OLDS — For the second time in as many years, a musical is being staged at a farm just outside Olds.
The approximately 25-member cast, crew and band includes several local people, some of whom are very recent high school grads.
The Albertan attended a dress rehearsal of the show, held Aug. 10 in a Maschke farm shop.
Ride the Cyclone, The Musical was created in Victoria, B.C. and is being staged by the Brown Cow Collective, run by former École Olds High School (ÉOHS) student Ryan Maschke.
Performances are held at his parents’ farm, located just north of Olds, off Highway 2A.
The show’s run began Aug. 11 and continues through Aug. 26.
Maschke is serving as production manager, producer and one of the show’s backup singers. He says most performances begin at 8 p.m., but there are a couple of matinees which begin at 2 p.m.
The Brown Cow Collective held its first musical, Hair, at the farm in July, 2021.
Maschke was unable to stage another there until now because he performed elsewhere and because his sister got married there.
Ride the Cyclone tells the story of six chamber choir singers in a small Saskatchewan town who are stuck in the afterlife after getting killed in a freak roller coaster accident.
In the show, they come to life in a warehouse where a carnival crew has dumped a bunch of stuff after the accident occurred.
However, “the Amazing Karnac,” a mechanical fortune-teller gives them the opportunity to sing their way back to earth.
“Additionally, the production toys with ideas of death, eternity, and the importance of valuing every moment in a whimsical, often bizarre, and daring way,” a promotional synopsis provided by Brown Cow Collective social media and marketing specialist Nicole Gapero says.
“The diverse character identities (which includes disabled, LGBTQIA2S+, and refugee representation) provide ample room to acknowledge and celebrate individuality which is in alignment with Brown Cow Collective's founding principles.”
Local people involved in the production include ÉOHS teacher Renu Mathew, who is the voice of Karnak; ÉOHS grad Ella Challoner, who makes a cameo as one of the girlfriends to a cast member; and École Deer Meadow School band teacher Cali Wright who plays piano in the band.
Madison Taylor, another recent ÉOHS grad, is head of props and operates Karnac.
Maschke says the venue for the play "was a storage space before and we converted it into a performance venue.” He said he told his parents, “‘I’ll clean it up (afterwards),’ and they said, ‘OK.’”
Maschke said the show has been in the works since about the last week in June.
Maschke chose the show for a specific reason.
"The content of the show refers to your small town a lot. And it just had a lot of, like, homebody moments to me in the script, so I thought it would be perfect to do it,” he said.
“I engaged the team on it and luckily we had an incredible team that was so gung-ho to hop into the process with us.”
Maschke said it was a challenge to turn the big, metal-clad shop into a theatre venue but he’s happy with the outcome.
"The acoustics in here were actually in our favour, because we were able to cut using our mics because it is such a live space already,” he said.
“The only downside is when it rains, it does get loud, but it adds another texture to the show, which is fun.”
Maschke was asked why he decided to stage a show with “diverse character identities (which includes disabled, LGBTQIA2S+, and refugee representation)” in rural Alberta.
“I love to push the envelope with people, because I think that it’s an incredible show that everybody will enjoy,” he said.
“Not everybody knows it, so I wanted to bring it to crowds that wouldn’t normally know it,” he added.
"Also it's such amazing showcase of these amazing emerging artists as well, because everybody gets their moment to shine, so it’s another really beautiful way for audiences to see that.”
To get to the farm from Olds, head north out of town on Highway 2A. Then turn right on Twp. Rd. 332. The farm is at the first turnoff on your right; about 60 metres east on Twp. Rd. 332.
