You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown

If you are a fan of the Peanuts comic strip, the Pumpjack Players have a treat in store for you. This year’s youth production, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, is a play centred around the beloved comic and features all the favourite characters. Tara Bartsch and Billie-Jo House have co-directed the youth productions since 2017. After years of waiting, both are eager to get the play onto the stage. “It was originally supposed to run three years ago. We were a month and a half from show dates when COVID hit. So, it got cancelled,” explained Bartsch.

After three years of waiting, most of the original cast did not return, but thankfully, a new group of kids stepped up to the task. “We are back with a  90 percent brand new cast and ten percent remaining cast. A couple of our leads were replaced this time, but we still had a core group from the original cast.”

Bartsch said the group had to repurchase the script rights to the play as the timeline from the first purchase had expired. “Luckily, we had already bought most of the costumes like Snoopy, and we had the dog house already built, so many props were already built and ready to go. That saved us.”

She said the children are doing very well. “The kids are off script, and we are all good to go. We are just trying to fine-tune everything, get tech ready, and decorate the set. Everything else is pretty much finished.” The kids learned twenty-two songs for the play, which Bartsch said is much more complicated than a non-musical production. “It’s extremely difficult because it’s different characters learning different songs. It’s hard to sing songs, act and do choreography, but they’ve done amazing. We also have choir this year.”

The choir was a new thing added to the play by Pumpjack Players after so many children tried out. “We didn’t want to turn any kids away. The play only calls for six kids, but we wanted to include as many as possible. These kids needed somewhere to go and something to be part of,” said Bartsch.

She said watching the kids grow and learn and realize how amazing they are is always a beautiful part of the process. “Kids think they can’t do anything. When you start the show, they say, I can’t do this. When they realize that they can do it, it’s pretty amazing. They’ve worked so hard. These kids were off-book for at least three weeks before we asked them to be off-book. They know their lines, and they know lines that aren’t even theirs. Charlie Brown couldn’t make it yesterday, and they knew all his lines and songs. They are ready.”

You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown features all the familiar faces comic fans love. “You’ll see everyone you know: Charlie Brown, Lucy, Sally, and the Woodstock birds. We’ve added extra birds to the play to make it even more adorable. We also have the background characters, Shermy and Pig-Pen, that you’ll hopefully recognize, and more,” said Bartsch.

Ten-year-old Blaise Crossland is in his first-ever Pumpjack Players production and said he is excited for the curtains to open on May 6 and May 7. “I think I’m more excited than nervous. A part of me is nervous, but I’m very excited.”

When asked if he had a favourite song out of the twenty-two listed, Crossland said he wasn’t sure. “I don’t think I have a favourite song, but You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown is a really fun one because everyone is in it together.” Crossland said making new friends was one of his favourite parts of the experience. “In the first few practices, we all had already become super close. Meeting all the new people is a really fun part.”

As the main Woodstock character, Crossland said he hopes lots of people buy tickets to come and see the play. “The play would be really fun to go to. We all know Charlie Brown. If someone said they didn’t know if they should come to the play, I would say they should consider coming because it’s fun. I think everyone should come.”

Bartsch said an extra special addition would be at the cash-only concession. “There will be Charlie Brown-themed candies and popcorn. We hope people like it.” You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown will run on Saturday, May 6, at 7:00 pm and Sunday, May 7, at 2:00 pm. Tickets are only $15 and are available at the Whitecourt Public Library. “We would really like to see this play sell out because the kids have worked hard, and they deserve to see that happen,” said Bartsch.