(Photo Credit: Grande Prairie Live Theatre)

By Nathaniel Leigh

GPLT

Dark-comedy “7 Stories” opens 63rd season at GPLT

Sep 27, 2025 | 10:00 AM

Grande Prairie Live Theatre’s 63rd season kicked off with a surrealist, dark comedy by a Canadian playwright.

Morris Panych’s 7 Stories, directed by Caitlin Card, follows a man facing an existential crisis as he stands on the ledge of the seventh floor of an apartment building, and finds himself pulled into conversations with the unusual people that live there.

Ben Driedger plays the lead role and called staying in character in a precarious situation for over 90 minutes, with no intermission, a real acting challenge.

(Photo Credit: Grande Prairie Live Theatre)

Driedger calls the show a dark comedy that provides laughs while dealing with serious topics.

(Photo Credit: Grande Prairie Live Theatre)

He says the show’s set reflects the surreal and abstract nature of the play.

(Photo Credit: Grande Prairie Live Theatre)

This is one of the first times it has been performed by a community theatre group in Alberta since the rights were released by Panych.

7 Stories will be performed at the Grande Prairie Live Theatre from September 18 to October 4, with shows taking place on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.