The Moose Jaw Community Players has announced two audition dates for this fall’s performances, which will consist of three one-act plays in October, and is piloting a new acting workshop with a "Murder Mystery" theme.
The troupe provides theatre enthusiasts in Moose Jaw and surrounding region opportunities to participate across the performing arts spectrum, from acting to set design, from directing to sound tech work, from writing and scripting to stage management.
The Moose Jaw Community Players (MJCP) have had an excellent year so far, according to long-time organizer and former president, Crystal Milburn. They wrapped up Notoriously Moose Jaw, one of their most ambitious original plays yet, in late April, and held a very successful open house in December 2022 that revealed just how strong Moose Jaw’s theatre passions are.
“Last year, after we did our open house, we collected over 30 names of people who want to join, and our cast for Notoriously Moose Jaw was also nearly 30 people in the end,” Milburn said. “That’s really good news for us, because in the past little while, it’s really only been a handful of people keeping us going.
“And the feedback from the community around Notorious Moose Jaw has been overwhelmingly positive. We’re so happy that everyone who came had such a great time, it was a real treat for us to play to sold-out audiences. There was not an empty seat to be had.”
The next show from the MJCP will be in late October and consist of three back-to-back one-act comedy plays. Organizers chose the format to give as many people as possible a chance to join in on every aspect of the productions.
“It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a couple of years now,” Milburn explained. “It provides us an opportunity to develop some new directors and work on developing those skills. So, we’ll have three short plays with three different directors and three different casts. I’ve read all three plays already and I think it’s going to be a terrific, fun, and funny evening.”
Casting calls will take place at the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre, where the MJCP now has a dedicated rehearsal space, on Thursday, Aug. 24 from 7 to 9 p.m., and on Sunday, Aug. 27 from 4 to 6 p.m.
Meanwhile, in a separate program, longtime writer/director Debbie Burgher will be putting on murder/mystery acting workshops.
“I was a high school drama teacher for over 30 years, and I taught this particular thing, which is called Murder at the Embassy, many times,” Burgher explained. “Anybody who went to school at Vanier and took Drama 30 will know exactly what I’m talking about.
“This is my jam. I do the typical directing as well, but teaching acting is really what I love, you know, helping people learn why this particular thing is working, or why something doesn’t work, that’s where I find joy.”
Participants will learn to play a variety of flexible, collaborative roles from being a member of a crowd to being a detective, collecting evidence, simulating news footage, and more. It is a low-stress way for newcomers to get familiar with theatre under the direction of an experienced teacher, and for more seasoned actors to have fun with the art.
“I think, like anything performance oriented, it comes down to not wanting to be judged, and being nervous about putting yourself out there,” Burgher noted. “When you do theatre, you’re letting people see a side of yourself that you probably don’t, normally.
“The beautiful thing about these workshops is that it’s a closed, safe environment. It’s just the group of us, we’ll get to know each other and explore and develop what it means to act, and build some of those skills that they can then carry forward to a scripted project.”
More information on dates and times for the October performances and the acting workshop is on its way, but interested persons can contact the MJCP to get their names on the list through their Facebook page.
