A sampling of ‘Canadiana’ plays and the world premiere of a short, locally made film will be part of Central Alberta Theatre’s CATena open house.
The public is invited for a taste of CAT’s 2010-2011 season from 7:30 p.m. on Wed. Sept. 8, with play readings, facility tours, and light refreshments presented at the Memorial Centre in Red Deer.
This year’s season is titled Canadiana Wishes because four of the five upcoming plays at the Black Knight Inn dinner theatre celebrate Canada’s heritage. Selected readings will be presented of:
• Waiting for the Parade, which runs from Oct. 1, is a series of dramatic and funny vignettes about civilian life during the Second World War, by Calgary playwright John Murrell.
• Dry Streak, which opens Nov. 12, is a cheeky comedy about a young woman’s rash promise to run naked through the streets of a prairie town if the drought breaks.
The play was written by Leeann Minogue of Saskatchewan.
• Jenny’s House of Joy, opening Jan. 14, is a Western by Canadian Norm Foster. Set in the 1870s, the comedy is about what happens when a young female runaway compels the women at Jenny’s Place to reassess their roles in the world’s oldest profession.
• The Reluctant Resurrection of Sherlock Holmes, from Feb. 25, is about an investigation undertaken by Sherlock Holmes author Arthur Conan Doyle of an actor’s country home that’s deemed to be haunted. Can Doyle’s fictional detective help solve a real-life murder? The thriller is by Edmonton playwright David Belke.
• The Nun’s Trail, on from April 8, is the only British farce on the list.
The play by David Barrett is about two convicts who have to disguise themselves as nuns after discovering the escape tunnel from their jail cell leads to a convent.
As well as readings from the five plays, the evening will include the world premiere of Restricted Adult, an eight-minute digital movie shot in Red Deer in 2009 by Rik van Dyke.
The film features many local residents, as well as the interior of the now closed Uptown Theatre.
Also performing are dancers from JD’s Fabulous Feet, vocalist Dani-Lynn Trentham, and opera singer and CAT alumni David Gibbons.
Guided tours will be offered of the Memorial Centre and adjoining CAT studios.
The Autumn in New York raffle will be launched, and information will be provided about CAT’s new patron program and season subscriptions.
Executive-director William Trefry said it’s an excellent opportunity for people to find out more about the city’s oldest community theatre group.
He hopes to encourage more Central Albertans to become involved with the organization, either through volunteering or attending a show.
lmichelin@www.reddeeradvocate.com