Juice box and a show

It’s been only a few months since Mount Royal’s Theatre Arts program was suspended, and students are already trying to fill the void.

JuiceBox Theatre, a new club on campus, offers a unique opportunity for students to keep MRU arts alive — plus, everyone who attends one of their shows gets a tasty juice box!

“I knew that the theatre program was being cut at MRU, and I wanted to do something about it,” JuiceBox Theatre president Jessica Gurnsey wrote in an e-mail. “I believe that theatre and the ability to create is an integral part [of] a community, and I wanted that part of MRU to stay.”

There was trouble at the altar for characters played by students Ryan Cashin, David Steward and Jessica Gurnsey during the opening night of In The Cards at JuiceBox Theatre. Photo: Michelle Vaniersel

JuiceBox Theatre’s first production, In The Cards, written by Caroline Russell-King and directed by MRU student Dakota Lelek, ran in the Jenkins Theatre from Nov. 1-3. The show was a three-act comedy that centered on the unlikely encounters of an ill-fated psychic and her soul mate.

Its playful nature worked well for the cast.

“In The Cards is perfect for this group of actors because there is so much humour in the script. The whole cast is extremely funny and [they’re] constantly joking around with one another,” wrote Lelek in an email. “We all just have so much fun with it!”

Lelek also noted that joining JuiceBox is a great way for everyone who wishes to get involved with theatre to do that.

“Even though my career path is very far from the performing arts, I have always had a passion for acting and singing,” Lelek wrote.

Club members come from every corner of campus – Gurnsey hopes to study Nursing or Criminal Justice, while Lelek is transferring from Psychology to Kinesiology. Regardless of where their career paths take them, JuiceBox Theatre shows that arts may be in the cards for anyone.

Coming up next for JuiceBox is Nothing Unsaid, a drama written by Robynne Harder, and directed by club vice-president Roxy Trask. It runs Nov. 19, 21 and 22 in the Jenkins Theatre.

Also, JuiceBox just finished casting their Hunger Games Musical, which will run in March. The musical is both written and directed by Trask.

“What I can tell you is that it is going to be absolutely hilarious. If you have seen A Very Potter Musical [on YouTube] and you liked that, you are sure to love the Hunger Games [Musical],” wrote Gurnsey.

JuiceBox is also looking at another winter show, Conversations with a Balcony, written by MRU student Trevor O’Gorman. Anyone interested in getting involved or auditioning for the show can e-mail juicebox.theatre@outlook.com, or send a message to JuiceBox Theatre’s Facebook page.