Inishmore blood pours

By Jennifer Baguss

bagu0001@algonquincollege.com

The Lieutenant of Inishmore by Martin McDonagh is a riotous gore-fest that lasts 90 minutes and doesn’t stop grossing you out until the house lights come on at the end.

Several Algonquin theatre grads have been working on Inishmore, including Zach Counsil, Ashley Proulx and Jenna Majikot.

Counsil, a 2006 grad, has worked various jobs including being a regular at Eddie May dinner theatre, which his father owns. He also played “Bat Boy” in the play of the same name. Bat Boy: The Musical premiered at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival to great reviews. Currently, Cousil is working on The Lieutenant of Inishmore. He plays Davey, a boy accused of killing the pet cat of the most violent terrorist known in Ireland.

Counsil also brought his special effects skills to the table with this play. Lynn Cox, special effects and theatre tech teacher at Algonquin, says that Zach is completely obsessed with blood and gore. With Inishmore, he has combined his love of acting and special effects.

Ashley Proulx, another 2006 Algonquin theatre grad, prefers the backstage aspect of theatre. She is currently working as an assistant stage manager for Inishmore. Proulx has done backstage work for many shows around town. She says she always loved theatre, but loved it even more when she came to Algonquin and realized that there is more to theatre than just acting, “I like helping the theatre any way I can,” she says.

Jenna Majikot works full-time at the Gladstone, as the production manager. She handles the business aspect of the theatre, handling all of the contracts and tech requirements.  She teaches a class at Algonquin on production managing. She also owns her own company, Dahlia Event Management, which mainly deals with theatrical events. Majikot is in charge of getting all the contracts and technical aspects for The Lieutenant of Inishmore. She graduated from Algonquin theatre in 2008.

Both Proulx and Cousil have enjoyed working on Inishmore, “It’s messy, it’s sticky, and if you don’t like the smell of ketchup, this is not the show for you,” Proulx says.

Counsil and Proulx believe that Ottawa needs to offer theatre geared toward a younger audience. “People these days would prefer a Quentin Tarantino movie than to sit through a Sam Shepherd play,” Counsil says.  He says that spectacle draws in a modern audience. “You can watch CSI on TV and be okay with it,” he says, “but when it’s right in front of you, it’s different.” He is quick to point out that The Lieutenant of Inishmore is comedic. “It’s fun because it’s over the top,” he says.