Southern Interior is a new six-part sketch comedy series filmed entirely in Nelson, British Columbia. The series satirizes and celebrates the quirks and characters of Nelson, while offering sharp observations on social issues. The show, created and directed by Amy Bohigian, features a talented cast of local actors who portray a range of eccentric personalities.
In one of the early scenes from the new sketch comedy series Southern Interior, women are doing yoga on stand-up paddle boards on Kootenay Lake with the Nelson bridge in the background. But one of the women, older and not as fit as the rest, has fallen off her paddle board and can't seem to get back on. As she awkwardly struggles – with actor Lynne Kary-McKenna playing this to maximum comic effect – the others are blissfully ignorant of her plight.
Their self-absorption is among the light-hearted jabs taken at Nelson in Southern Interior, a series of six 10-minute comedy sketches that satirizes and celebrates the city, written and shot with an all-local cast and crew while designed for TV audiences. The paddle board sketch moves on to different stories and scenes, but occasionally returns just for few seconds to show us that Kary-McKenna's character is still in the water, still struggling, and still funny. Later still, a drone camera zooms far back above the bridge to show that all her yoga compatriots have gone home, the sun is going down, and Kary-McKenna has the entire expanse of Kootenay Lake to herself, finally on that damn board. Nelson filmmaker Amy Bohigian, who directed the series, has been living and breathing Southern Interior since she conceived the concept four years ago. Her work culminated in three screenings last week at the Capitol Theatre, beginning with one on Thursday just for cast and crew and their guests. 'To be in the room with everybody watching that, I was just overjoyed,' Bohigian said.'Just having everyone in one place was just so joyful and humbling.' Four actors – Kary-McKenna, Michelle Hart, Lucas Myers, and Jonathan Ramos – play multiple parts in the sketches accompanied by various supporting actors and extras. The lead writers were Hart and Jackie Atkins, and the project was produced by Gregory Mackenzie with cinematography by Bohdan Doval. Bohigian said Southern Interior is now being pitched to Canadian streaming services, and expects a release announcement soon. Veteran actor Myers has been doing one-man shows for 22 years, and collaborating with the cast and crew in Southern Interior made him realize he missed his earlier days in theatre. 'One of the great joys was creating a show with a group of people and having that sense of collaboration and the sense of accomplishment,' he said.'It's like being on a team and winning a game.' Myers saw the filmed sketches for the first time from his seat in the audience Thursday night. His main response, he said, was relief. The sketches looked both absurd and believable, he said, and that was the goal. 'We were all believable as people,' he said.'The moments were true ... We were all real human beings in those situations.' The locations were easily recognizable to Nelson audience members. The sketches were shot at such places as the Kootenay Co-op, Whitewater Ski Resort, the Hume Hotel, Potorium, South Nelson Elementary School, the Capitol Theatre, the Nelson Farmer's Market, City Hall, Gyro Park and Lakeside Beach. Some of the sketches have their serious side, showing us that the cool people of Nelson can be all the things they pretend not to be: judgmental, racist, homophobic, superficial, pretentious, insensitive. 'Good comedy exposes truths,' Myers says.'There's kernels of of truth in all of these things, and I think comedy is such a good way to access those, because it's a gentle way to kind of be like, 'Hey guys, you know, we have these these judgments and these perceptions, and we're human.'' Bohigian says they wanted to make some sketches that were pointed. She wanted the series to have a point of view. 'You want the audience to start processing something that maybe they haven't before, and that was the core of the whole show. We are holding a mirror to some things that aren't easy, but at the same time, comedy is the thing that can get people to kind of loosen up and laugh a bit about about themselves.
COMEDY SKETCHES NELSON BRITISH COLUMBIA LOCAL FILMMAKING SOCIAL SATIRE SOUTHERN INTERIOR
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Pacific Front to Bring Snow to Southern B.C. InteriorA weather system that brought rain to coastal regions of British Columbia on Tuesday is expected to shift and bring snow to parts of the southern interior. Environment Canada warns of potential travel disruptions due to reduced visibility and road conditions.
Read more »
Snowstorm Warning for Southern B.C. InteriorA Pacific weather system moving from coastal areas to the interior of British Columbia is bringing heavy snow and strong winds. Environment Canada has issued warnings for travel disruptions and potential flooding.
Read more »
Snow Expected in Southern B.C. Interior After Coastal RainfallA Pacific weather system that brought heavy rain to coastal B.C. on Tuesday is expected to dump snow in the southern Interior. Environment Canada warns of potential travel disruptions and flooding.
Read more »
Snow Expected in Southern BC Interior as Pacific Front Brings Winter WeatherEnvironment Canada forecasts snow accumulation in the southern BC Interior, with potential for flooding in the Fraser Valley. Wind warnings also issued for coastal regions and Victoria.
Read more »
New Nelson coffee shop offers safe space for people who are unhousedBrandi's Place is a 24-7 café that will operate until March 31
Read more »
Lethbridge Opens First Indoor Pickleball Facility in Southern AlbertaA new 20,000 square foot indoor pickleball facility, Pickle Point, has opened in Lethbridge, Alberta, marking the first purpose-built space for the sport in southern Alberta. The facility features eight permanent courts and aims to increase access to pickleball, a sport experiencing rapid growth in popularity across Canada.
Read more »