Local children take the stage next month for the Pumpjack Players spring play

 

The children’s spring production for Pumpjack Players is right around the corner. Hitting the stage on May 5 and 6 at Central School, the cast and crew are currently hard at work with final preparations. This year there are 43 children between eight and 18 who are taking part and they have been practicing since tryouts began at the end of January.

Tara Bartsch and Billie-Jo House are both directors and are very excited to see everything coming together and for everyone to get to see it. “The show is set in the Law & Order scene with fairy tales. So, we have two detectives investigating why the houses of the three little pigs were destroyed. It goes through different scenes and every character is set in modern time so you’re not going to be quite sure who the characters are right away,” explained Tara. “It will be fun to try and figure all that out.”

Even though the cast is large, there are still a few actors who are handling two roles. “Doubling up is not an easy thing to do but our Pumpjack kids are pretty incredible,” said Billie-Jo. This year’s set was meticulously hand drawn by Lani Burzinksi and traced and painted by Lani, Nicole Moir, and a lot of volunteer parents.

One of the most important roles in the production is the stage manager and, this year, that responsibility falls on Tara’s young son, Zander. He is 14 and has been a part of Pumpjack for four years and wanted to take on a bigger role behind the scenes. “He’s doing incredibly well, and we are really proud of him,” said Tara.

As a non-profit group, it means a lot to receive donations from the community and show producer Serena Lapointe said they received some fantastic ones this year. “We really want to thank Millar Western, ANC, LifeMed Pharmacy, Canadian Tire, Home Hardware, and Staples for helping us build our sets, purchase costumes, and print our posters and tickets. Your support means the world to us and we are very grateful.”

Pumpjack Players is Whitecourt’s non-profit theatre group and it has been going strong for over 30 years. Support from the community through donations, volunteerism, board members, actors, and stage crew is the only way they get to keep putting on shows. “You don’t have to have experience to join; you just have to be open-minded and commit a bit. We have so many spots for volunteers to help with the different shows we put on. It’s a great way to volunteer in the community,” said Billie-Jo.

Another neat aspect of being a member of Pumpjack Players is that they offer high school scholarships as well as the opportunity to go to Arts Trek which is a summer school for teens that explores the exciting world of theatre and stagecraft. “We pay for everything to get two kids to go which allows them to explore. We definitely offer a lot of opportunity for growth,” said Tara.

The shows will take place on May 5th at 7pm and May 6th at 2pm, with both shows taking place at the Whitecourt Community Centre (Centre School). Tickets are only $15 and are available at the Whitecourt Library.