Tim Petruk – Kamloops This Week
Last month, during a press event offering a sneak peek at Western Canada Theatre’s production of Fiddler on the Roof, the company’s artistic director hinted at an ambitious future.
Daryl Cloran said Kamloops theatre-lovers would see a high-reaching lineup for the 2013-2014 season.And, last week, he delivered.Cloran, alongside WCT general manager Lori Marchand, unveiled the schedule at Sagebrush Theatre on Thursday, March 28.
The most fanfare at the event was devoted to Les Miserables, a WCT production that will run at Sagebrush from Nov. 28 to Dec. 11.Marchand said it was a long process to land the rights to stage a production of the classic musical.
“It has been tied up because of big productions down in the States and internationally,” she said, noting the process of securing rights and financing for Les Mis took about 18 months.
“When it drops off those big international stages, a small window opens up for companies like us.”Up to this point, Fiddler on the Roof is the largest, most-involved production WCT has staged.That will change when the curtain lifts on Les Mis later this year.“Les Mis, from a production standpoint, is even bigger,” Cloran said.
“We’re doing it ourselves and it’s an even bigger cast than Fiddler is.”Diverse lineupMarchand said she’s proud of the broad range of productions on WCT’s schedule for the 2013-2014 season.“There is a great diversity in the lineup,” she said.“There’s everything from a big Broadway musical to cutting edge First Nations work to the culturally relevant offerings at the Pavilion.
”When trying to negotiate future production schedules, Marchand said, diversity is something that is given a lot of consideration.
“We fully embrace our role as the only fully professional theatre-producing company in the Southern Interior,” she said.“We try to provide as broad an offering as we can and we work to ensure that our audiences see some of the finest theatre in the country.”
