The Monterey Note-ables will sing their way throughout the season in a year of transition and recruitment.
Usually the Monterey centre-based group offers an annual revue-style show, a grand flashy affair each spring.
With membership that used to be up around 30 and is now down to a dozen, they need a year to build.
“We’re putting on mini shows,” said Jill Garnett, a member of 11 years. “Our challenge right now is our numbers have dropped. So it’s hard for a director to make up a show.”
This year they’ll sing and dance their way through 20-minute shows during the monthly themed dinners at the recreation centre on Monterey Avenue.
The first show, Nov. 6, will feature music from the 1940s and rehearsals start Oct. 5, when they invite anyone interested in checking out the club to swing by. Rehearsal is 1 to 4 p.m. that day and every Sunday throughout the season.
“Anybody can audition for any part … but everybody is part of the show. There’s also costumes, props, scenery, lights, sound. There’s more than being on stage,” Garnett said. “There’s no pressure to do anything you don’t want to, but there is a commitment.”
The Note-ables rehearse every Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Monterey Recreation Centre.
Since its inception in 1997, the club has produced shows that bring in money for the centre. After the bills are paid, they’ve still found a way to bring in nearly $57,000 over the years.
They’ve purchased items that enhance their shows such as sound systems and lighting that also provide upgrades to the Garry Oak Room at Monterey. They added televisions, tables, chairs and shelving over the years.
“It started up as a club to put on a show every year, as a place for people to get together but to raise funds for the centre,” Garnett said. “In order to have a show, we need more people, on and off the stage.”
To learn more about the club, attend rehearsal Oct. 5 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the centre, 1442 Monterey Ave. or call club president Pat Chung 250-477-0989.
