BIENFAIT - The Bienfait Community Dinner Theatre has been working hard to be ready for its upcoming production.
Sex Please, We're Sixty will be performed on Nov. 29 and 30 at the Bienfait Weldon School gymnasium. Cocktails will be served at 6 p.m., supper is at 7 p.m. and the production will start afterwards.
Event co-ordinator Shelley Carroll said rehearsals are going well for the show. The final week is always crunch time, and the cast still needed some last-minute practice, but they always manage to pull off a good show.
Six performers are part of this year's cast. Four of them – Patrick Dupuis, Sue Resler, Selena Hegland and Shauna Stock – have been part of previous editions, while the other two – Shari Sutter and Clay Groenveld – are new.
Working behind the scenes are director Paula Lainton, who has held the role for many years, along with Bill Mann, Paul Carroll and Justin Bath, who are helping out with lighting and sound.
Shelley Carroll noted the show is set in a long-standing and successful bed and breakfast that is popular with women. The business' one next-door neighbourhood is an elderly man who believes the women flock to the building because of him. The other neighbour, a retired chemist, has developed a pill to help menopausal women.
"After a mix-up of pills, the women find their lives moving in new and surprising directions," said Shelley Carroll.
Ticket sales are going well but some are still available. Approximately 150 were sold for the first night and 120 were sold for the second. There isn't a deadline for tickets, but Carroll expects tickets will be available until Nov. 28. The gym can accommodate approximately 200 people.
Carroll said the production has involved many different groups. The Bienfait branch of the Royal Canadian Legion has taken a big role this year. The Bienfait Lions Club, who organized the show for many years, are still involved. Carroll noted the club has a small membership base, and didn't think they could deliver the show to the best of their ability this year.
"The community wanted, definitely wanted, to still have the theatre, so we joined forces with basically everybody, and we're making it a go," said Carroll.
Carroll noted she and her husband have been part of the production since the late Dwight Thompson had the idea for it roughly 20 years ago, and the Carrolls thought the theatre needed to continue because if it stops, it might never resume.
Proceeds of this year's dinner theatre will be directed to the community, including groups that help make the show happen.
