Auditions will be held at the Snoring Sasquatch at 7 p.m. April 22 for Headed South from the Great White North, which will kick off Footlighters Theatre Society’s 19th season in July. Directed by Jason Smith, with Gil Wells assisting, this comedy follows in the footsteps of a long string of summer melodramas presented by the group.
“Melodramas have always been popular with local audiences,” said Smith. “The stock characters — hero, heroine, villain, villainess — are so much fun to watch. Plus, as usual, we will enhance the script with a dose of modern comedy and a bit of satire.”
Headed South from the Great White North is set in early 1900s Ontario, where the lovely but debt-ridden Barbara Seville is about to lose her hotel to the sly and conniving Lynden Renege. Things are further complicated by the theft of the stagecoach and the arrival of a troop of man-crazy quilters.
Other characters include Asa Hearts, an overgrown Boy Scout, and Pearl Unyon, a French Canadian lady lumberjack.
“The characters’ names are a dead giveaway that this show is pure, simple fun,” said Smith. “It’s a great opportunity for someone who wants to try out acting for the first time.”
Headed South from the Great White North has nine male and 11 female roles. Auditions for the roles will be by cold readings from the script. For more information, contact Jason Smith at 250-428-9553 or Gil Wells at 250-428-4300.
The first production of the 2013-14 Footlighters season, Headed South from the Great White North will be followed by Almost Golden, a locally written comedy-drama, running from Dec. 5-7, and Legend of Sleepy Hollow in the spring of 2014. On the weekend, Footlighters concluded its 18th season with a production of the musical, Annie.
—FOOTLIGHTERS THEATRE SOCIETY