The ECHO Players present their final mainstage production of the season, Mary’s Wedding by Canadian playwright Stephen Massicotte, from April 27 to May 14 at the Village Theatre (110 West Second Ave, Qualicum Beach).
Directed by award-winning director Kelly Barnum, Mary’s Wedding will also be ECHO Player’s entry to the Annual North Island Zone Festival which will be held in Campbell River later in May.
Mary’s Wedding is a beautiful, romantic, and historic play. The play tells the story of Mary and Charlie, two young people discovering love for the first time. It begins on the evening before Mary’s wedding in 1920, and tracks back to show her first meeting with Charlie in 1914, their growing attraction, and his departure for the war. From the blossoming of their love on the Canadian Prairies to the battlefields of France, Mary’s Wedding captures a time of innocence and courage with rare sensitivity and beauty.
“I fell in love with this play 20 years ago,” said Barnum. “The language of the play is incredibly beautiful and the relationship between Mary and Charlie is something that we can relate to because we can all remember that first time we fell in love. And amidst these tender moments, the play moves back and forth in time, and there is also the shocking juxtaposition of war.
“The two actors (Miranda Murphy and Nathaniel Johnson) are both spectacular, recreating the love, naiveté and humorous moments in a budding young romance and then skilfully transitioning to show the terror a young man would experience on the battlefield.
“I am also blessed with my technical crew,” Barnum said. Sound designer Noah McCallum has done a “masterful job” creating a complex soundscape and this is complemented by the work of lighting designer Kevan Hill-Tout.
“And our set designer, Don Punter, has created a sparse set that can be easily transported to another stage for the festival while at the same time brilliantly capturing the essence of what is needed to tell the story in a flowing, fluid manner.”
Mary’s Wedding won the Alberta Playwriting Competition in 2000, and the Alberta Literary Award for Drama in 2003. It has been produced many times in theatres across Canada, the United States, England, and Scotland. Playwrights Canada Press describes it as “a play with a heart as big as the skies that serve as its stage; an epic, unforgettable story of love, hope, and survival.”
Mary’s Wedding opens on April 27 and runs through May 14 at Village Theatre. For show times and to purchase tickets, visit www.echoplayers.ca or call 250-752-3522.
— Submitted