Both Scorpio Theatre and Life Stages Theatre are tackling the subject of the end of the world.
For Scorpio Theatre in Cat Walsh's The Laws of Thermodynamics, the characters are literally faced with end of civilization as sand and fog encroach on a group of survivors in the old Texas prison town of Crumb.
In Life Stages' new play Family Tear, written by and starring Michelle Warkentin, the matriarch of a small family is facing the end of her world as she loses her battle with dementia.
Aaron Conrad who is directing The Laws of Thermodynamics for Scorpio says he was drawn to Edmonton playwright Cat Walsh's apocalyptic thriller because if is "so incredibly atmospheric. The atmosphere is really the fifth character in this drama because it is so pervasive.
"You're always aware there might be something sinister just outside your vision and you want to know what it is. That gives the play a sense of dread and of mystery."
Conrad says "the best word to describe the play is not creepy but haunting. It's a great little ghost story.
"As the final days approach, things just begin to disappear. There's no war, no horsemen, no floods or fire. The world is just fading away, dissolving into fog and sand. The four people we meet still alive in Crumb can't explain it any more than the audience can. The just accept it."
Conrad says the four people in Thermodynamics "could be the last four people on earth.
"There's a waitress (Mandee Marcil), two convicts ( Cesar Salvatar Jr and John Warkentin) and a journalist (Norm Friend) who stumbles into the town.
"He's in search of his wife and child but, for some reason, no matter how hard he tries, he can't leave the town."
Equally unnerving is that the two convicts keep moving boxes of files around but they and we are never quite sure why.
Conrad had hoped to present Laws of Thermodynamics two seasons ago but "Northern Lights Theatre in Edmonton did a workshop of the play so the rights were not available.
"I snapped them up the moment they were available."
The Laws of Thermodynamics is closing Scorpio Theatre's 17th season. Conrad has acted as its artistic director for the past six seasons.
Thermodynamics runs in the Pumphouse's Joyce Doolittle Theatre May 26 through June 3.
Tickets are $21 for adults and $17 for seniors and students and can be reserved at scorpio.ca/tickets/
THREE ACTORS AND A PUPPET
Michelle Warkentin is no stranger to sharing the spotlight with puppets.
She has been entertaining and instructing children through her menagerie of puppets for years and even conducts classes in puppetry.
"I love working with puppets and I've seen how they can communicate with children. I wanted to incorporate my puppets into more adult shows," says Warkentin who had seen the ravaging effects of dementia on family members as well as parents of friends.
"Dementia patients respond really well to dolls and stuffed toys so I thought a play about dementia would be the ideal way to use a puppet for more adult themes."
Warkentin says she has found "contracting dementia is many people's greatest fear and, the huge tragedy is, anyone of us could be next.
For her first adult play Family Tear, Warkentin introduces the audience to a family struggling with their mother's dementia as well as their own individual problems.
The mother in this story is played by Deborah Ferguson and her two daughters by Donna Barnfield and Illa Faye Turney.
The fourth member of the cast is the puppet Pennie, who represents dementia, and she is played by Warkentin.
"It was a real challenge for the other actors because only the mother can hear Pennie.
"That means the two sisters can't look at Pennie when she is speaking or respond in any way."
Warkentin says as the play progresses, hidden memories begin to emerge and the women must find a way to deal with them.
Warkentin insists "the play does not preach.
"It couldn't because I don't have the answers. What I want to do is present this family's story showing how they did and did not cope with things.
"I want audience members to consider what they would do in a similar situation."
Family Tear runs May 30 through June 3 at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. nightly with a special matinee performance on June 3 at 2 p.m. It runs 75 minutes without an intermission. All performances are in the INKubator Theatre on the main floor of Eau Claire Market.