The Lethbridge Senior’s Centre Organization is looking forward to seeing a few old friends performing a few of their old favourites at the Yates/ Sterndale Bennett Theatre, Feb 17-18.
For Scott Carpenter, one of the organizers and performers of the event, helping out the LSCO and Nord-Bridge Senior’s Centre has a personal connection.
“ All of our parents use the services of either Nord Bridge Senior’s Centre or the LSCO. And my dad, Don Carpenter, teaches carving at the LSCO. I go for lunch there every day,” Carpenter said, showing off a couple of his dad’s carvings, which usually sit on his desk at city hall, where he his responsible for booking city facilities like hockey rinks and theatres. Scott Carpenter, Jeff Carlson, Jordana Kohn, Erica Hunt, Arlene Bedster, Andre Royer and Kelly Roberts have been “reuniting ” for the past two years just for this event and to revisit some of their favourite moments on stage together.
While the Old New West performances aren’t affiliated with New West Theatre, a handful of New West Theatre veterans enjoy revisiting some of their old favourites from the early days of New West Theatre for this popular annual event.
“You can’t throw a stone without hitting a song that New West has done,” Carpenter laughed.
“These shows are a lot more intimate. A grand piano, a few chairs and us and out instruments is the only set,” he said.
It is a challenge as most of the group holds down full time jobs, so rehearsals must be scheduled around them.
“We‘ve been rehearsing since December for this. Usually when I’m in a New West production, I’m only rehearsing for two weeks to a month,” he said.
They decided to have some fun with the “old folk theme,” as most of the songs they will be performing fall into the folk or acoustic vein, they thought they’d throw the word ‘folk’ in between the show’s title ‘ Old Favourites and have some fun with the double entendre.
Selections include ‘Blowin’ In The Wind,’ ‘California Dreaming,’ ‘Big Yellow Taxi,’ ‘King of the Road,’ ‘Landslide,’ ‘Turn, Turn, Turn,’ ‘Walk Right In,’ and many others.