The Souris Valley Theatre is ready for its close-up following a two-year hiatus.
David Leyshon is this year's artistic director, and he arrived recently in Estevan to get a lay of the land, before heading to Alberta briefly last week. Leyshon spoke with the Mercury from Calgary May 30 where he was collecting the theatre's stage manager.
With the first show beginning on June 13, rehearsals for A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline began on Monday in Regina.
"While we're in rehearsal our technical director is going to be tackling getting the theatre ready. He's building sets, and he's hanging lights, and he's going to check that the sound system is up and going," said Leyshon, noting that he doesn't want the rehearsals to interrupt any of that.
Each department has its own set of challenges leading up to the first curtain, he added, and rehearsals will move into the theatre after the first week.
Rehearsals for the second show, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, will begin June 17.
Patsy Cline will feature a cast of two, with a five-person band accompanying, while the latter sees four actors and a pianist.
Leyshon said the excitement for opening night is building among the local theatre community.
"Opening night is always a celebration. I think that will be in the air," he said.
The theatre will want everyone who supports them to be able to meet the cast and everyone behind the scenes who works hard to ensure each night is a great show.
Jocelyn Anderson, theatre administrator, said they are planning some special festivities for the first curtain of the year. A few local dignitaries, including a board member and Leyshon, will be addressing the summer's first audience, and following the show, a wine and cheese, meet and greet will be open to those attending the opening night.
"It will be a big step getting that first show up and running. I think after that everything will, kind of, fall in line," said Anderson.
With the theatre buildings dormant since the summer of 2010 thanks to the floods of 2011, the 2013 theatre season will be something of a special one, as theatre lovers once again have the opportunity for a night out and a live show.
"The challenge is just a certain amount of the unknown," said Leyshon, regarding turning the lights back on at the theatre, both figuratively and literally. "Because the theatre has been dark for a couple of years we are just bracing and preparing ourselves for coming across the unknown. As problems arise we'll have to troubleshoot them as we go. There's a whole element of uncertainty. There's a whole element of I hope the lights turn on."
He did add that he is confident those won't be issues, but they are question marks in the back of his head.
Leyshon said the theatre does need to be re-outfitted so that putting on a show is a simple process.
"It's a funny thing. I've been attached with the theatre since last September or October. You spend a lot of time through the year, and there's a very dedicated board in Estevan that's been working very hard, and all of that is gearing towards getting actors on the stage and getting the plays put together.
"In many ways, now comes the time when things get really busy, but now's the time we've all been looking forward to, getting down to brass tacks and getting ready to put it in front of people and bring that theatre back to life."
