CANMORE – A bloodthirsty plant is looking for its next feed in Canmore.
In its newest production, Pine Tree Players showcases the 40-year-old musical Little Shop of Horrors by Howard Ashman, which follows Seymour, a florist who nurtures a plant that feeds on human blood.
Canmore's Austin Schelstraete is taking on the main character, Seymour, for his first performance with Pine Tree Players.
“It’s just so comforting to know that no matter where you are, there’s always going to be a theatre community who is ready and waiting with open arms to accept you,” said Schelstraete.
Schelstraete describes the performance as “having everything you could want in a show” as well as being the “epitome of weird stuff.”
“It’s awesome. It’s funny. It’s weird. It’s dark. It’s heart-wrenching. It’s lovable and romantic. It expresses a lot of really important ideas under the guise of this weird story of this alien talking plant,” he said.
The musical features a volunteer cast of 12 to carry out the dark yet humorous plot.
Pine Tree Players notes that the production features depictions of abuse, gun violence, death, suicide, dismemberment and fake blood.
The first showing was on Wednesday (April 17) with the following performances on April 18-21 and 25-27 at 7:30 p.m. at the Canmore Miners’ Union Hall. Tickets are available at https://pinetreeplayers.com/event/lsoh/.
Cheryl Naylor, the show’s director, said she chose the musical as she felt it fit in with the town’s talent and community.
“When they were doing the call for directors for this season – obviously seeing the talent that’s here in town in regards to musicals – there’s a lot of singers or people that can move and dance and obviously create characters. I just thought that this would be a perfect play, not just for Pine Tree Players, but the demographic of the town,” she said.
This is Naylor’s first time directing a show after years of acting.
“It’s very overwhelming, I’m not going to lie. Obviously, I was very nervous, I’m a performer, and I’ve been directed many times, so it’s been a huge challenge... I’ve learned a lot about myself. But it’s hard to put into words really, to see something come to life that was in your brain,” said Naylor.
“I’m just so proud of everybody and everyone’s been so patient with me while my creative juices have been flowing.”
Alongside the actors, a live band of seven musicians will be carrying out music throughout the performance.
The band, along with the cast, have been rehearsing since January in preparation for the show.
“It has always been the highlight of my week every time. I really enjoy doing this. I try my best not to miss one rehearsal and it’s always just been a delight,” said Joshua Simon, who will be playing the synthesizer.
Simon and Cheryl Godefroy, who’s in the band on piano, both played the last musical from Pine Tree Players, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which was on stage last year around this time.
“It’s a lot of the same faces and some new faces and it’s just great to meet people and see what you know, [and what] a short amount of time can produce together. It’s a really fun performance and again, pretty uplifting,” said Godefroy.
On April 21, the show will be a relaxed performance for those who may be more sensitive to sound or light or who need to move around. On April 26, theatregoers will be provided with the option of live audio description of the play.
“We would take out anything that would be uncomfortable for people in regards to loud bangs. We keep the house lights on, and this is just to involve people that may have sensory issues and things like that, to be able to come along, enjoy live performance, and be able to still feel like they can move around or walk out if they needed to at times,” said Naylor.
