The Paper Bag Players have always brought live theatre to Yorkton, and this week they're hosting TheatreFest. The event, hosted in conjunction with Theatre Saskatchewan, brings seven theatre groups from across the province together to perform and compete over the week long event.
Teresa Weber with the Paper Bag Players says this is the first time Yorkton has hosted the event since 2006.
"It's an overwhelming success, it has been great. Live theatre seems to be getting a bit of a renewal, and people are coming out to see more live theatre than they used to, so that's really exciting for us," Weber says.
This year, the city is hosting The Kamsack Players Drama Club, Valley Players, Regina Little Theatre, Milestone Prairie Players, Battlefords Community Players, and the Moose Jaw Community Players. The Yorkton crew kicked off the event with a performance of Dream World by Fred Carmichael. Weber says it's reminiscent of a Carol Burnett sketch. She adds, it was easy to cast knowing the different performers in the group.
"It's about an aging theatre couple that have huge egos, and they go into their own little dream worlds once in a while," she details.
Weber says the annual event is a great opportunity for local theatre groups. Not only do the out of town groups get a chance to perform for audiences they might not otherwise reach, it's also a valuable learning opportunity, either from the adjudication process or just by watching the other groups perform.
"They tell us what we could improve on, they tell us what they like. When we go to other festivals, we really appreciate the adjudication because that's where we learn our craft...
"We find as a club, the ones that go to festival are the ones that can tune up their acting skills," she says.
All performances are held at the Sacred Heart Theatre at 8:00 p.m. Those looking to catch the remaining performances can buy tickets at the door, and more information is available at www.paperbagplayers.com.
