ESTEVAN - The Souris Valley Theatre is just days away from its much-awaited mainstage production premiere.
After long months of restrictions, the theatre is happy to announce The Ladies Foursome will be 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.
Getting ready for the premiere, SV Theatre president Allison Holzer hinted that there might be some surprises coming up during the performances.
"You never know, we might see our local golf pro on stage."
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."
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.
While the costume designer is working on attire and costumes needed for the play, the theatre board is also trying to help.
"As board members, we have connections to people in the community, and rather than going out and buying stuff, we can find people in the community [to help with some of the items]. So, I will be putting a little bit of a reach out to the community because the ladies are going to need some golf attire. Once the person that designs the costumes gets that information to me, I'll be sending out something on Facebook, asking people to help us out possibly with golf gloves, etc.," Holzer said.
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 out of Weyburn.
Every night the theatre will have the concession open, and they are licensed for the shows to sell drinks.
They also are in need of more volunteers to ensure everything runs smoothly.
"We're looking for volunteers to help us out with things like concession and 50/50 and handing out programs and that sort of thing. We have a brand-new website [sourisvalleytheatre.ca] that just came up in June. And on there, you are able to go in and pick the date that you would like to help volunteer. So, if there's you and a friend, and you want to come down and help with concession one of the nights, you're welcome to do that. And you can just go right on our website and sign up for being a volunteer," Holzer explained.
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.
"Kingston Midstream is proud to be a part of the communities where we operate," said Becky Cassidy, external relations advisor. "Giving back financially is just one way that we can show our appreciation to all of the organizations and their volunteers who work so hard to offer amazing services such as live theatres that make our communities a proud place to call home.”
With this partnership, Kingston Midstream will continue to be the naming partner of Souris Valley Theatre until 2024.
"Having this support from Kingston Midstream is essential to our organization so that we can continue providing our renowned professional entertainment to the people of Estevan and the area. We have focused heavily on capital improvements to our facility and equipment over the past three years to improve the experience for our patrons," Holzer said.
This is the second time the theatre has been awarded a grant from Kingston Midstream and the Richardson Foundation. The last grant of $20,000 came in 2020 for roof repairs.
For The Ladies Foursome, every seat in the house is $32.50. Tickets are available at Henders Drugs and also at tickets.sourisvalleytheatre.ca.
More events will be coming to Souris Valley Theatre in August.
