SUNDRE – With their final rehearsal on their latest production wrapping up tonight, the cast and crew with Peak Theatre Players are just about ready for showtime.
Bill Lough, in his directorial reboot since rejoining Peak several years ago after a long break that most recently saw him taking on late last year the lead role of Sherlock Holmes in several performances of an adaptation called The Hound of the Baskerville, said the group has been returning to Norm Foster scripts.
“The reason is, it’s his humour,” Lough explained. “It’s simple in a sense of it’s something everyone can enjoy and it’s very Canadian. It’s always a crowd-pleaser.”
This time, they picked Foster’s Opening Night, a comedic play-within-a-play that delivers laughs through a behind-the-stage look at the dynamics involved in producing theatre.
“It’s a revisit of a play we did 30 years ago,” he said.
But this rendition will largely feature fresh faces.
“The reason that we revisited this play was principally to bring new faces to the stage,” he said, calling the script excellent.
“Foster writes plays that allows people with less experience to feel comfortable on stage,” he said, adding the script features eight characters and that five of the actors are brand new to Peak.
Only two are veterans that local theatre fans who regularly attend Peak’s productions will readily recognize: Jason Bird and Veronica Embleton, although Bruce Beattie has also previously made some appearances in support roles. Wynter Schaafsma also has some experience through the Sundre High School Drama Department and recently played the lead role as the Phantom in last week’s production of Phantom of the Opera.
“It’s so refreshing to see people like Wynter,” he said.
“(But) we have three that have never been on stage,” the director said.
“The whole idea for Peak is to basically allow people to think, ‘Should I give it a try? What would it be like?’” he said.
“In some cases, we call it a one-and-done. They do a show, and we don’t see them again. And other people, it becomes – like myself – a sort of a passion; an integral part of your life,” he said.
“That’s why the art centre’s been built; is to try to bring live theatre and provide opportunity for young and old to experience theatre, both on stage and as an audience member.”
Originally interested in set design, Lough also discovered and later developed a passion for acting and directing.
“This is my 14th directorial production for Peak,” he said, adding it’s his first since returning.
The group’s philosophy is to produce quality scripts with substance, he said, adding some of their best productions have been Foster’s plays, which feature a diverse range of characters that open doors to actors of varying backgrounds.
Although Warren Brisebois, Nicole Androsoff, Nate Hill and Sam Johnston are just getting their feet wet in the world of live theatre, the actors ended up diving in headfirst.
“We challenge our actors to challenge themselves and to grow as actors,” said Lough, expressing pride in the results.
“I’m very impressed, if nothing else, with how quickly they learned their lines.”
But he also recognized how keen and dedicated they were to rehearsals.
“When you direct, you’re asking people to trust your vision … especially when you have people that have never been on stage before,” he said.
“They were wonderful to work with,” he added.
“I’m very pleased for the cast; they’ve worked hard at it.”
Overall, the experience seems to have left him thinking about reprising his role.
“I would definitely consider returning as a director.”
Lough looks forward to Peak’s own opening night of Foster’s Opening Night.
“With the energy provided by an audience, I think it’ll be an excellent night,” he said, adding the play is one anybody and everybody can sit back, relax and enjoy.
The curtain on the first of five performances comes up this Friday, June 13 at 7:30 p.m. with a matinée scheduled for Sunday, June 15 at 2 p.m. and a couple more shows next weekend.
Visit www.peaktheatreplayers.com to stay up to date on the group’s latest plans and keep an eye out on www.sundreartscentre.com for other scheduled events including concerts and dance recitals.
