LAMPMAN — Get ready for laughs, music and a slice of Florida sunshine as the Lampman Community Theatre presents its latest production, Road Trip to Dunedin.
Written by local author and playwright Maureen Ulrich, the two-act play will be performed on Dec. 5, 6 and 7 at the Royal Canadian Legion's Lampman branch. Proceeds from the event will support the legion, making it both a night of entertainment and a fundraiser for the community organization.
"This year, we are going to whisk our audiences away to sunny Dunedin, Florida, for spring training with the Blue Jays," said Ulrich in an interview with the Mercury and Â鶹ÊÓƵ.
The play centres around five women on a road trip to Dunedin to watch the Toronto Blue Jays during spring training. However, their adventure takes unexpected turns, from dealing with a cockroach at their Airbnb to navigating family drama that spans three generations.
"They may even get a little bit too close and personal to some alligators," Ulrich revealed.
"You don't need to be a Blue Jays fan or even a baseball fan to enjoy the antics of our very talented players," she added.
The production also includes a unique element: narration by a fictional version of Buck Martinez, the popular former player and current analyst and commentator for the Blue Jays, who has "signature shocking white hair".
The play features a tight-knit cast of 14, including Calvin Christenson, Stephanie Dayman, James Dobos, Ed Fieber, Diane, Jocelyne and Laurie Fornwald, Tamara Franklin, Cheri and Glenn Gress, Sandy Hanrieder, Kieran Mckenzie, Cornelia Michaelsen and Tammy Siebert.
"This year, we have a slightly smaller cast, but it's fun to keep it tight," Ulrich said.
Dobos, a teacher at the Estevan Comprehensive School, joined the team this year to play one of the enthusiastic fans in the story.
Offstage, the production team includes Ulrich, who is helping with lighting, Debbie Hanrieder, who is handling sound, and Joanne Schaff, who will serve as the prompter, ensuring everything runs smoothly.
"Everyone looks after their own props and set changes. It's a very small space, so for extra people to be backstage, which is basically a stairwell, is a little difficult," Ulrich explained.
While the play isn't a full-fledged musical, music plays an important role in enhancing the performance. Jocelyne and Laurie Fornwald will be singing some numbers to get the audience going, and a lively karaoke scene will give the cast a chance to showcase their vocal talents. Ulrich teased a surprise musical moment, saying, "We discovered that one of our cast members is quite a singer, but I'm keeping their identity a secret for now."
While the play focuses primarily on its story and characters, there are moments of audience engagement.
"As performers enter, they interact with the audience as if they are also at the ball game, so everyone can kind of feel like they're in sunny Florida with us," Ulrich said.
Rehearsals began in October, with cast members putting in considerable effort to prepare despite occasional disruptions due to weather.
"It's amazing how much homework people do, learning their lines and practising songs," Ulrich said. "Rehearsals have been a lot of fun. We make changes on the fly to the script so we could be a bit funnier, or add pauses and gestures that would be funny. ... The rehearsals for us are as much fun as the performance."
Ulrich noted that the group had recently added theatrical lighting to their rehearsals, which brought a new level of excitement.
"It makes it just more theatrical, everybody is a bit more on and it's a little bit more like performing in front of an audience," she said.
All proceeds from the production, including ticket sales, a 50-50 raffle held each night, and a Saturday supper event, will benefit the Royal Canadian Legion's Lampman branch.
"Every penny goes to the legion," Ulrich emphasized.
Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors and students, and are available from cast members, at Woodley Well Services in Lampman, online at Eventbrite.com by searching for Lampman Community Theatre, or directly through Ulrich at 306-487-7512. Advance purchases are encouraged due to limited seating.
"Friday night is already filling up fast," Ulrich shared. "It's best to get tickets ahead of time."
Saturday supper tickets are handled separately from the performance and are available by contacting Sandy at 306-487-7622.
