With unforgettable characters such as The Dude from the Big Lebowski and George Clooney’s Ulysses Everett McGill in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the Coen brothers filmmaking duo have made both mainstream and cult box office gold.

So what if you could discover all new, just-as-quirky and memorable Coen characters right here in Whistler and without the barrier of a movie or TV screen? That’s just what local audiences have the chance to experience starting Wednesday (Sept. 1) with the Canadian premiere of the play Almost an Evening at the Blank Slate Theatre Festival.

Almost an Evening is actually a series of three one-act plays written by Ethan Coen, one half of the Academy Award-winning Coen brothers filmmaking team. Vancouver-based Director Sam Trounce is bringing the both comedy “rollercoaster” and meaty, thought-provoking, existential production to life at Whistler’s Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre (SLCC) for four nights only.

Trounce said the play has “so many different layers” that people can enjoy it simply as an entertaining piece of theatre or delve deeper into the ways it turns preconceptions about theatre on their heads. Laughter, surprise, and talented playwriting are all part of the deal.

“It is an irreverent takedown of theatre and theatre going,” he said. “I think this play really turns the lens back on the audience and says, ‘What were you expecting?’”

Trounce also promised shades of famous Coen brothers characters, but in a different forum — one that’s more like real life than behind a piece of glass.

“People can bring their preconceptions about theatre and they’ll walk away being surprised and having something to talk about,” he said.

Almost an Evening features a cast of seven Vancouver-based actors, including veteran actor Sean Allan who has appeared on Broadway numerous times. Trounce said the play is challenging for the cast, with almost 20 characters to play among just seven actors. Some of the players have up to three different roles to master.

“I think we’ve got an incredibly strong cast,” Trounce said. “It’s been a real fun and experimental process.”

Coen’s script has been “really entertaining” for the cast as well, he said.

“A lot of our rehearsal process has been discussing what we think about it,” Trounce said.

Almost an Evening is one of two plays being presented Sept. 1 through 4 at the cultural centre for the second annual Blank Slate Theatre Festival. Also showing is The Big Oops, a one-woman play about a children’s entertainer who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant. Written by Brenda McLeod, The Big Oops stars Cara Yeates, who blew Blank Slate audiences away last year with her tour-de-force performance in Some Reckless Abandon.

Trounce encouraged theatre-lovers, Coen brothers fans, and people who just want to do something a little different in Whistler to come out and support Blank Slate. He said it’s “exciting” to be part of the beginning of what could be the next Stratford Festival or Edinburgh Fringe Festival. But the only way Blank Slate can continue is if people support it, he said.

“I think people will get a lot out of it,” Trounce said. “I think it’s a really exciting opportunity.”

Both plays run nightly from Wednesday (Sept. 1) through Sept. 4 at the SLCC. Tickets are $20 for one play or $35 to catch both. Doors open each night at 7 p.m. for a reception, with The Big Oops starting at 8 p.m. and Almost an Evening following at 9:15 p.m.

Click to blankslatetheatre.ca for more info and to buy tickets. People can also purchase in person at the Whistler Activity Centre.