The Williams Lake Studio Theatre Society has been on a virtual roller coaster during the pandemic, but despite setbacks Mimi Searls, executive director reports “next season is looking like it’s going to be really super fantastic.”
This was her positive outlook for the 2022/23 performance season, after the previous week’s two pitch night events where directors present a plan to put on a play.
Potential directors present to a selection committee a script plus a pitch that includes a budget, who would be the producer, stage manager or other key roles, to ensure they have a solid plan in place.
The committee, made up of members and board directors, hears the pitches, then takes the proposals and scripts and spends time going through them all.
They then discuss the options, hold another night to ask questions of the potential directors, and work to come up with a plan for the production season.
“Because we have a four-play season, we have to make sure we balance everybody’s wants with what works well for the theatre as well,” explained Searls of the intensive process.
“There were several excellent scripts brought forth,” said Searls. “We’re really, really excited, obviously.”
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A thriller, a comedy and a drama were all in the mix during the pitches with a variety of interesting themes, “it’s nice to see a season that’s shaping up to be well-rounded,” Searls said of the choices before the committee.
The committee will finalize its decision for the upcoming season in about a month.
In the meantime, the society will be finishing off this season with the one-act play A Number.
The show will be directed by Kathleen MacDonald and will run April 13-16 and April 20-23.
The evening shows will open the doors at 7:30 p.m. and show at 8 p.m., and the matinee will be on April 16, with doors open at 12:30 p.m. and curtain at 1 p.m.
This will be the finale to another challenging season under pandemic uncertainty.
Some “very dear members” have moved on to other places, said Searls, and the play Silent Sky was cut off in the middle of its run due to the pandemic, which Searls said was “heartbreaking.”
But the society has a positive outlook and was well-managed through the pandemic and kept a strong online presence to help stay in touch with members.
“As a society we’re still very much alive and well and going with the flow as best as anybody can,” Searls said of the non-profit’s status, and the group looks forward to “go back to doing what we love — and that’s having an audience and having these plays that end up meaning so much to us and the audience.”
The local theatre group also held a script reading night Jan. 22.
“Oh my gosh, the script reading was fantastic. It was really great to see people in the theatre again,” commented Searls.
The in-person night of script-reading saw about a dozen come out to help give voice to some plays, testing them out for possible directing or to just hear them come to life.
Last year the organization had held a script reading online, due to health guidelines, and Searls said while it was still fun last year, it is “so much better in person.”
The organization is always open to new members, whether it is for backstage or on stage, especially any young aspiring actors or technicians for makeup, lights, sound or any of the aspects of theatre.
“There’s so much involved, right, it’s not just you’re coming out to the studio theatre because you want to be onstage,” explained Searls. “We want to start getting the next generation of studio theatre members involved as well.”
Casting for the fall play usually begins at the end of August, beginning of September. Check out the Williams Lake Studio Theatre Society’s Facebook Page, Instagram, Twitter or website at: http://www.wlstudiotheatre.ca/.
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ruth.lloyd@wltribune.com
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