Sky Blue Theatre Company will produce QUOTA, a one-act comedy, by Calgary playwright James Hutchison as part of The British Theatre Challenge – Act II. The British Theatre Challenge is an annual international playwriting contest run by the Sky Blue Theatre Company and this year, in addition to the ten winning plays produced in December 2016, an additional six plays will be produced on Friday, April 7, 2017 at the Lost Theatre in London, England.

QUOTA is the story of Dave Dixon who – while looking for a job on-line – is interrupted by the Metro City Census Taker. This is unlike any census Dixon has ever taken and when he’s asked whether or not he was spanked as a child he refuses to answer. That causes the Census taker to call for police back up and Dixon finds himself being targeted for corrective action because of his unemployment and the fact that he’s left handed. When a 2-kilo bag of white sugar is found on the premises and Dixon is facing jail time for trafficking he has to make a moral choice between naming names and protecting himself.

“One of the purposes of theatre and story is to provoke discussion. Discussion about politics, morality, relationships, love, religion, and power. And comedy allows us to shine a light on attitudes and behaviours in a way that drama doesn’t. That’s why I wrote QUOTA. I wanted to take a look at how individuals go from being a member of society to becoming an identified minority and having their rights violated.”

James Hutchison is a Calgary playwright specializing in comedy, romance, and mystery and is a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada, Alberta Playwrights Network and Theatre Alberta. You can follow James on Twitter @lifeisanact or visit his web site at www.jameshutchison.ca.