Emergency Ops

Illustrium Creations—RRC Polytech

Everything you hope not to see during a municipal emergency response. Local performer Hayden Maines plays all five members of their sleepy towns emergency operations department, challenged far more by the travails of office life than the pig shit and chemicals spilling out from a crash. After introducing the cast, the persona and costume changes increasingly speed up, as he cracks jokes and details the situation’s descent into absurd chaos.

First night hiccups are always to be expected, and Hayden keeps an admirable amount of plates spinning in the air. The pace and humour definitely work well, but the primary gimmick of having all the characters played by the same actor feels a bit superfluous.

Josh Fidelak