When professional actor Allan Morgan hit a dry spell, he did what most actors do: he got another job.
As it turns out, that job would inspire a new piece of theatre – and you can see it onstage at the Anvil Centre Theatre May 24 to 27.
I Walked the Line is a 70-minute autobiographical solo show that follows Morgan’s transition from unemployed “downtown gay actor guy” to suburban union hall mailroom clerk.
Morgan is a longtime Vancouver actor who has been on stages around B.C. and worldwide, including several seasons with Bard on the Beach. Then, when that dry spell came, he took a position in the mailroom of a union headquarters building.
“He enjoyed the experience and his colleagues, embracing his new role with the same enthusiasm and dedication that he had applied to theatre productions,” said a press release.
In July 2016, Morgan and 54 other employees found themselves in an unfamiliar position: on the picket line. As employees of a union, they were locked out by their employer and then hit the pavement in a strike.
“Over the past two years, I Walked the Line has emerged as a passion project and a means to process the experience Allan shared with his union sisters and brothers,” the release said. “In 70 minutes, he takes the audience on a roller coaster of emotions, sharing what it was like to be on strike, to find strength in community. He transforms the stage to the picket line in order to celebrate the solidarity, remember the people and reveal the storm of emotions that the fight brought to all those walking for 132 days.”
The production is directed by Ross Desprez, with set and costume design by Margaret Handford, lighting design by R. Robinson Wilson and audio design by Tobin Stokes.
I Walked the Line is onstage Friday, May 24 to Monday, May 27. Showtime is 8 p.m. on May 24, and 2 p.m. on May 25, 26 and 27.
Tickets are $20 regular, or $15 for students and seniors, plus service charges. They’re available at www.ticketsnw.ca or 604-521-5050.
