Comedy play unites actors of all ages in series of sketches

Improv underpins The Social Exchange

Bringing generations together on stage is a natural setting for comedy, and the new play by ACT Collective Theatre does that with a new element mixed in: improv-based sketches.

The Social Exchange is billed as a play that looks at the multiple perspectives and social divisions of seniors and youth.

“It's a multi-generational play, which means we're looking at generation Z, millennials, baby boomers,” said Chris Rabideau, a drama teacher at the University of Windsor.

The show is part of the North of 50 program, which is supported by Employment and Social Development Canada's New Horizons for Seniors Program.

“I think it's very important to have intergenerational shows for seniors,” Rabideau said. “I think it's very important for them to be able to interact with each other. Why do we have to just be boomers? Why do we just have to be generation Z? Why can't we connect together on a piece?”

The format of North of 50 brings a diversity of actors to the play, he said.

“Some people are retiring. Some people are having a second chance at life. … It's kind of like a new beginning for people.”

The Social Exchange is written by Christina Orlando, an early childhood educator at the Greater Essex County District School Board who moonlights as a writer and improv mentor for ACT.

Described as a sketch comedy based on improv, the play's origin centred around a public input session, said Orlando.

“Every age group was welcome and provided provocations to do improv scenes, trying to collect the information that I needed as springboards to actually write the scenes,” she said.

“Typically people will say things that mean something to them. They will come to you from their point of view. So, I was able to grab on to a few things to start to create the skeleton of the show.”

Actor Shelly Davis is enjoying the variety of roles she's playing.

“It's taking me out of my comfort zone,” she said. “I'm being encouraged to use profanity, which I have never used. The thing is, I'm sounding more natural than I thought it would sound.”

Actor Roxanne Tellier, who said she's the oldest person in the play at 70, moved to Windsor after a long career in entertainment in Toronto.

She's enjoying playing characters in different generations, which is a key feature of the play. She plays actor Robin Swainson's girlfriend in a Tiktok sketch. “It's a lot of fun and I get to play my ukulele.”

Swainson, who has been in several North of 50 productions, is also playing multiple characters, including a three-year-old who takes a tantrum and a 16-year-old Tiktok character.

How does he prepare for that? “You stand in front of the mirror at home quite a lot and hope no one can hear you.”

Actor Alex Allsopp, a university student of Rabideau's, said he's taking on sketch comedy for the first time after a background mostly in musical theatre.

“I'm stepping out of my comfort zone, which I think so many of us are doing,” he said.

Ultimately, the audience should just expect to laugh, Rabideau said.