The cast and crew of the first community musical, Mamma Mia!, to be held in five years, have been hard at work since January preparing the show to dazzle audiences at the Prince Rupert Lester Centre for three shows only, April 20-22.
More than 75 people have been learning lines, singing songs, dancing to choreography, playing musical instruments, constructing sets, managing props, designing costumes, situating lighting, directing stage performance and producing material to give the gift of live theatre and entertainment to Prince Rupert and North Coast audiences.
Chris Armstrong manager of the Lester Center and producer of the show, praises the cast for their dedication in bringing together such a stellar production in just over 3 months and said he is “absolutely impressed” with the efforts.
“One of the main things is, this is the first musical in five years. There has never been such a gap in productions since the Lester Center opened. I think that has fed into the atmosphere of rehearsals, having fun and really looking forward to putting on a great show,” he told Black Press Media.
“We have always known we had a lot of talent in the community but this level of dedication has brought the show to the next level.”
Volunteer cast members have been practicing since early in the new year for more than 15 to 20 hours a week outside of their regular occupations and daytime activities to perfect the roles in the 1990s musical filled with the infectious tunes of 70s pop sensation ABBA.
“This show is going to be a fantastic production of a group of talented performers, crew and musicians that have come together over the last few months for the main purpose of putting on a fantastic show,” he said.
The North Coast community is encouraged to support the friends and neighbours who have been instrumental in the live theatre performance. Tickets are available at: Lester Centre Box Office
Leads and cast are: Jewel Jerstad, Jordan Paolinelli, Tristan Higginson, Bobby Sheasgreen; Chrystopher Thompson, Corinne Bomben, Heather MacRae, Georgia Riddell, Paula Loroff , Jonathan Pinkhasik, Johnathan Lundman as Eddie, Sam Brennan; Anna Marie Prohaska, Belinda Wilson, Bo Millar, Boston Hall, Brysha Renfree, Caitlund Catherall, Clara Nelson, Dana Chetwynd, Dawn Chetwynd, Evelyn Vogel, Hailee Ventura, K-J Millar, Laurie MacRae, Margaret Cavin, Meghan MacRae, Morgan Verissimo, Naomi Vandermeer, Nathasha Dover, Niles Louttit-Salo, Shala McCarthy, Thomas Viktil, Tina Murray and Zoe Zentner.
K-J Millar | Editor and Multimedia Journalist
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