What? Audience Participation is Welcome?
by Mary Alderson
When I go to the theatre, I want the audience to be quiet. No talking, no loud whispering, no phones buzzing. The great musical theatre star Patti LuPone has actually halted Broadway shows when audience members were making noise, calling them out for their lack of theatre etiquette.
But I have just heard that there will be a show upcoming at the Globus near Bobcaygeon, where audience participation is encouraged. Sure, the Globus is famous for their murder mysteries where the actors visit the theatre-goers at their dinner tables and chat with them, but this is different.
For Father’s Day Weekend, the Globus is presenting something new. On stage will be the creators of a popular podcast called This Day in Sports, Sandy Jobin-Bevin, Matt Kippen, and Mike Shara. They will be recording their usual podcast, but it will be in front of a live audience and they will be looking for audience members to respond.
So, just to be clear, they haven’t turned their podcast into a play; the theatre audience will be part of a real podcast which will be aired sometime in the future.
The trio have been doing This Day in Sports for about a year and a half. Shara, a self-admitted sports trivia nerd, picks a date in history and researches obscure, interesting and preferably funny sports facts. Then the three discuss the various topics, and invite guests to join them. It can be any sport – maybe hockey or baseball, the ones we Canadians know lots about, or it could be another less popular sport, and they will do their best to educate the listeners.
And here’s why this podcast is working: These guys are funny! And they know funny! Sandy Jobin-Bevans has a history with Second City, and has been an actor in comedic roles, as well as a director. He’s a skilled improv artist and has worked with various comedy troupes. Matt Kippen is a writer and has worked on such hilarious TV shows as Schitt’s Creek and Kim’s Convenience and has acted in various comedy movies. Mike Shara is an experienced stage actor with 10 seasons at the Stratford Festival and 10 seasons at the Shaw Festival. This fall, he is returning to his role in The Master Plan, a biting comedy by Michael Healey.
When they invite guests to join them on their podcast, they don’t limit themselves to sports figures, although they enjoy having famous sports figures. They have all kinds of guests but generally those who like to talk sports. And it’s even better if they are quick witted and funny. Among the guests are names like 1980s-90s NHL hockey player Glenn Healy, or CTV movie critic Richard Crouse.
In the second half of the podcast, they ask questions, and at the Globus they will invite audience answers. Some of the questions will be a little off the wall – such as “Who has had the best mustache in hockey?” At this point in my conversation with Mike, my husband, Victor, shouts from the other room “Lanny McDonald, but if it’s in all sports, Rollie Fingers.” (Rollie was a major league baseball award-winning pitcher.)
Mike tells me there will be prizes to give away from some of their past guests, such as Ron James, The Arkells, and the NHL. As well, they will have video trivia questions for the audience from guests like Dan Shulman, Richard Crouse, Ron James, Jose Cruz Jr., and more.
This Day in Sports will be at the Globus Theatre for just three nights, so call the Box Office at 705-738-2037 or 1-800-304-7897 or visit https://www.lakeviewartsbarn.com/globus-current-season .
It’s a wonderful opportunity to try something different at the theatre, and nobody is going to get mad at you if you yell at the actors on stage. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?
This Day in Sports
With Sandy Jobin-Bevin, Matt Kippen, and Mike Shara
A Podcast recorded in front of a live audience
Globus Theatre, at the Lakeview Arts Barn, south of Bobcaygeon
June 14, 15, 16, 2024