SUNDRE — Following earlier reserved optimism that a live spring production might be yet possible in some form, the Peak Theatre Players have decided to pull the plug in the face of increased confirmed cases of COVID-19 and enhanced public health restrictions.
“I think we’re kind of done until next fall — we’ll try again,” said Jason Bird, president, who had initially hoped to pull off a Mother’s Day performance of a play called Mom’s Gift, with a back-up date lined up in June.
But as the pandemic’s third wave in Alberta ramps up, rehearsing for the show — never mind actually hosting a live crowd — no longer seemed feasible, Bird said prior to new restrictions coming in last week.
Yet despite the difficult decision to abandon a project they had already invested time and effort into, the Peak Theatre Players remain cautiously hopeful to possibly deliver some laughs over the holidays by starting from scratch on a different play.
To that end, Peak Theatre Players now have their sights tentatively set on a holiday production, aiming to perhaps start rehearsing in October with the aim of putting on a winter show toward the end of December and early January, provided of course restrictions have been sufficiently relaxed by then, he said.
“And it’s our 40th anniversary,” he added. “So, we’ll probably just go back to the drawing board and get a good comedy going, and try again.”
After all, laughter is the best medicine, and a little dose of levity would undoubtedly be more than welcome, he said.
“The community’s craving something to do. Hopefully, we can do something. We can’t wait to get (back) up there," he said.
