An Alberta story that plays out on a curling rink is featured in Cow Patti Theatre’s season-opening show, Hurry Hard.
This comedy is billed as “a Canadian curling love story from Canada’s hottest new comedic playwright.” Short of adding a moose to the plot line, the play by Kristen Da Silva that opens on Thursday night couldn’t get more Canadian if it was drenched in maple syrup.
The play that won a Playwrights Guild of Canada Award and the Stage West Award for Best New Comedy features former curling partners and ex-spouses Bill and Sandy.
The bickering duo are brought together with their siblings by a sudden emergency, some seven years after the couple divorced on the eve of an important bonspiel.
Can these battling exes put their differences aside to help form a winning foursome?
Or could some long-held sibling rivalries and a hotshot newcomer help derail what could become a new winning curling team?
Cow Patti’s website describes the play as being “a zinger of a comedy… a hilarious and heartwarming story of second chances and finding love that you won’t want to…’skip’.”
Artistic director AnnaMarie Lea, who stars in the production with Brian Young, said her company is collaborating with real-life Brier champ Darren Moulding of Lacombe on a “special treat” to present to the audience.
Advance ticket sales suggest Hurry Hard is already hitting the target, she added. “I don’t think I’ve ever had ticket sales this strong at the beginning of a season… It’s just an indicator that that people really want to get back out there and have some fun.”
Lea feels central Albertans are also relating to a play that revolves around a great Canadian winter pastime.
For the 2022-‘23 season, the professional theatre in Lacombe has moved into new digs. Both shows this season are Canadian, including Doris & Ivy in the Home by Norm Foster which opens in March. And they are both being held at the accessible Tin Roof Event Centre, located at 41120 Range Road 261 in Lacombe County, northeast of the City of Lacombe.
Performances range from theatre-only, to shows with appetizers or full dinner theatre. Part of the ticket prices will go towards supporting local charities. For more information, please visit cowpatti.com.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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