Ladysmith Little Theatre will host the 2025 South Island Zone Festival this year, which runs from May 15 to 18.
The festival kicks off on the Thursday for a hare-raising good time with Ladysmith Little Theatre's production of Mary Chase's Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy Harvey directed by Alan Holmes, which follows Elwood and his best friend who happens to be a six-and-a-half-foot-tall, invisible rabbit. Elwood's socialite sister Veta attempts to have her brother committed to a mental institution and as chaos ensues in this comedy of errors, what everyone really wants to know is, who is Harvey?
Mercury Players take the stage on Friday with some sibling rivalry with Jordi Mand's Bront毛: The World Without directed by Sylvia Swift, which tells the tale of storytelling, survival, and the Bront毛 sisters Charlotte (Genevieve Charbonneau), Emily (Julia Lalonde), and Anne Bront毛 (Zoe Nickerson). The three sisters take their love for writing beyond their own personal enjoyment as the responsibility falls on them to support their family now that their father is sick, as it can't be left to their brother who suffers from alcoholism.
"I love participating in festival as you receive feedback from a professional adjudicator," said Swift. "It鈥檚 a great chance for me to see how I could have got more from the actors, or for them to see how they could make other choices."
The stars align giving Mercury Players the opportunity to take the stage again on Saturday with their production of Nick Payne's Constellations directed by Adrian Ingham as it explores how love can play out in a galaxy of ways across the multiverse between physicist Marianne, played by Sarah Knight, and beekeeper Ronnie, played by Jessica Mattin.
A minimum of three productions is needed in order for the South Island Zone to run a festival and participate. Swift said that other theatre companies such as Yellow Point, Langham Court, Peninsula Players, St. Luke鈥檚, and the Harbour Players have recently found it difficult to enter for many reasons, but mostly due to the fact of having a production team consisting of a stage manager, producer, and crew which is why Ingham was asked if he would enter Constellations to participate.
"Ladysmith Little Theatre is a fabulous host, and we're very pleased to be bringing Constellations back for a final performance," said Ingham. "I'm hoping audiences will go away thinking about ways it relates to their own lives."
Alan Holmes, director of Harvey from Ladysmith Little Theatre has similar hopes.
鈥淚 want people to have fun,鈥� Holmes said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a comedy. But also, when they walk away, I hope there's a sense of, 鈥極h yeah, maybe we should be kinder to each other.鈥欌��
The professional adjudicator, Tamara McCarthy, will give the cast some food for thought during the two feedback sessions for each show. The first session will follow the performance and will last up to 20 minutes, where audience members have the choice to to leave or stay. The second adjudication will be offered the following morning during the coffee critiques from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. which will also open to the public 鈥� it is during this second session that the adjudicator works with both the director and actors and suggests possible choices for improvement.
And the winner is ...
Awards will be given out during a barbecue on the afternoon of May 18. The winning production will be awarded a four hour session with the adjudicator and advance to be part of BC's Mainstage Festival which will be held on at the North Peace Cultural Centre in Fort St. John from July 6 to 13 and is slotted to take the stage on the 8.
"All in all it鈥檚 simply an opportunity to better our craft," said Swift.
