'We could all use a few extra laughs': RCA Theatre in St. John’s will reveal its first Live Magazine! of season tonight

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — As fulfilling as producing classic theatre by master playwrights like Anton Chekhov can be, actor and writer Monica Walsh of St. John’s felt her creative energy being pulled in a different direction.

“I was actually really jealous of musicians having open mics,” she said.

With the idea of providing the same sort of opportunity for performers who want to stretch and flex their acting muscles, Walsh started “Scene and Blurred” in 2015, as an experimental space where anything goes.

“I was writing these skits just so we’d have something to read and … they’d be really funny, and I decided to stick with it,” she said.

A lover of short productions in all forms, Walsh felt more and more drawn toward writing sketch comedy.

Tonight, prerecorded readings of a selection of Walsh’s sketches will be streamed to the RCA (Resouce Centre of the Arts) Theatre’s YouTube channel, as their first “Live Magazine!” of the season. Walsh will be joined by actors Alison Kelly, Vanessa Cardoso Whelan and Andy Jones.

Nora Barker is the artistic associate for the 2020-2021 season at RCA Theatre. While they haven’t produced the usual number of “Live Magazine!” this year — normally, there are four — they’ve been keeping busy, she says.

“It feels good keeping the community going, keeping the creative momentum going and supporting artists,” she said.

“Live Magazine!” has been a regular production of RCA Theatre for several years. Barker says it is a little window into what artists are doing in that moment.

The beauty of it, said Barker, is that artists create a show and use the space however they want.

“Monica is a familiar face for us, and we really like what she does,” she said. “This show is focused on sketch comedy and I think we could all use a few extra laughs.”

Walsh’s sketches include a scene where she is the cohabitant of a small apartment with Spock from Star Trek, despite Vulcans being extraterrestrial lifeforms categorized by little emotion, and Walsh being someone who seems constantly moments away from bursting into spirited laughter.

“(Monica Walsh's) stuff is very current. It’s to do with what’s happening with her generation at the moment... It’s up-to-the-minute writing.” — Andy Jones

There is a monologue about the only people Walsh says ever phone her — Newfoundland Power — which will be read by Jones.

Jones says Walsh has a special take on things.

“Her stuff is very current. It’s to do with what’s happening with her generation at the moment, which is a little beyond me sometimes,” he said. “It’s up-to-the-minute writing.”

And they don’t stray away from mature themes — or perhaps more accurately, childish content for adults — so putting the kids to bed beforehand is advised.

After the performance, Walsh and Jones will discuss the intersection of comedy and theatre, something with which he would be familiar; he has been acting since the 1970s, with credits in a multitude of genres, as well as being a writer and actor on CODCO.

According to Walsh, sketch comedy has a hard time fitting in as an art form. Speaking with Jones, she hopes to better understand where sketch comedy and theatre meet.

“(Sketch comedy) seems like theatre, it’s people on a stage being characters,” she said. “I just want to explore that. What are the differences? What are the similarities? Are they the same? Are they different?”

To watch RCA Theatre’s “Live Magazine! curated by Monica Walsh,” go online here. The show will begin streaming at 8 p.m. today.

Andrew Waterman reports on East Coast culture