Actors rise to the challenge
John Cheny (left) and Tommy Peters perform in last season’s production of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This year, Gallery 7 is presenting a full slate of inspirational shows.
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Adventure, romance and tragedy – not to mention a look at life in a chicken coop, that’s what the Gallery 7 Theatre & Performing Arts group is gearing up for. The local troupe has announced the schedule for its 19th season of theatre.
“The 2010 Olympics and a challenging economy served as the inspiration for building a season of theatre that would capture the hearts and minds of Fraser Valley audiences,” says Ken Hildebrandt, artistic director.
The new season, entitled Rise to the Challenge, will see the theatre celebrate the Olympic spirit of excellence
“Some stories on the playbill are light-hearted romps, soothing antidotes to the rigors of life, while others are more contemplative, more challenging explorations of the human experience.”
This year’s schedule include:
Pride & Prejudice: Adapted for the stage by celebrated Canadian playwright, Tom Wood. Jane Austin’s much-beloved story of love, passion and redemption comes alive in this special adaptation for the stage.
This timeless comedy, set in a period of growing generational clashes and changing social norms, features classic assumptions, misunderstandings and poignant moments. The Bennet sisters face the prospect of love and marriage in their own unique way, experiencing happiness, hardship and even heartache along the way. The show runs Nov. 6-21.
Around the World in 80 Days: Gallery 7 salutes the 2010 Olympics with this hilarious adventure based on the French novel by Jules Verne. The wealthy bachelor, Phileas Fogg of London, and his trusty French valet, Passpartout, embark on an epic journey around the world in just 80 days in order to win a £20,000 bet made at a pub the night before. Trouble is, it’s 1872 and there are no cars or planes! This play runs Jan. 22 to Feb. 6.
The Diary of Anne Frank: This is the tragic and compelling true story of young Anne Frank and her family’s attempt to flee Nazi tyranny by hiding in the confines of a secret annex above a factory.
A story of courage, love and human resiliency emerges as Anne ruminates about their experience. Despite the atrocities of the war-torn chaos just beyond the walls of their hide-out, a young woman discovers hope, joy and a truth about life The show runs March 5-20.
Chickens: A Canadian musical comedy by Lucia Frangione. If it’s possible for life to imitate art, is it also possible for life to imitate the chicken coop? Facing bankruptcy and the loss of his prairie farm, Pal risks nearly everything, including his family, by focusing on raising a flock of exotic chickens.
Meanwhile, in the barnyard, where life in the coop strangely parallels the plight of their human caretakers, a gaggle of hens and roosters scratch out a living producing eggs and contemplating the big questions of poultry life. The show runs June 4-19.
To open the Gallery 7 season this fall, The Panic Squad, an international touring comedy improv team, will return to regale audiences with their unique brand of clean comedy improv.
Panic Squad will perform on Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m. Individual tickets will be available at the House of James in Abbotsford starting Sept. 8.
All shows will be presented at the MEI Theatre, 4081 Clearbrook Road in Abbotsford.
For more information, please visit the Gallery 7 Theatre website at www.gallery7theatre.com or call 604-504-5940.
Interested individuals wanting to perform in the upcoming season or who are interested in working behind the scenes, are asked to call Gallery 7 for audition schedules.
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