SUNDRE — Better late, than never.
Members of the Peak Theatre Players Society are once again preparing to take the stage and deliver some heart-felt laughs.
The society was forced last spring to cancel its second attempt to perform an act they’d initially begun rehearsing in the fall with hopes of putting on some holiday entertainment that at the time had to be postponed.
Six performances of Mom’s Gift are scheduled at the Sundre Arts Centre over the span of the first two weekends in May, including a Mother’s Day matinee on Sunday, May 8.
A single night of auditions for the production, written by Phil Olson — an award-winning American playwright currently living in L.A. who has 18 published plays performed in more than 400 cities in seven countries around the world — wrapped up earlier in March, said Jason Bird, the society’s president.
“We didn’t have the best turnout, but we were able to cast it,” Bird said during a recent interview. “So, we are able to go ahead with it.”
Bird said he’s read a number of Olson’s scripts, but added this is the first time he recalls actually producing one.
The society has a committee that considers what production to perform next, he said.
“We go through and read a whack of scripts,” he said.
The committee’s members all rate each of the scripts and then get together to discuss and determine the most suitable candidate based on which play is ranked highest.
“The higher rated scripts get placed on a scripts-to-produce list,” he said, adding others simply don’t make the cut.
“This is one that everyone pretty much liked,” he said about Mom’s Gift.
“What I liked about it, is it’s a comedy with a lot of heart — it’s touching. It deals with family dynamics and a lot of things that people would tend to relate to. But then, it also has a tear-jerker kind of deal, and kind of a big twist toward the end,” he said.
“It’s loaded with a lot of one-liners and a lot of funny happenings. So, that’s what really kind of drew me towards it and wanting to produce it.”
Bird will not only be directing the production, but also playing a role, he said, adding the cast will be rehearsing three times a week starting in April.
Although another theatre group called B.S. Productions has already been back on the stage to perform, the production of Mom's Gift will be the first time Peak Theatre Players put on a show since the 2019 productions of Sylvia and Jack of Diamonds.
Visit www.peaktheatreplayers.com for more information about the group.
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