What happens when passion is trapped under protocol? And why is that so funny? Gregory Prest brings to The Theatre Centre an exploration of the emotional, comedic, and theatrical potential of a board meeting. The unintentionally hilarious, slow, procedural, sometimes dry, oftentimes passionless, ineptly quaint, deeply inspiring, and filled with jargon and rules that make one howl at the absurdity of it all… along with major decisions about artistic life being made. This is not a takedown of arts boards (Without these volunteers, where would we be?) It’s something stranger. More tender. More magical.

Comedy is at the heart of this investigation. It’s also an experiment in restraint, timing, awkwardness, recognition, and a study of non-performance as performance. Humour as connection. Boredom as staging ground. Behaviour as choreography. An exploration of the absurdity of systems, the weirdness of human interaction, and the beauty of a shared WTF moment. 

Gregory Prest: Gregory is a theatre maker from Pictou, Nova Scotia, whose cross-disciplinary practice spans performance, direction, writing, and devising. Rooted in process and driven by curiosity, his work engages with classical and contemporary forms through a lens of theatricality, humour, and structural experimentation. Based in Toronto for over two decades, his award-winning projects have been presented nationally and internationally.