in Dubai last year that Northan and Flores met once again, and he is pretty certain one of their late-night conversations over drinks is what put the idea of him playing Zorro into her mind.
“I told Rebecca the story about my grandfather. He would dress up as Zorro in the hat, mask and cape, hide in a closet and surprise my grandmother. You really have to picture this. My grandfather was barely five feet tall and thin as a reed with shocks of silver hair. He pulled this little stunt more than once.
“My father loved to tell the story. It’s legendary in our family, so by playing Zorro in Rebecca’s play, I am keeping up the family tradition.”
Flores recalls that when Northan called him with the offer to play Zorro she described the character as middle-aged, a father of two, a broken down widower.
“I asked Rebecca if she was describing the character or me, and she quickly added that this Zorro was still at the top of his game, (he was) just old. It was the kind of offer I couldn’t refuse.”
After starting rehearsals, Flores understood why Northan stressed that her Zorro was old and a bit broken.
“The hallmark of any Zorro tale is the sword fights, and we have Karl Sine staging them. He’s really putting us through our paces. It’s demanding and exhausting. It’s a bit like cramming for a final exam every day.”
In Zorro: Family Code, Zorro discovers his arch-enemy, Captain Juan Ramon, has escaped from a California prison and is now hiding out in a small Spanish town. Zorro immediately travels to Spain to right this wrong, only to discover there is already someone in the town claiming to be Zorro.
“It’s a simple story told with a lot of heart and even more humour. It’s real family entertainment.
“My son Eli is coming in from New Zealand to see the show. He was mildly jealous when he learned my Zorro has a son his age, but that’s not nearly as important to him as the prospect of his first snowy Christmas.”
Joining Flores in this merry masked crusader romp are Tyrell Crews as the villainous Juan Ramon and Lucian-River Mirage Chauhan as a pint-sized masked crusader, with Mabelle Carvajal, Natasha Strickey and Kevin Corey rounding out the cast.
Because this is a family show, weekday performances begin at 6:30 p.m. with 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. performances on Saturdays and 1 p.m. performances on Sundays.
Be sure to check out atplive.com because there are some weeknights when the play is not performed.