Pictured from top:　Brohm Dason, Craig Bjornson, Nathan Linders, Penelope Johnson, Trevor Leigh, Jen Jensen, and Robin Stille collapse through the mill door in SOAP’s Noises Off

Cast creates chaos in SOAP’s Noises Off

Slamming doors and jamming doors. Crashing props. Brandished axes. Bottles of whisky. Dropped trousers and dropped plates of sardines. Prat falls and brawls. Farce is all about noise and sight gags, and SOAP’s upcoming comedy promises to be jam-packed with hilarious action. Noises Off by Michael Frayn runs three evenings, Thursday January 21 to Saturday January 23, at the Frank Venables Theatre, at 7:30 p.m. One matinee, on Saturday January 23 is at 1:00 p.m.

Noises Off takes its title from a stage direction for sounds coming from behind-the-scenes. This backstage farce follows a hapless company of actors as they limp through the final dress rehearsal of an English sex comedy (and play-within-a-play), Nothing On. Muddled lines, collapsing set, love triangles, artistic temperament, and one clueless blonde in lingerie are driving the cast’s bullying director, Lloyd Dallas, to madness. In this case, the “noises off” are the unplanned crashes and screams of the actors as the play-within-a-play slowly disintegrates into chaos.

All performances are at the Frank Venables Theatre in Oliver, due to the complexity of the set. Noises Off advance tickets are $18 at Sundance Video in Oliver and Your Dollar Store with More in Osoyoos. Tickets at the door are $20. A community bus will run from Osoyoos for certain performances. Please confirm bus seating before purchasing your ticket. Information and bus booking available at 250-495-2776.