Hilarious fairy tale Bedtime Stories coming to the Pumpjack stage

For many, spring is something to truly look forward to. Not only is the sun out more and the temperature warmer, but it is also time for the Children’s Spring Production of Pumpjack Players (Whitecourt Drama Society).

The name of this year’s show is Bedtime Stories (As Told by Our Dad Who Messed Them Up). Co-director Tara Bartsch explains, “It’s about a father who is very busy and he is telling his three small children bedtime stories, but the mom always tells the stories through her imagination so there’s no books and he’s constantly getting them wrong.”

Lani Burzinski, play assistant, says it’s going to be hilarious, “I think the kids will key into it because they know all these stories but they’re all messed up so they’ll get a good kick out of it and really enjoy it in the end.”

The play is a change from past productions that focused on singing and dancing. “We were tired of Disney,” said Bartsch, “I went online and this was actually the first story. Our adult story for the fall show was also called Bedtime Stories so I thought, how fun that would be to have a kids twist on Bedtime Stories.”

“There are a lot more lines, more memorization, and more character development for them,” said Lani. “It’s also good because with Disney, you can watch the movie so you know what the story is about, or you can YouTube it. There’s not one YouTube video about this show so this is their character and they get to create that character. It’s more imagination,” added Tara.

“It’s also better for our audience because they won’t know what’s going to happen before it happens,” said co-director Billie-Jo House which just adds to the excitement. “It’s a very fun play.”

As a peek into the humour of the storyline, here is one of the many hilarious lines. A piece of advice from daddy dear, “Mommy is not getting fat. Don’t ever say that. Not even as a joke. Trust me.” Billie-Jo said, “I could flip to any page and just laugh.”

This time, the role of producer belongs to Janelle Sallstrom. “We, in a way, treat this like a job and we hope that if others are going to do it that they’ll take it at least 90 per cent like we do,” adding that her favourite part is seeing everything coming together. “Nothing is more rewarding than that performance at the end.”

Ages eight to 18 were invited to audition on January 13 and 14 at the Forest Interpretive Centre and the turnout was very good. Malia Kendall (8) and Kyla Johnson (9) both tried out. When asked if they were nervous, Malia said she was “sort of” nervous but that it was “really fun to try out.”  Both did a great job as did all those who ventured by for a chance at taking the stage this spring.

Pumpjack Players have certain backstage roles that need to be filled including costumes, lights, and make up. The most important role needed, however, is a stage manager. Volunteers would need to be able to commit to five hours a week until May and rehearsals start on the 24^th of January.  “We meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays and every other week we have a production meeting. It would be very important for a stage manager to make much of the rehearsals.” said Janelle.

For costumes and set design, the budget has increased exponentially from previous years. “Disney rights alone are three grand and, for this show, it was $700 so that’s a huge difference. We want crazy costumes and elaborate sets, but we know it’s a large undertaking,” said Tara. “I would say that if you think you can’t do it, you probably can and we’re not just going to throw you into it; you’re always going to have tons of support and help. We are basically a huge family.”

Anyone wanting to join in a specific role is asked to contact Pumpjack through its Facebook page or website www.pumpjackplayers.com. Those wanting to become sponsors and score free tickets as well as multi-level advertising can also contact us at the above site.

One final piece of the puzzle to mention is the need for an inflatable tyrannosaurus costume. “We need one to four and will rent or buy them.” said Tara, “we take very good care of our props.”