Although Estevan is still thoroughly within the grip of winter, the Souris Valley Theatre board of directors is looking forward to when things start warming up for another season. The board already has plans in the works for the upcoming theatre season, this summer.
Board chair Lynn Chipley stated that audiences this year are in for plenty of laughs, since both productions that the theatre will be putting on are going to be musical comedies. The first of the two will be a production called Fitz Happens. Although its certain what the first of the two productions will be, the board has yet to determine what the second one will be, and is still in the planning stages, so there aren’t many more details available at this time.
“Kenn McLeod, our artistic director, has sent us a script to read, and we are diligently reading that, so we can make a decision,” said Chipley. “There will definitely be two main stage shows this year, though. They’ll be running in July and into early August.”
In addition to the main productions, Chipley said the board hopes to arrange for another ladies’ night event, ahead of the upcoming plays, sometime in June.
The Souris Valley Theatre Camp program will also be returning this year. Camps will be held over the course of the summer, helping children aged six to 18 cultivate their acting skills.
This year, students attending the camps will be involved in a new, original production, courtesy of a familiar artist whose talent has been onstage in Estevan before, Maureen Ulrich.
“The Saskatchewan Cultural Exchange has taken me on as a writer in residence in Estevan, in the months of June and July, and it’s part of an initiative to serve the community,” said Ulrich. “I’m going to do some workshops and write a play for the theatre camp.”
Ulrich said she already has a tentative idea of what the play will be about, noting that this year’s performance will likely be related to her play from last year, Game of Phones.
“That involved time travel, and what was nice about that was that we could tailor its script to fit what kids were going to the camp,” said Ulrich. “Normally, there are quite a few girls at the camps, but last year there were seven boys. We didn’t anticipate that, so we actually had to alter the script for more male roles.”
The process of adaptation may continue this year, as Ulrich has tentatively planned a sequel to the previous year’s play, with the theme of Canada’s 150th anniversary.
“We’re planning to do a Game of Phones 2: Canadian History Edition. There’ll be various historical points throughout the play, which are significant,” said Ulrich. “The kids can learn with it, and have some fun with it.”
The plot of the play will generally follow the adventures of a family on vacation, celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary, said Ulrich. The children-characters in the play, who will likely be reluctant to learn at first, will use a phone as a time-travelling device, to go back and learn about key Canadian historical moments.
“We might bring back a couple of characters from last year’s production, with a new set of characters,” said Ulrich.
Ulrich has a plan for choosing which historical references are to be incorporated into the upcoming play. She plans to consult local high school students, asking them what they think the most significant moments in Canadian history were.
“I’m not sure when the play will take place; it will depend on what we come up with,” said Ulrich. “It’ll hinge on the schedule for the main stage plays and then, probably, the camps. I’m not sure, but I’m going to say it will probably be in early August.”
