Boy meets girl, and the rest, they say, is history—an adage that Shoreline Theatre in collaboration with the Kelowna Museums, is taking very literally with their upcoming production of Mary’s Wedding by Canadian playwright Stephen Massicotte. The show, which opens June 20th and runs till July 1st at the Laurel Packinghouse, revolves around the romance of Mary and a young soldier named Charlie. Set in 1914, Mary’s Wedding is a love letter to the power of memory and innocence, and to a generation of Canadians who were caught in the crucible of the First World War. The show is deeply moving, incorporating poetic works of Tennyson, gripping battles, and of course, young love.
The collaboration of the Kelowna Museums with Shoreline Theatre was a natural one as “theater is a wonderful way to help interpret this part of our history. It’s animated, has expression and it allows our staff and volunteers to think and work in new and different ways.” says Executive Director, Wayne Wilson. The partnership began in late 2011 when actor and artistic director of Shoreline Theatre, Jackie Faulkner, approached the Museum with the idea. “I was absolutely delighted that the Kelowna Museum Society was so willing to jump into this with me, this whole production, was the brain child of a meeting that I had with Patti Kilback, to use theatre to support the Museum and vice versa, it has taken off in leaps and bounds since then.” The show which takes place in the Laurel Packinghouse, is a compliment to the Wedding Exhibit Something Borrowed, Something Blue which is currently running at the Okanagan Heritage Museum. The play while fictional, is based on historical battles with Canadians from World War I making it also tie in with the Military Museum.
Faulkner who is originally from the Okanagan has spent nearly a decade in theatre and dance in Vancouver performing with companies like The Royal Canadian Theatre Company, Pacific Theatre, as well as cofounding Les Petites Taquines Dance Theatre. Since returning to the Okanagan in the fall of 2011 she has had the opportunity to perform with Inner Fish Performance Co. in The House at the End of the Road which toured to Edmonton for the Canoe Festival as well as the local Fertility Festival. Mary’s Wedding is the fruition of a dream to bring her work back home, and be able to do the same for other professional theatre artists who have had to move away from the beautiful Okanagan valley in order to pursue their performance careers.
Mary’s Wedding boasts an impressive cast and crew, the set, lighting and costume designer Nicole Bach has worked in theatres across Western Canada and is the recipient of the prestigious Jessie Richardson award for her design work. She also has a local connection as her family runs a B&B in the South Okanagan. Joining Jackie Faulkner in the cast, is Mack Gordon a Kelowna-ite who after receiving his BFA in theatre from UVIC has worked professionally everywhere from Vancouver Island to the Interior of B.C. and was himself nominated for a Jessie Richardson for Outstanding Performance.
“Puts you in Mind of the grand passion of Catherine and Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, the vastness of their love mirroring the wild tangle of nature” – Washington Times.
“A delicate exploration of the excitement, beauty, and purity of the first flush of romance… Massicotte is a gifted storyteller with an ear for detail and imagery” – Calgary Herald.
Rife with haunting images and an epic story Mary’s Wedding is a show that will connect with its audience and leave a lasting impression. This is truly a show not to be missed.
Tickets are available at the Okanagan Heritage Museum or over the phone at 250-763-2417.
