Squamish’s Between Shift Theatre is putting on a follow-up holiday performance to last year’s big hit.
Blustery Ever After is described as the sequel to the popular show from last year's Once Upon a Cold Snap. The show was once again written by local playwright, Katherine Fawcett, and will take to the stage on Nov. 30 to Dec. 3 as well as Dec. 7 to 10.
“It's kind of funny takes on fairy tales,” said actor Amy Reid, who directs this play with Kathy Daniels. “There's contemporary references and local references mixed in with the fairy tale characters that we like.”
And, like last year’s show, both kids and adults can find humour throughout the performance.
“It was really funny for kids, and the adults got some laughs in as well. It wasn't just all aimed at kids' humour,” she explained. “It’s like Shrek.”
Reid said the cast includes about 30 children between the ages of eight and 14. She and a few other adults in the play have been helping them rehearse.
“A bunch of them have done stuff with us before, but we have a whole bunch of newcomers,” she said. “We're a week away from moving into the theatre, so you can definitely feel the excitement.”
There are five acts to the performance. Three of the five are more traditional performances based on fairy tale stories and characters, while the other two are musical numbers.
For the musical numbers, Reid said they partnered with Jessica Kelly from the local Act Alive Academy.
“There are some pretty spectacular things, including the biggest gingerbread man you've ever seen,” said Reid.
Tickets are already on sale on the Between Shifts Theatre website, and Reid said she expects them to go quickly.
Additionally, with some of the economic woes families have taken on in the past year, and perhaps with a little magic of the holiday spirit, two of the shows have a tiered pay option in hopes that those who may have fallen on hard times can still have an opportunity to come.
“We set up Friday nights as pay-what-you-can night so that families don't have to decide between whether they can afford it or not, and they can still bring their kids as well,” she said.
“We just want to make sure that we always keep in mind that we are a community theatre. We are here to serve the community and we want to make sure always and forever we remain accessible to the community.”
To reserve your tickets for Blustery Ever After, go to BetweenShiftsTheatre.com.
Editor’s note: Amy Reid is also a sales rep at The Squamish Chief.
