Lovers of the outdoors and theatre can rejoice.
The two activities will be combined once again this summer when Pine Tree Players returns with its summer tradition of theatre in the park from July 13-24 at the Stan Rogers Memorial Stage in Centennial Park.
The Emperor’s New Clothes will take centre stage for 1 p.m. showings and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead will run in the evenings at 7 p.m.
“Pine Tree’s always looking for some diversity in plays that walk a different storyline,” said Tyler McClaron, the director of The Emperor’s New Clothes. “We tend to look for one story that’s for a more family friendly audience, but still deals with some universal themes.
“The evening show can be more mature themed, more cerebral and it creates a slightly different environment for the two plays to complement one another in the theatre environment.”
The annual summer theatre began in 2017 as a pilot and the Canmore Summer Theatre Festival began in 2018. In the first few years, crowds were entertained at the Stan Rogers Memorial Stage in Centennial Park. However, the COVID-19 pandemic led to virtual performances in 2020, and in 2021 was on the field near the Canmore Recreation Centre.
With the Stan Rogers Memorial Stage set to reopen after a facelift that included new flooring, electrical upgrades and significant structural repairs to extend the life of the building, the summer theatre will return to its central location.
Lexi Berry, the director of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, said the location allows for all members of the community to enjoy the experience.
“What I love about community theatre is the community and the theatre. Just being able to explore that with everyone and share it with everyone who comes to see the shows is really everything I can ask for,” Berry said.
“I think it’s important we have this element of being able to hang out in a park, see some theatre and enjoy it.”
Both shows began rehearsals in April, but countless hours went into preparing the shows. Since rehearsals began, the cast and crews have been meeting at least twice a week, but it will ramp up with the full dress rehearsal taking place July 11.
“That’s kind of the joy of theatre, is trying to find how we can make everything look spontaneous but very controlled,” McClaron said.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is a tragic comedy by Tom Stoppard. It features a pair of characters from the William Shakespeare classic Hamlet, who shift from being minor characters in Hamlet to the main roles.
Their mission is to give a letter to the King of England instructing the execution of Hamlet, but along the way the ship transporting them and Hamlet is hijacked by pirates. The letter is switched to instruct Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to be executed rather than Hamlet.
The cast of about 15 will perform each show for about two to two-and-a-half hours.
The Emperor’s New Clothes is a literary folk tale first published in 1837 and written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen.
In the play, two swindlers arrive in the capital city and pose as weavers to supply the free-spending emperor with high-end clothing that is supposedly invisible to people who are stupid or incompetent. The emperor, and the city’s residents, are fooled by the vain emperor exposed to his subjects.
McClaron said the show will have themes of self-discovery and truth, while also allowing actors with years of experience to perform along with people in their first full theatre production.
“I think that’s a really big part of the learning environment that is being created here is that they’re really trying to make sure those hurdles to becoming involved in theatre locally are taken down,” he said. “This play has an appeal to a younger audience and also helps attract some of those younger actors for the first time.”
Each performance will be about 75 minutes, featuring about 20 cast members and dozens of people working behind the scenes to make sure everything comes together.
“It’s really quick and it’s punchy, but the storyline moves quickly so I think that people will be amazed at how fast the time flies,” McClaron said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun. There’s a lot of tricks and opportunities for the audience to be ahead of some of the characters, which can be really fun to see people on stage realize the things the audiences have already figured out.”
Berry said a highlight of summer theatre is its nature of being put on by people in the community for those in the community.
“It’s a love of theatre and a love of being in the community, and being able to see live theatre with family and friends. … It’s by the community and it’s for the community. It’s why people love community theatre since it’s a way to bring people together.”
Organizers recommend people bring their own seating such as blankets and festival chairs.
The Emperor’s New Clothes will run July 13-24 and cost $15. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is $20 and takes place July 13-23.
Tickets are available at www.pinetreeplayers.com.
