ITSAZOO Takes on Corporate Culture With THE COMPETITION IS FIERCE Premiere Tonight

ITSAZOO Productions presents The Competition is Fierce -- a new play by Co-Artistic Producer Sebastien Archibald - from tonight, March 3 to 22, 2015 at the Shop Theatre at Renegade Studios (125 East 2nd Avenue). Directed by Chelsea Haberlin, the work is set in a dystopian corporate future where 'climbing the company ladder' entails gladiatorial combat to the death.

"We've always believed that theatre should be a party -- a night out that is as cool as a concert. This has led us to create experiences that are better described as theatre events, than plays," says Chelsea Haberlin, Co-Artistic Producer and director of the upcoming work. "For Killer Joe last year, this meant constructing an actual trailer park at the Italian Cultural Centre. For The Competition is Fierce, it means navigating a labyrinth of cubicles before arriving at our in-the-round performance space/arena, among other surprises. "

The chaotic narrative follows a mild-mannered corporate lackey and handsome loner who engage in a to-the-death battle for a high profile job. Their competition for the position - and for the attention of a rebellious female co-worker -- is overseen by a deranged executive and a psychopathic CEO.

"The earliest inspiration for the piece was a volatile telemarketing job I worked during university," muses playwright Sebastien Archibald. "The job was highly competitive with huge turnover, a contemptuous attitude toward employees, and cliché ridden corporate rhetoric that was taken far too seriously."

"More recently, I've become deeply interested in psychological studies showing the statistical success and prevalence of psychopaths in the corporate environment. The Competition is Fierce is the filtered product of this new fascination and decade-old experience."

The sexy, violent futuristic satire will be brought to life by a stellar cast of local talent, including Rachel Cairns, Chris Cochrane, Carlo Marks, Marilyn Norry and Andrew Wheeler. The production and design team includes Carmen Alatorre, Cheyenne Maberley, Matthew MacDonald-Bain, Jennifer Stewart, and Kyle Sutherland.

Staying true to the corporate environment, audience members can also enjoy a drink at the staff room-themed bar, offering beer, wine, coffee with Baileys, and martinis -- all served up in corporate mugs.

Tickets and information at www.itsazoo.org.

**NOTE: The Competition is Fierce contains nudity, coarse language, and violence. Leave the kids at home.

About ITSAZOO Productions (itsazoo.org) - ITSAZOO Productions creates dynamic theatre events for daring audiences - whether it's a fly-on-the-wall immersive experience, or a participatory, site specific event. The company formed in 2004 and is operated today by Co-Artistic Producers: Sebastien Archibald, also Playwright-in-Residence, and Chelsea Haberlin, recipient of the Sydney J Risk award in directing & The Ray Michal award for outstanding body of work by an emerging director. Through four core values -- immersion, risk, fun, and community -- ITSAZOO creates absorbing, all-encompassing worlds for audiences to experience.

ITSAZOO's major productions to-date include Killer Joe (recipient of the 2014 Jessie Award for Outstanding Production, Small Theatre), Mojo, Debts at the West End's Roedde House Museum, Robin Hood in Queen Elizabeth Park, and the popular Bridge Mix series.

DETAILS:

The Competition is Fierce
A New Play by Sebastien Archibald
Dates: March 3 - 22, 2015, Tuesdays - Sundays at 8pm
March 3 & 4: Previews
March 5: Opening Night Ticket Prices: $25 (Students & Seniors: $20)
Half Price Performances: March 3, 4 and 10
Address: Shop Theatre, Renegade Studios, 125 East 2nd Ave., Vancouver, BC
Box Office: brownpapertickets.com or itsazoo.org
At door on performance night (cash only & when available)

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