The Moose Jaw Community Players are embarking on a journey through Saskatchewan history in their fall dinner theatre production, and director Debbie Burgher promises the show will feel very personal to the audience.
The play, Paper Wheat, was written in 1976 by the 25th Street House Theatre, and is considered the most successful stage show in Saskatchewan history.
Built on a series of vignettes, Paper Wheat is essentially a documentary — as original company members travelled to a number of small communities to collect real perspectives of the boom of the prairies.
“It really is the story of how Saskatchewan has become what it is, who we are as a people and the history that we have,” said Burgher.
The play details the original immigrant settlers who came to Saskatchewan, detailing their lives through until the late 70s, including the creation of the Co-op movement and the formation of the wheat pools.
In fact, the overarching theme of the play is co-operation, said Burgher, especially with the Moose Jaw Co-op acting as a major sponsor.
The story begins with the struggle of those new to Canada and how they learned to work with each other and continues on explaining where the neighbourly mentality of the prairies truly originated.
“It talks about how we are a community, and how we work together and pull together,” said Burgher. “This is going to be a really cool experience actually because it has an immigrant kind of feel to it, where people are coming to Canada.”
The set will feature a classic prairie landscape as a background, and a set of five-foot-tall wheat sheaves framing the stage. There’s even a surprise encore that is sure to embody the modern Saskatchewan spirit.
The Moose Jaw Community Players always plan their fall show as a dinner theatre. This year, the meal will include another interesting aspect to the origin-story theme of the play — each item on the buffet will have a label, telling where that food is from and when it came to Canada.
The group has also partnered with the Moose Jaw Multicultural Council, providing tickets to Canadian newcomers for the show.
The Moose Jaw Community Players won seven awards at the provincial TheatreFest from Theatre Saskatchewan with their spring production, The Last Five Years, and Burgher hopes that Paper Wheat will debut in Moose Jaw with the same enthusiasm.
Paper Wheat will take the stage on Nov. 22 & 23, at the Cosmo Senior Centre. Tickets are $45 for the buffet supper and show, and are available for purchase at Prairie Bee Meadery on Main Street.
