Now that specialty TV programming have expanded as far as a game show channel, one has to poise the question: What the hell has gone wrong with society?

“I think it’s the sense of living vicariously through other people,” dwells Peter Nelson who plays Troy Richards, a game show host dealing with personal issues as a result of never reaching stardom with the Bob Barker’s of the world. “They’re average people who win these things. What makes game shows popular is that people think ‘gee, I can have gotten that answer right, that could be me.’ There’s a sense of identification that people get from watching them.”

The Jane Mallett Theatre is about to be transformed into a social circus of sorts when Game Show opens later this month. It’s a theatre event that calls real life theatregoers to the stage for a chance to win top prizes.

But the funs starts when the rest of the audience is introduced to the back stage action during the supposed live broadcast.

“It could be viewed as a story behind the scenes of a TV show,” he adds. “That’s essentially from a plot standpoint where the story is taking place. It’s Hollywood, right? I’m sure there are lots of things that go on that you don’t hear about. This is a way of giving people a glimpse at what may be going on.”

Envy, greed, and control all come to light when a gamut of other interpersonal relationship horrors begin to take shape.

Reality TV has dominated the airwaves for most of this decade. You can’t say that reality theatre—however simulated—couldn’t have been far behind.

Game Show runs from June 24 – July 25 and stars Romona Milano, Steve Ferguson, Derrick Forgie, and Dwayne Adams.