ESTEVAN — The second main-stage production of the season is approaching at the Souris Valley Theatre.
Stag and Doe, written by Mark Crawford and directed by Mark Claxton, is set to premiere on July 31. The shows will run at 7:30 p.m. from July 31-Aug. 4 and Aug. 7-11, with a matinee on Aug. 3 at 2 p.m.
Claxton said that ever since they came together at the theatre grounds and did the first read-through, the cast has been working together really well.
"I'm just really impressed with the heart they're putting into work, the hours of learning their material and trying all kinds of different things with the scenes," Claxton said in an interview with the Mercury. "They're really embracing the comedy of this thing and also finding a lot of hearts in their characters, which I think is important.
"For comedy to work you need to have people you like and recognize up there, characters who can be silly, but are also believable. And I feel we're in great shape. And I think we're going to have a really enjoyable and entertaining union."
The Stag and Doe play title refers to the custom for an engaged couple to throw a social event to raise some money to support their start. A young couple is holding the Stag and Doe, while another couple, who is getting married that day, has plans altered as their farm wedding gets demolished by a windstorm, so they have to come into the hall to have their reception there as well.
The two couples, who don't like each other, have all their friends in the same hall for their events.
"There's some awkward history among these people. And it all starts coming out when they're forced to work together in this kitchen in this community hall," Claxton said. "There's a lot of chaos. Along the way some of these relationships come into question, and all these relationships are tested.
"The caterer, who's trying to prepare the meal, finds out that his catering staff is all in jail because they were speeding and up to all kinds of shenanigans on their way to the event. So, the whole thing just falls apart. And for us, it's a lot of fun to watch because they're all scrambling not only to save the event but to save the relationships.
"There's a lot of good comedy, but also a lot of poignant moments about commitment and about relationships and how they work, and about what love looks like when it's put to the test, especially young love."
The cast arrived on July 16 and started working on the play right away. Some of the actors had already known and worked with each other before, but for a lot of them, it was the first time they'd met.
"The chemistry has been phenomenal from day one. It's been really positive, supportive, fun, lots of laughs just a great vibe. And that helps the work up here because everyone trusts each other and is so willing to try things, which really, really makes it work," Claxton said.
Stag and Doe's Saskatchewan cast consist of Oli Guselle as Bonnie, Hope Van Vliet as Dee, Mayson Sonntag as Brad, Abbey Thiessen as Mandy, Joseph Shane McLellan as Rob and Brendan Lorch as Jay.
"A couple of our actors are from Saskatoon, and the others are from Regina. We have one actor who grew up in Regina but went to college in the States for acting and is currently living and working in New York City, and he made the trip here so that he could do a show in Saskatchewan," Claxton shared.
"And I was so delighted at the work everyone had been doing to develop the characters and to understand the story. We were laughing so hard through the first read. I felt like we're going to have a really good show here because we got people who understand comedy and people who've really liked their characters and are trying to do them justice."
The crew team includes director Claxton, assistant director Bethany Dittman, stage manager Yiwen Zhang, wardrobe designer Paige Thiessen, set designer Tara Johns and light and sound designer Derek Klaassen.
Claxton is well-known to the Estevan theatre audience, as he acted in the Odd Couple, Volstead Blues and Dry Streak, and also directed two previous plays at the theatre.
Claxton praised the community of Estevan for people's support of their work.
"This community amazes me. There are a lot of props in the show; we have to fill up a whole kitchen with all kinds of supplies, and we had to find a wedding dress and a tuxedo. This one's really prop heavy. And the people who we've been working with have just gone out to the community, and people have been donating things, lending things, things that belong to their grandmothers. Real generosity and real community effort," Claxton said.
He also encouraged the community to use the opportunity and come enjoy the show at the beautiful Frehlick Hall theatre Estevan has.
"I'm feeling really great about the show. I think it's going to be a really entertaining time. And the theatre is more comfortable this year," Claxton shared. "I just hope people will treat themselves to an entertaining night. It's just a lot of fun, heartwarming, and the actors are really doing wonderful work. Come and see what kind of talent we have in this province."
The summer schedule will also see a Brenda Lee Cottrell concert on July 26. Cottrell performed for a capacity crowd last summer with hits by legendary singers like Patsy Cline, Connie Francis, Loretta Lynn and others, and is bringing a similar show back.
Tickets for the concert and the play are available online at the Souris Valley Theatre , Henders Drugs and the ticket office ahead of the shows.
