Where on Earth has the time gone?
It seems like only yesterday that the Winding Rivers Arts and Performance Society (WRAPS) was celebrating the successful production of its first pantomime, Shaken, Not Stirred in November 2023. Here we are a full year later, and cast and crew are hard at work on its follow-up, Beauty and the Beast, a hilarious and madcap take on the tale as old as time.
Many of the people behind last year's panto are back, but there is a notable exception: Arthur English, the very loud, self-important, and self-styled genius who wrote and directed Shaken, Not Stirred, and also wrote this year's pantomime. "Arthur English" was, of course, the alter-ego of Richard Wright, and having him in the community was one of the main reasons that WRAPS decided to go ahead and realize the group's longstanding ambition of doing a panto.
Richard's RCMP posting in Ashcroft was for four years, and our thinking was that since he would be here through 2024 we would do his second panto while he was here to take the reins. Alas: the best laid plans oft go astray, and Richard found out early in 2024 that he was being transferred to RCMP Depot in Regina. Their gain was our loss, but we decided to go ahead with our plans, knowing that Richard/Arthur would be with us in spirit.
Longtime WRAPS stalwart and director extraordinaire Mavourneen Varcoe-Ryan stepped in to take the directing reins, and Theresa Takacs became the musical director, because what is a panto without songs? Lots of songs, and Theresa has been rehearsing the cast members since the beginning of summer.
However, here come (or rather there go) those best laid plans again. Casting was more or less complete at the beginning of summer, but over the next two months several cast members had to bow out for a variety of reasons. That meant recasting a number of parts, some big and some small. In one or two cases, existing cast members were bumped into a new role, and in other cases a call went out for actors, which has resulted in a number of new faces, which is always exciting for the "veterans".
It doesn't take long, of course, for everyone to feel like family. Theatre is many things, chief among them inclusive and welcoming. People who are interested in being part of live theatre already have a huge bond with other like-minded souls, and we all seem to have a robust sense of humour and eye for the ridiculous. I'm playing Cogsworth, the butler who is turned into a clock, so am hearing my fair share of time-related jokes and wisecracks.
Three key parts of the team are stage manager Jessica Clement, set designer Jim Duncan, and costume designer Margaret Moreira, and all three are back working their magic. At the rehearsal on Nov. 2 a pick-up truck is backed up to the front door of the HUB, which can only mean one thing. Sure enough, when I walk in the door I see Jim and his dedicated crew building the set in the gym. Margaret is never without her bag full of bits of costumes — a blouse that needs pressing here, a pair of pants that need the hems let down there — and Jessica is always ready to fill in a missing line, play the part of a missing cast member, and remind people when (and where) they enter and exit the stage.
At that Nov. 2 rehearsal we are all expected to be "off book": no scripts on stage. As always, I am amazed at how quickly and easily lines that everyone knew down cold simply vanish when you don't have a script to fall back on. We have also started adding the songs to the rehearsals, and each one gets a vigorous round of applause when it's done. We have some seriously talented singers in our community, and many of them are up on stage giving it their all.
I've mentioned the singing; have I also mentioned the dancing? There's dancing, and I don't think Mavourneen realizes how much fear she inspired in at least one cast member (me) when she casually announced that she had come up with some "simple" dance moves for us all to do during the closing number. I am just about comfortable singing in public, but adding dance moves — however simple — fills me with terror.
Some people have a natural sense of rhythm; others teach themselves how to dance well; a third group has two left feet that feel encased in concrete when dance moves are involved. I belong firmly to the third camp. It's good to be pushed out of your comfort zone, I keep telling myself. Perhaps, in time, I'll come to believe that.
What can the audience expect? Well, if you saw Shaken, Not Stirred you'll have a good idea of the "anything goes" nature of pantomime. There will be audience interaction (including a singalong, so be prepared), men playing women, women playing men, a healthy dose of double entendre, crazy costumes, puns galore, and lots of cast members doing double- or triple-duty. There will be characters you'll recognize from Beauty and the Beast, as well as a few you won't (who is Snarglefargus?), and a heaping helping of familiar songs. Most of all, you can expect to have a fun evening with lots of laughter, and experience the magic of live theatre right on your doorstep. There really is nothing else like it.
Only two weeks to go before opening night. Excuse me; I need to practice some dancing. Simple moves, she said. Easy for her to say . . .
Beauty and the Beast will be taking place at the Ashcroft HUB on Friday, Nov. 22, Saturday Nov. 23, Friday, Nov. 29, and Saturday, Nov. 30 (7 p.m.) and on Sunday, Nov. 24 and Sunday, Dec. 1 (2 p.m.). Doors open 30 minutes before each performance; tickets are $15 each, and can be booked in advance at the Ashcroft HUB, by calling the HUB at (250) 453-9177, or online at www.ashcrofthub.square.site. Tickets will also be available at the door on a first come, first served basis.
