Are you trying to strike that balance between physical activity and cultural enlightenment? Are you looking for a venue with both interpretative dance and poop jokes? Whatever the answer, you should still check out the sixth annual Theatre SKAM Bike Ride.
The show happens July 19 and 20 from 3:30-6:30 p.m. and stretches along four kilometres of the Galloping Goose. Participants start at the Cecelia Ravine Park hub where they they can find snacks, entertainment, and a bike decorating station for those so inclined. From there, tours leave the hub every few minutes to ride one of the four trails. While riding along the Goose for about one kilometre, a tour will stop and take in three shows before returning. As the tours run from 45 minutes to an hour, it is possible to take in all 12 shows in a day. If you wish to take your time, you can buy the two-day pass for an extra $5.
Though I found the drama and the comedy extremely enjoyable, a few of the plays were thoroughly targeted to kids (this is coming from a man who watches way more cartoons than the average adult). I don’t mean to harp as I like puppets as much as the next guy, but when plays start singing songs about not littering, I start to tune out.
Fortunately, only 2 out of twelve plays are this kid focused and it was some of the family humour performances that I enjoyed the most. One in particular, the Princess Rescue Force, was a one man show playing on the conventions of the damsel in distress. This performance was especially good as writer and performer, Robin Gadsby, found new recruits in the audience — I was dubbed “Short Pants the Awesome”.
A few of the plays touched on environmental issues with both glaring (Trash Tales) and more subtle, satirical methods. Crude Dark Matters, for instance, is a play that drops the audience in the middle of a film shoot in which Captain Enbridge, reviled by Queen Kitimatia, has ruptured an intergalactic pipeline, spilling crude dark matter over the Milky Way.
Satirical or childish, all the plays were fantastic in their own way. If you have never been to SKAM’s Bike Ride, it is well worth the experience and modest ticket price ($15 in advance or $20 on site). If you have been, then there’s no doubt you’ll be back.
For more information, visit http://www.skam.ca/bike-ride/.
