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ECHO Players present ‘Grace and Glorie’ in Qualicum Beach

Directed by Kelly Barnam, the play is a touching comedy about love and loss
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From left: Vicky Barta plays Grace and Sherri Wade plays Gloria in the ECHO Players production of ‘Grace and Glorie’. (Submitted Photo)

Grace and Glorie is coming to Qualicum Beach’s Village Theatre this month as ECHO Players opens its exciting 2019-20 season.

The story of two women is set in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia and was written by Tom Ziegler.

The play chronicles Grace, a 90-year-old woman with terminal cancer who checks herself out of her hospice in order to die among nature, in a cottage she loves.

Gloria is a young woman from New York City with a MBA from Harvard who volunteers to be her hospice worker.

Kelly Barnum, Director of Grace and Glorie, said the core all-women crew has been working hard. It’s a small cast — just Grace, played by Vicky Barta and Gloria, played by Sherri Wade. Two of Barnum’s recent high school students are acting as stage manager and assistant stage manager.

“The five of us have become really close over the past few months and now it’s great to have all these other people on board,” Barnum said. “But the core of us are a really strong little group of women.”

READ MORE: ECHO Players thank community, look forward to 45th anniversary season

Barnum said audience members can expect to see two realistic characters, ones who are struggling through changes in their lives.

“It sounds like it’s a sad story, but there is lots of humour in it,” Barnum said. “They’re a bit mismatched, so as they try and find their way through the relationship with each other — their humour comes out of that.”

A small cast means Barta and Wade have put in a lot of work and long hours to get the play ready.

“We’re really excited for audiences to get a chance to see the hard work that these two women have done,” said Barnum.

“They’re ready to start sharing it with audiences.”

The show will run on Thursday, Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. until Sunday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. at the Village Theatre at 110 West 2nd Ave, Qualicum Beach.

Tickets are $23 regular admission, $20 for seniors and $14 for seniors and can be purchased online at echoplayers.ca.

cloe.logan@pqbnews.com

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