Crew shoots for November performances

Members of The Castaway Crew – a Shaunavon drama club comprised of local youth – have started rehearsals for their latest production.

The group will present the comedy “Pistols and Posies” during two performances at the Shaunavon Public School on Nov. 17 & 18. Tickets for the show can be purchased at the door.

This is the fourth year in a row that the Castaway Crew has staged a fall production. In fact, many of the young actors have been involved in the previous three shows, or have been involved in other local school productions.

“We have a lot of veterans and two rookies,” said Cathy Smith, who is once again co-directing the production with Linda Pomeroy.

The group is hoping to duplicate the same sort of success they have enjoyed with their other presentations – “The Villain Wore a Dirty Shirt”, “Maid to Order” and “Dogsbreath Devereaux.” All three shows drew strong reviews and enthusiastic audiences.

The Castaway Crew program – which was first established in 2011 – has two important purposes.

For starters, the program is supported by the Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre and the shows are used as a fundraiser to create arts and cultural opportunities for local children.

But the effort also provides an opportunity for local youngsters, who have an interest in theatre, to pursue their interests.

“It gives kids interested in this sort of a thing an opportunity to get on stage and entertain people,” said Smith. “It provides a venue for the kids to use their skills and talents.”

Some of the young actors have been working with Smith and Pomeroy since they were in Grade 4.

For many years, Smith and Pomeroy, both retired teachers, spearheaded popular dinner theatre productions at the Shaunavon Public School.

This year’s cast includes actors Luke Anderson, Alexa Kutschall, Rachel Davis, Patrick Wickham, Logan Thienes, Shalayne Eckert, David Shields,  Jessica Gillrie and Abby Park. Four of the young performers – Anderson, Kutschall, Davis and Wickham – have been involved in all four Castaway shows.

The kids have been busy rehearsing for several weeks.

Set in the Roaring Twenties,  “Pistols and Posies”  is a light-hearted comedy that is actually as family-friendly as they come.  Everything’s coming up roses for gangster Primo Malvone in 1920s Chicago — or so his wife Isabella thinks.  She’s under the impression that Primo finally got out of “the business” to become a florist. But, it turns out, he’s in deeper than ever. Getting out of the predicament, and keeping his circumstances a secret, leads to a series of comedic moments and a surprise ending.

Get More The Shaunavon Standard →