BY WENDY ELLIOT
Kings County Advertiser/Register
Valley Summer Theatre is returning to the Al Whittle Theatre in Wolfville for a second season.
The summer company is featuring two productions: its first Canadian classic, as well as a classic piece of British theatre.
Letter from Wingfield Farm, performed by Rod Beattie, was first staged 25 years ago and has been produced at most regional theatres in Canada. Written by Dan Needles and directed by Douglas Beattie, Wingfield Farm has spawned five theatrical sequels, two anthologies and a TV series. Klinger calls that record unprecedented in Canadian theatrical history.
The one-man comedy is about a captain of industry who trades his pin-stripe suit for overalls and retreats to a 100- acre farm. The residents of Persephone Township raise their eyebrows: weekend farmers are a common enough sight, but this man seems to think he can make a living with a broken down racehorse and a single furrow plough. In a series of letters to the editor of the Larkspur weekly newspaper, Walt Wingfield talks about the people and events of his first year as a man of the soil.
Executive producer Bruce Klinger believes the show is a perfect fit for the Annapolis Valley. He has had fond memories of it since his days at Neptune Theatre 30 years ago. Letter from Wingfield Farm previews July 15, opens July 16 and runs until August 1.
Stephen Mallatratt's The Woman in Black, which Klinger calls another classic of the British canon; has proven the power of a well-told story. Based upon Susan Hill’s novel of the same name, it treads in the footsteps of the classic ghost story. The Woman in Black is about the appearance of a wasted young woman in a remote coastal area. The locals are reluctant to talk about her - and her terrible purpose. The play unfolds around the conversations of two characters, played by Acadia University drama prof Robert Seale and Rhys Bevan-Jones, a young Halifax actor, as they attempt to understand what happened on Eel Marsh all those years ago. Pamela Halstead, former artistic director of the Ship's Company in Parrsboro, will direct. The show previews August 5, opens August 6 and runs until August 22
"I am delighted to, again this year, be able to attract such a talented team of professionals," Klinger says. "I see Valley Summer Theatre as another opportunity to highlight the great theatre talent in Nova Scotia and across the country.”
Set design will be by Wolfville's Vicky Marston, with costume design by Janet MacLellan and sound by Terry Pulliam. Pete Conroy will be back in the lighting booth.
"We started this project in the belief Wolfville and the King's County area offer one of the most promising locations for summer theatre in all of Atlantic Canada," he says. "The progress we made in our inaugural season has reinforced that belief and we are looking forward to a second season that will take the seed we planted in our first season and continue to nurture it so that it can grow."
Klinger thinks both productions will appeal to audiences, and he's hoping to do better than break even this season, with the help of dedicated volunteers.
Shows will run Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. with weekend matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets are already on sale at The Box of Delights for $25 plus HST and $18 plus HST for students. Two-play subscriptions are available. See www.valleysummertheatre.com for more.
