Bad Blood a heartfelt and shocking insight

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author: nicole gariescontributor

Jayden Pfeifer plays the role of Tremblay in his tumultuous time. | Photo credit Amy Matysio.

Joey Tremblay’s newest production demonstrates some of the haunting flaws in Canadian health care.

Bad Blood creator and director Joey Tremblay reminds us that “we all know the hospital experience. Either through the emergency ward, or a family member experience. There’s no one untouched with mortality.”

An experience to the eyes, the ears, and the inner aggressions towards the Canadian health care system, Tremblay’s scintillating production of Bad Blood had me in laughs and in tears during its moments on stage for yesterday’s dress rehearsal. The University of Regina theatre department and independent company Curtain Razors incorporate student and professional work to sew Tremblay’s vision.

Bad Blood features a narrative biography of Tremblay’s worst nightmares and struggles with his health (both mental and physical) in his earlier years dealing with our health care system. This spectacle of a production promotes the darkest side of our hospitals with a jaunty pinch of humor that makes it so enjoyable and captivating to an audience.

Actor and close friend to Tremblay, Jayden Pfeifer (who some may know as a faculty member, local improviser, and host of sketch variety show Red Hot Riot), takes on the immense and tumultuous performance of the role of Tremblay himself and successfully brings us into the world of his own.

Joey not only sincerely dedicates Bad Blood to those with experience in our hospitals, but with anyone who has a relationship to pain and suffering to any extent, as “we all have that struggle of life and death, and this show is very primal that way.”

Joining Pfeifer in the professional cast are graduate of our BFA program and Wolfcop star Amy Matysio (Darcy, Brandy, Cindy and Sandra) and Michael Scholar Jr. (Dr. B), who has worked extensively with Anne Bogart at Columbia University where he received is MFA in directing. Kris Alvarez (Charity, Margene, Gwen and Sheila) is a local sketch comedian, musician, and actor, and Kenn McLeod (Chad, O’Doctor, Dr. La La, Surgeon and Dyood) is the founder of Regina’s Hectik Theatre and was the U of R’s most recent director of Spring’s Awakening in the fall of 2016.

Wednesday night, through his animated and bizarre fashion of story-telling, this play opens its door to all. Bad Blood runs Wednesday-Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and a matinee on Sunday March 19 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are free for any U of R student (with valid ID) or for $10-$15 at eventbrite.ca.

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