Aaron Coates

The playwright, Aaron Coates, will also be acting in this production.

Aaron Coates

Artistic Director
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Aaron is a playwright, director, and the artistic director of Dark Forest Theatre Company.He studied acting at Mount Royal College and playwriting at Alberta Theatre Projects.His plays include: Pratfall, The End of the Rope (shortlisted for the Gwen Pharis Ringwood Award for Drama), The Pants, Down to the Ground, and numerous short plays that have been performed locally and internationally.One of Aaron's monologues, The Parade, was part of Ground Zero Theatre's CockTales 2: Mr and Ms Conceptions, while another was published in the collection Monologues for Men by Men.Aaron is currently writing On a Twitch for Lunchbox Theatre.His directing credits include: The Zoo Story, Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs, , and (DFTC).

Director: Aaron Coates

The Cook story was also written as a powerful play called The End of the Rope, crafted by Calgary playwright Aaron Coates.

Aaron CoatesInstructor

Certainly, Re:Generation's actors and creators, including young theatre professionals like Dark Forest Theatre's artistic director, Aaron Coates, are shaped not only by their generation, but also their unique personal experiences.

"He's a bit like Richard the Third in a way," states a pensive Aaron Coates, the director of the play.
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The whole creation of their party has some pretty strong overtones that link to Hitler, but they aren't anti-Semitic or anything," defends Coates."They talk about having a 'putsch,' and there's this great bit in act two where [Malcolm] gives a speech to a cheering crowd that's very reminiscent of Hitler."

Coupled with the assumption that everyone loves an underdog, the recurring theme of fascism and the Malcolm/Hitler parallel helps the play overcome its 40-year time span, lending the production a timelessness not often found in newer plays.

Three years ago, Coates and his ragtag group of playwrights formed the Dark Forest Theatre company to perform Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs, but lacked the finances to do so.The long wait only served to produce a fierce commitment within Coates for the play.

"I really love the production because it's got a little bit of everything," enthuses Coates with a warm, paternal air.

Director Aaron Coates is also pleased with the choir's progress.

They're doing better than ever before , he said.We are beginning to gain a reputation of being a quality program..

Coates participated in show choir as a youth and then continued to build a program at Triton Central High School in Shelby County , where he taught vocals to junior high and high school students.He's in his second year teaching vocals at Zionsville Community High School and is director of both the Royalaires and Choralaires , an all-female junior varsity version of the Royalaires.

Many schools have show choirs , according to Coates , but not all of them compete.

It's an expensive endeavor , he said.Conservatively , the Royalaires will end up spending $ 12 , 000 on one show..

Luckily , the same show is performed for each competition.And it's the parents , not the schools , that cover the bill.

The Royalaires membership fee has been about $ 475.
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The Royalaires and the Choralaires are both honors courses that meet with Coates daily.

In addition to the singers are 22 stage crew students and 16 instrumental students.Coates plays the piano during the show , but otherwise , it is entirely produced by students.
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And these competitions can be more taxing than many sporting competitions , Coates said , often beginning at 6 a.m. and not finishing until 1 a.m. the following night.There are two rounds of shows in each competition.Every choir performs in the first round , and then the finalists are chosen.The exact same show is performed by the finalists , and the judging starts over again.Shows run around 20 minutes , and sometimes 20 different groups come to one competition.Before the finals , small and personal awards are given.

Featuring Cheryl Hutton, Rew Lowe and Aaron Coates
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Aaron Coates (Actor/Creator) is an actor, playwright and director. He studied acting at Mount Rooyal College and at Ecole Philippe Gaulier in Paris. Acting credits include: Man Out of Joint (Downstage), Molière (Alberta Theatre Projects), Much Ado About Nothing and Good (Theatre Junction), The Comedy of Errors and Richard III (Shakespeare in the Park). His plays include: The Frozen Limit, The Pants Pratfall, The End of the Rope (shortlisted for the 2002 Writers Guild of Alberta Award for Drama). Directing credits include: Iraq & Back (Ghost River Theatre), Re:Generation (THEATREboom), Refuge, Little Malcolm (Dark Forest Theatre Company), The End of the Rope (DFTC/Vertigo Theatre). Aaron was the Artistic Director of the Dark Forest Theatre Company from 2002-2006. He was selected as the Emerging Director for Lunchbox Theatre's 2007/08 season.