Theatre CBS brings show with small town feel to provincial drama fest

March 17, 2026 The Shoreline

By Tyler Waugh / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Theatre CBS and its upcoming production of Popcorn Falls highlights the work of two gifted actors, 20 characters and one story of a small town’s funny and artistic journey of hope against decidedly unfunny and seemingly insurmountable odds.

Popcorn Falls, which has a four-day run March 25 – 28 at the Barbara Barrett Basement Theatre at the Arts and Culture Centre in St. John’s, centres around a small town facing the spectre of being taken over by the local county and being turned into a sewage treatment plant. The only thing that they can do to save the town is they have to deliver a play in seven days.

“And so Popcorn Falls is about them, writing and performing a play to save the town,” said Susan Bonnell, artistic director of Theatre CBS and director of Popcorn Falls. “We love that it talks about the importance of art and the importance of theatre. CBS Theatre has always been focused on being a community and supporting our community and being an important part of our community here in Conception Bay South. So Popcorn Falls, sort of on a meta level, has lots of meaning for us … for me and for all the actors and contributors over the years. It’s wonderful, because the play really celebrates what it is like to put on a show and be part of a community theatre and be part of a group that makes the magic happen.”

Bringing life to almost 20 unique characters in this two-hand cast are CBS Theatre veterans Brad Stone and Chris Panting. There are scenes where they’re portraying multiple people having a conversation, and Bonnell credits their talent and timing in pulling it off with, at times, fall-down funny effect.

“Both of them have great senses of humour and our rehearsals are a laugh a minute. We are just enjoying this so much. And the play itself has got just what they call great bones, you know, like it’s really well written giving the two actors lots and lots of things to work with,” Bonnell said.

Stone, a resident of St. John’s who has multiple Theatre CBS productions under his belt, sees the play as centred around community and what different individuals bring to a collective situation. He portrays 11 of the characters, many of whom engage in the same scenes, creating the need for some theatrical dexterity. “There’s a lot of heavy lifting for sure, but I feel lucky to be part of this group with a talented actor like Chris and a gifted director like Susan,” Stone said, adding the crew is up to the challenge of developing distinct characters to help each other, and the audience, keep up.

“You have to work to differentiate all these different characters in their head,” he said. “There’s a lot of switching back and forth and you need to really develop mannerisms that will help make all these personalities unique to keep them clear.”

Popcorn Falls was written by John Hindman and originally hit Broadway in 2019. It has a run time of 90 minutes with only a small break in the action for the two actors, which means the production isn’t just a test of acting chops, but also stamina.

“I usually have a bottle of water off stage for a quick drink, but I’ve upgraded to Gatorade for this show and I am considering an oxygen tank on hand… it’s a real marathon,” Stone said.

Selecting a production with minimal cast, crew and set considerations was a conscious choice for Theatre CBS as they are also taking their show on the road to Labrador for the provincial drama festival later this year. Bonnell said those travel considerations meant less was more.

Last year the group took 12 people to Corner Brook for their first-ever appearance at the provincial festival and won for their production of Duckish.

“So, this year with Popcorn Falls, we really wanted to pick something much smaller, less people to have to travel with. And we always want to choose a show that audiences here are going to enjoy,” Bonnell said.Staging Popcorn Falls at the Arts and Culture Centre as opposed to one of their usual local venues was also a nod to preparing for provincials from a technical perspective. Bonnell said the group has a strong group of loyal supporters and she believes they will be eager to make the short trip into St. John’s to see this show.For more information about the show please visit TheatreCBS.com and to purchase tickets please visit the Arts and Culture Centre website at at https://artsandculturecentre.com/.

Popcorn Falls: Chris Panting (left) and Brad Stone are featured as part of a two-person production of Popcorn Falls, a comedy by Theatre CBS from March 25 – 28 at the Barbara Barrett Basement Theatre in St. John’s. Find out more information at TheatreCBS.com.