ESTEVAN – The Souris Valley Theatre is just days away from its much-awaited mainstage production premiere of The Ladies Foursome, starting July 12.
The play will run for three weeks until July 30. Performances will be Tuesday-Saturday, starting at 7:30 p.m., with matinees on July 16, 21 and 30 at 2 p.m.
The theatre will host a barbecue, sponsored by Southern Plains Co-op, on the opening night, starting at 6 p.m. There might be a meet and greet for the last performance.
The play uncovers a story of friends who share a passion for golf and much more. "The day after their friend Cathy's funeral, Margot, Tate and Connie gather for a round of golf in honour of their recently departed fourth. There, they are joined by another woman, an old friend of Cathy's they'd never met. Over the course of 18 holes, secrets and confessions unravel as the women discuss love, children and everything in between. A funny, fast-paced, heartwarming story of friendship inspired by The Foursome [by Norm Foster]," reads the play description.
Holzer said that everything is coming together "fantastic".
"All of our actors and their director have moved into the campers down at the theatre. They're thoroughly enjoying their time. And when I spoke to the director the other night, he said that the characters are really coming out really great from the actors, they're really getting deep into their characters. And he says, it's going to be an awesome show," Holzer said.
"As a board, we worked really hard to get everything back into tip-top shape after two years of everything closed down. We worked hard so that everything is good down there for not only our actors but also for our guests that are going to be coming down to see the show. So, we're really pumped about opening our doors again after being closed for two years."
The cast consists of professional actors from across the province. Among those performing in the play will be the only southeast cast member, Bernadette Mullen of Weyburn.
To ensure that everything on stage is realistic, the play director reached out to TS&M Woodlawn Golf Course general manager and head professional Amanda Minchin for advice and some tips, and she gave golf lessons to the actors so they would fully get into their characters.
Every night the theatre will have the concession open, and they are licensed for the shows to sell drinks.
Over the pandemic years, the theatre has put a lot of effort into upgrading the facility for a better experience for actors and guests alike. In a recent press release, they announced that they will be continuing their focus on facility upgrades thanks to another significant grant from Kingston Midstream and the Richardson Foundation.
The money is earmarked for the replacement of the aging sound system including speakers, amps, wiring and mixer. It will also help cover the cost of applying acoustic treatment to the walls of Frehlick Hall.
With this partnership, Kingston Midstream will continue to be the naming partner of Souris Valley Theatre until 2024. This is the second time the theatre has been awarded a grant from Kingston Midstream and the Richardson Foundation.
For The Ladies Foursome, every seat in the house is $32.50. Tickets are available at Henders Drugs and also at tickets.sourisvalleytheatre.ca.
