The Westlock Hazel Bluff Players will soon celebrate their fifth anniversary on the stage at the Hazel Bluff Hall — and this year it’s brand new.
This year’s production, The Villain Wore a Dirty Shirt, will play Feb. 17-20 at the new Hazel Bluff Hall, and will feature actors from both the Westlock and Hazel Bluff areas.
Despite having only been rehearsing since late December, director Audrey Lang said she is confident her cast and crew are ready.
Many of the actors involved are very new to the theatre scene, but Lang said that has not dissuaded them.
“Keeners, that’s what they are,” she said.
Lang said she chose The Villain Wore a Dirty Shirt because it’s a very funny play, which is her preference.
The plot revolves around a small mining town and the villain Phineas Flatworm’s desire to reap huge profits by running the only laundry in town to get the flecks of gold from the miners’ clothes.
“I like comedies, and if I can get hold of a melodrama that’s what I do,” she said.
Rose Bibby, a spokesperson for the Hazel Bluff Community Association, said putting on a comedy and getting people out for a good laugh is exactly what is needed.
“The most frequent comment we get during and after the plays is people say, ‘we need to have a good laugh, and this is why we come,’” she said.
People who take in the play are usually assured a few laughs, with many of their friends and neighbours on the stage.
Even if they don’t have a whole lot of acting experience, Lang said, having some charismatic locals on the stage makes the show great.
“They’re fun and everyone knows them, that’s why we have them,” she said.
The annual play serves as a fundraiser for the new Hazel Bluff Hall. Although the hall has been open for months and was officially unveiled in January, there is still a lot of fundraising to do to pay all the bills.
Tickets for their shows usually sell out quickly, Bibby warned, so those interested in attending should pick up their tickets from the Flower Shoppe in Westlock as soon as possible.
The price of the ticket, $25 for adults and $18 for kids, includes a stew supper, but Bibby emphasized the play was the main attraction.
“It’s rib tickling, it’s heartwarming and just plain fun,” she said.
