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Acting apprenticeship leads Langley’s Lindsay Curl to new role in ‘Problem Child’

Can two dysfunctional parents get their baby out of the system and back in their arms?
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Problem Child is produced by, and features, acting apprentice Lindsay Curl. The shows runs July 5-8 at Pacific Theatre in Vancouver. Supplied photo by Jalen Saip

Determination, delusion and dark comedy. Stone’s Throw Productions launches full speed ahead into the absurdist Problem Child, by one of Canada’s most prolific playwrights, George F. Walker.

R.J. and Denise, two dysfunctional parents from the wrong side of the tracks, are trying to get their baby out of the system and back in their arms. But, they have to get around Helen, the by-the-book social worker who isn’t budging. With the help of Phillie, the drunken motel employee, how far will Denise and R.J. go to reunite their family?

Directed by Alex Kirkpatrick and featuring Jalen Saip, Tim Howe and Conor Stinson O’Gorman and Langley’s Linsday Curl, the production runs at Pacific Theatre in Vancouver July 5-8 at 8 p.m..

Curl, who is doing an acting apprenticeship at Pacific Theatre, was recently seen in The Shape of a Girl (Stone’s Throw) and Corleone: The Shakespearean Godfather (Pacific Theatre/Classic Chic).

Walker has won countless awards for his work, including the prestigious Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. His plays have been performed worldwide and have been translated into many different languages.

Problem Child is part of a six-play cycle titled Suburban Motel. Each play is a separate, full-length, one-act work, however all touch upon similar themes and share the same setting of a “rundown motel room.” Walker’s plays take an absurdist approach to the harsh realities of life. He combines humor with difficult times, making his characters relatable on many different levels. Problem Child gives voice to the struggles of those less fortunate who are trying to reunite their families. R.J. and Denise are at the mercy of “the system.”

“It’s very exciting to be working with an artist as prolific as George F. Walker who has contributed so much to our national voice,” Kirkpatrick said.

Tickets are $15. Purchase by calling 604-731-5518 or go online to pacifictheatre.org.

Pacific Theatre is located at 1440 W 12th Ave., Vancouver.