The Boy and Girl Next Door by Jake Prins

Once upon a time, there was a boy named Stuart and a girl named Nicole. Stuart lived in an average sized house in a reasonable neighbourhood, and Nicole lived in a reasonable neighbourhood in an average sized house. Together, Stuart and Nicole wrote a play called The Boy and Girl Next Door. They called their play this despite the fact that they do not live next door to each other, but in fact, live in thevery same house. Does this make them liars? No. Well, maybe.

One day, the Canoe Festival heard that Stuart and Nicole had written a play and asked them if they would like to do a reading of their play in the lobby of the Timms Center. Stuart and Nicole said yes. They did all of the things you have to do to have a reading of a play (got some actors, printed some copies of the script, made a Facebook event), and on the evening of, people after people gathered at the specified time and location.

Some laughed.
Some cried.
Some were touched deeply.
But none of them paid anything.

"Wait. What?" you say. "There are free events at the Canoe Festival?"
Oh, yes. Yes, there are.
"Are there any more?" you say.

At the time I write this, yes! At the time someone else publishes this, probably! At the time you read this...only you and the Canoe Festival schedule have the answer to that.

Jake Prins is a local playwright and actor. Catch a reading of his new play "The Meaning of Life, or Lemmings" on Friday January 20 at 4:30pm in the lobby of Timms Centre for the Arts as part of The REALTORS Canoe Theatre Festival. Also check out the fundraising campaign for his next production, "Horace Porridge Goes to Work".