Three sisters are drawn back to their small town roots, and into a frank re-examination of their own lives in the Grey Wellington Theatre Guild’s coming production of the drama Marion Bridge.
Penned by playwright Daniel MacIvor, it follows the sisters to their Nova Scotia home, where their mother has chosen to die on her own terms.
Directed by Patrick Smith, the show features veteran performer Flora Burke (Shirley Valentine, Wait Until Dark) of Mount Forest, and two actresses taking on their first major role with the guild. Marja Hillis, of the Mount Forest area, appeared in the GWTG production of the musical Annie last fall, while Kelly Lenselink, of Harriston, made her stage debut in The Cemetery Club in the fall of 2009.
The three portray very diverse sisters. The eldest, Agnes, is an alcoholic, under-employed actress, who has reluctantly returned home.
The middle sister, Theresa, is a nun, who has assumed the responsibility of caring for her mother and her younger sister, Louise, who is perceived as “strange” – a social misfit.
Directing a drama like Marion Bridge is an opportunity Smith said he could not resist.
“It’s a play I’ve wanted to do for some time,” he said.
“It’s challenging. The author has really managed to separate the characters, even through they are sisters. It’s interesting to see how their relationships change as the play progresses.”
While primarily a drama, the play is not without a sense of humour, Smith noted.
“There’s a lot of comedy in it, but it’s very subtle comedy.”
A Governor General’s award winner, Marion Bridge was filmed in 2002, with MacIvor converting the script to a screenplay.
Marion Bridge is the first of two Canadian plays the GWTG will stage this spring.
Next on the boards is the golfing comedy The Foursome, by playwright Norm Foster.
Marion Bridge runs April 1, 2, 7, 8, and 9 at 7:30pm and April 3 at 2pm. The Foursome will be staged May 6, 7, 13, and 14 at 7:30pm and May 15 at 2pm.
Tickets are $15. For more information, or Visa/Mastercard sales, call the box office at 519 338-2778.
Tickets are also available at Harriston Home Hardware; Blooms ‘n’ Things, Palmerston; Leonard’s Place, Clifford; Pandora’s Pantry, Listowel, Millennia Books, Hanover and Shoppers Drug Mart, Mount Forest.
