Please Return to Empire Video is a coming-of-age comedy set at a video store in 2003, which follows two friends and their annoying co-worker, as they attempt to process a shipment of soon-to-be-obsolete VHS tapes that threatens to ruin their plans and reveal the hidden truth between them.
60 minutes, 2 men, 1 woman (Comedy)
production/Development
production, Lunchbox Theatre, 2025
Workshop and Staged Reading, Lunchbox Theatre’s Stage One Festival of New Canadian Work, 2024
Workshop and Reading (supported by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts) 2023
Awards
Alberta Playwriting Competition 2025 - Finalist
Theatre BC National Playwriting Competition 2023 - Semifinalist
PRESS
“And yet, that is the case with Please Return to Empire Video, James Odin Wade’s warm, witty love letter to the lazy, hazy days when one of your favourite errands was dropping by the local video store to rent something to watch - and snacks.” -Stephen Hunt, CTV News
“Please Return to Empire Video is a play made for all film nerds and geeks, with the dialogue littered with references and jokes that would make any movie-goer smile. Wade captures grief in a meaningful manner and highlights the importance of friendship in unprecedented times, creating a play that resonates in a post-pandemic world. Audiences are able to carry and release their grief in a wholesome and nostalgic play.“ -Hannah Caparino, The Gauntlet
social media
“As a fan of the movies, I had a really lovely time seeing this show today. Grab a good pal and reminisce about movie stores while remembering the bonds movies can make between people”
“Huge kudos to the team at Lunchbox Theatre for the brilliantly written, wonderfully acted, ingeniously designed, and both expertly directed and called production of Please Return to Empire Video. My nostalgic heart loved every minute. If you haven’t seen this yet, you must go!”
“A nostalgic, heartwarming, funny, compelling new play”
“So funny, it’s a must-see”
“Just saw it, excellent show!”
-“Saw this today and it was so good! A fun nostalgic play if you have memories of going to rent movies”
-“Yes, I will Return to Empire Video. ‘Cause this show is so good I had to bring more people”
-“This show is a blast!”
-“Absolute comedy”
-“Quippy and fun”
-“Saw it today! Very funny and poignant.”
-“It was very entertaining with real characters and observations about life”
“Brilliant”
“This play hit me in a way that I was not prepared for - it was poignant and relatable. I loved it!”
“Was a great show, made me laugh, made me cry!”
