No government has ever had the guts – or brains – to create a Department of Common Sense, probably because it could never live up to the name; but, playwright Ryan Van Horne makes Nova Scotia the first province to get a Department of Common Sense – if only to entertain you.
Van Horne, a journalist who worked on the inside as a government communicator for three years, has woven nuggets of truth into this satirical look at government and bureaucracy in which a new department is created to put an end to foolishness in government. The one-act play follows a straight-talking, tequila-sipping minister and two whip-smart women on his staff who take on a persnickety bureaucrat in a battle of wills – and wits.
Department of Common Sense will make you shake your head in disbelief, nod with painful understanding, or seethe with anger. It might even make you do all three, and it is sure to make you laugh as it returns to Halifax for a three-day, four-show run at The Bus Stop Theatre at 2203 Gottingen St., from March 14 to 16.
Community theatre veteran Nick Jupp directs a talented all-local cast that includes Lianne Perry, Mark Adam, Fiona Kirkpatrick Parsons, Rob McIntyre, Fiona MacKinnon, and Neil Van Horne.
There will be shows nightly at 8 p.m., with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. The Bus Stop Theatre is a licensed venue with a cash bar and we invite you to enjoy refreshments before and after the performance.
