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Lacombe’s Cow Patti Theatre Company gears up for a new season

Excitement is building for the folks with Cow Patti Theatre Company who are gearing up for a brand-new season of dinner theatre productions.
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Pictured here is a scene from a past show from Lacombe’s Cow Patti Theatre Company. This year’s new season gets underway next month with Hurry Hard penned by Canadian playwright Kristen Da Silva. Express file photo

Excitement is building for the folks with Cow Patti Theatre Company who are gearing up for a brand-new season of dinner theatre productions.

Penned by Kristen Da Silva, Hurry Hard opens Nov. 17 with performances running through to Dec. 18 at the Tin Roof Event Centre.

“The first thing that drew me to it was the fact that’s it written by Kristen Da Silva,” said Anna Marie Lea, Cow Patti’s artistic director. “I produced one of her shows last season - Sugar Road - and she’s an up-and-coming Canadian playwright. She has a nice style - there is a nice cross-section between having a good laugh, but having that laugh with something that you can identify with.”

Hurry Hard is described as a Canadian curling love story with all of the warmth and camaraderie of a great evening at the curling club. “This zinger of a comedy is a hilarious and heartwarming story of second chances and finding love that you won’t want to…skip!”

After a split between Bill and Sandy, will things come together for their curling teams as they attempt to put together a winning foursome with the most important bonspiel of the year just around the corner?

Lea said Da Silva even agreed to place this rendition of the show in Alberta even though it’s actually set in Ontario.

“I called her up and asked if we could place it in Alberta. And she said, ‘Yes, we can do that! no problem. Just let me know what you want to do’.”

Lea said ultimately, it really is the kind of show that everyone can identify with.

“It’s been a few years where people haven’t been able to get out and gather as a group so I want to make sure that I give them a show that they are entertained by, where they walk away going, ‘That was fun’.”

Meanwhile, audiences are in for a unique treat with this particular production. There will be an added ‘technical’ touch that will further enhance the show, and Lea can’t wait to see the response.

“There is going to be a new medium brought into this show which we are really excited about and we are going to be working with Brier Champion (and Lacombe resident) Darren Moulding on this,” she said.

“This second medium will be intertwined with the show - and promises to be a very exciting means of enhancing the storytelling! I’m excited about it because there is always something in a show that kind of ‘clinches’ it - that sets it apart.”

For Hurry Hard, Lea is not only directing, she’s a part of the acting team as well.

“To me, the job of a director is to enhance the work and the skills that the actors are bringing to the table,” she said. “So as an actor/director, how can I enhance those scenes if I’m in them? By just being the best actor that I can be.”

Joining Lea onstage will be Brian Young and Susan Greenfield who both have been an integral part of Cow Patti’s shows for years. Rounding out the cast are Wally MacKinnon and Eric Finlayson.

Cow Patti also always supports non-profits through the course of each season by donating a portion of ticket proceeds.

For Lea, producing community theatre has always been a joy and a fulfilling venture.

“It’s just such a rush - to bring an audience a story and have them walk away from their every day worries. There is nothing better than that reaction you get from an audience.

“I love creating, and I love all of the elements,” she said of directing. “I love seeing something come together and seeing the end result. I love little details, and introducing interesting props - and I’m a very organic director.

“You also have to make everyone feel that they are valued, that what they are bringing to the table is important. That’s another huge thing about directing - it’s about really finding a way to communicate with them all separately, so you can get the very best from them and get the best show.”

For more information about the season and tickets, visit www.cowpatti.com.



Mark Weber

About the Author: Mark Weber

I've been a part of the Black Press Media family for about a dozen years now, with stints at the Red Deer Express, the Stettler Independent, and now the Lacombe Express.
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