ESTEVAN — The main-stage shows and concerts have been announced, and the cast and crew members have been picked, but a lot of work remains before the season begins for Estevan's Souris Valley Theatre.
The season begins with a performance by Saskatchewan singer-songwriter Jeffrey Straker on July 3, starting at 7:30 p.m. Straker is no stranger to local music fans, and the theatre said in a Facebook post that he is known for his energetic performances.
Yellowstone: A Wild West musical, will run from July 7-11 and 14-18 at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee July 10 at 2 p.m. A spoof of the popular TV series Yellowstone, the show features family drama, cowboy humour and depictions of ranching life.
Golden Gals Vacation is Aug. 4-8 and 11-15 at 7:30 p.m, plus a matinee Aug. 7 at 2 p.m. In a send-up of the Golden Girls sitcom, four women plan to take a sunny vacation in Hawaii but wind up in Winnipeg instead.
A concert by the Johner Brothers with special guests The Johner Boys will wrap up the season Aug. 21 at 7:30 p.m. They're another familiar act in the southeast, with the Johner Brothers hailing from Midale.
All performances will be at the theatre's Frehlick Hall.
"We're really excited about presenting the shows that we're going to present," said theatre board president Allison Holzer. "I think they're going to be ones that people can get really into, that they'll enjoy."
Both main-stage shows were written by Randy Apostle, who has penned numerous shows for the theatre in the past. And since both musicals are takes on popular TV shows, Holzer said there are characters the crowd will remember and enjoy.
"They're both musicals. We've gone towards that, knowing that Randy has these musicals. That seems to be what our audience really likes. That's what brings people out. So that's what we've done the past few years is have two musicals," said Holzer. "We noticed that in the years where we did a musical and then we did a play, our numbers really went down when we had a play."
Yellowstone has a cast of six with three men and three women, while Golden Gals has five actors, with four women and a man.
Brad Wiebe is back for another year as director. The crew, including the stage manager, assistant stage manager, light designer, choreographer and musical director, have been hired. Among local contributions, Shirley Hildebrand is the theatre manager, Brooke Wilson looks after the spotlights, Abby Brokenshire takes care of the costumes and Tara Johns handles the set work. Numerous volunteers help make the season and the performances happen.
The theatre has a significant impact on the local economy, Holzer said, with the cast and crew coming to the city in late June to start rehearsals. They're also out in the community to encourage people to attend.
Summer students have also been hired. The Melodye Pierson Youth Drama Camps will be offered in July and August. Young people have already signed up, and summer students will be conducting free workshops in the schools to promote the camps.
Prior to the season beginning, Holzer said they have to clean up the grounds through raking, mowing, dusting and trimming trees.
"We have to clean the concession building, clean the theatre. We have to go through and clean the housing trailers … make sure that the mattress covers are taken off and the bedding is put on … and we have to stock the concession," said Holzer.
Lighting upgrades continue for Frehlick Hall. A lot of the building's lights have become obsolete, so once the bulbs burn out, they cannot be replaced, so the lighting fixture has to go. The theatre is gradually switching over to LED lights, and they have dimmers built into them. While they're more expensive to purchase, they don't draw as much electricity, so they save money on power. The theatre has received some grants for the lighting, but it won't cover the full cost.
Students at the Estevan Comprehensive School are constructing a storage shed that the theatre hopes to have on the grounds this summer. It will be used for props and costumes.
"We have a tiny area, underneath the lighting area, that we use for props and costumes, and it's just not enough. We need to see what we have for props and costumes."
