The Sound of Music is returning to Caronport’s stage this year by popular demand, as one of the two Summer Stage productions by Briercrest Onstage.
The group performed the famous musical in 2014, and have chosen to bring it to the stage once again this year by request. The cast — made up of Briercrest students, community members, and local children — has been hard at work over the last few weeks.
“The auditions were open auditions to anybody who could audition, and we had a lot of people audition for the different roles, especially a lot of the children for the Sound of Music,” said Ruth-Ellen Wallace, performing arts administrative assistant.
The show is a collaboration between the community and the performing arts students at the college, and will be a chance for the students to perform onstage and build their theatrical experience.
“It’s just a huge experience for them as they get experience and knowledge,” said Wallace. “They just add additional knowledge to their confidence levels. . . [and] they're just really loving the experience of being able to bless the community and the provinces that come to see the shows.”
The show is a classic, and Wallace noted that tickets are already selling very well. Artistic Director Ron de Jager hopes to see a good crowd for the show, as the familiarity of the musical makes it accessible to the whole family.
The show will be performed at The Landing, Caronport’s historic theatre built around the time of the Second World War — an interesting juxtaposition with the setting of the Sound of Music, lending a tenuous connection between cast and character.
Taking the lead role in the show is Crystal Gray as Maria, and de Jager as the Captain, and Melissa Wood as Mother Abbess.
The show will debut on May 10, with additional performances on May 11, 17, 18 and on June 7 and 8. These dates provide a chance to see the shows as both an evening performance and a matinee.
The final show on June 8 will be a dinner theatre show, with the cafeteria on Briercrest’s campus open to provide theater-goers an option for a meal before the performance begins.
“We just wanted to have more of a wholesome meal available for people who were coming from out of town, to have dinner either after the afternoon show or before the evening performance,” said Wallace.
Tickets for the show are $17 for adults, $14 for students and seniors, and $6 for children under five, and can be purchased by contacting Briercrest Onstage at (306) 756-3250.
