After 16 months of closed doors, the Citadel Theatre is turning on the spotlight for the Summer Series with a lineup of Alberta-based stories.
Starting July 31, you can catch Heaven, by Cheryl Fogo and directed by Patricia Darbasie, in the Shoctor Theatre. Heaven, and the second show in the Summer Series, Mary’s Wedding: A Métis Love Story, were supposed to play during the pandemic before another lockdown shut the doors yet again.
“It’s amazing to be able to finally offer something immediately,” says Kim Stadelmann, interim executive director at Citadel Theatre. “What we’re about is connecting with people, and it’s really special when they can all be in the same room. So, we’re thrilled.”
Heaven runs until August 15 and tells the story of a schoolteacher who leaves Ontario to join a Black settlement in Alberta to make a better life for herself. Mary’s Wedding: A Métis Love Story, written by Stephen Massicotte and directed by Jenna Rodgers, is an Alberta love story that starts in the prairies and ends in the battlefields of the First World War. The show runs from August 18 to September 12.
The Garneau Block, the third show of the Summer Series and directed by Rachel Peake, was supposed to play in March 2019, until it was shut down during dress rehearsals. The set has sat on the Maclab Stage ever since. The Edmonton story, based on the Todd Babiak novel, runs from September 18 to October 10.
The final show in the Summer Series, Bears, is a dark comedy written and directed by Matthew MacKenzie. The show runs from October 21 and October 31 and promises emotional storytelling, enchanting projections and a stunning performance about a man’s quest through the rocky mountains.
As exciting as it is for patrons that live theatre is back, it’s equally if not more exciting for the artists.
“For the past 16 months, they’ve had to find other work or change to online, which isn’t quite the same,” says Stadelmann. “It’s a homecoming for everyone after an extended break.”
Tickets for all four Summer Series shows are available online for each individual show or as a package.
