New West Theatre’s new artistic director Jeremy Mason, can’t wait to introduce his new season to the stage this summer.

“I guess there is a bit of pressure, but I”m fortunate to have worked for the past three years as in an administrative capacity with New West (as general manager,” said artistic  director Jeremy Mason.

“ I’m really excited to help give Southern Albertan audiences a really great theatrical experience,” he continued.

 As usual there are two massive musical/ comedy revues in July and August. Bandstand will focus on the hits of the ’60s and ’70s including Motown, surfing hits, British hits and  anything that might appear on the musical variety shows of the ’60s. It takes place July 4-28.

“Bandstand features the hits of the ’60s from the Beatles to the Beach Boys, and there will be lots of really great comedy,” he said adding “Party On” will, focus on the hits of the ’70s.

 New West gets ready to “party on” in August, from Aug. 8-Sept. 1, supplying the soundtrack to summer including a plethora of hits from Billy Joel, The Eagles, Whitney Houston and many others.

 But Mason is exciting about the first Canadian play of the season, Billy Bishop Goes to War, which  runs Sept. 27-Oct. 6.
“I wanted to choose a really good Canadian play,” said Mason, adding Billy Bishop is one of his favourites.
“I’ve been wanting to put on Billy Bishop for a long time. I studied Billy Bishop in university,” he said.

“It’s a one act play with one actor, but there is a piano player on stage like Kathy Zaborsky was in ‘Marg Szkaluba; Pissy’s Wife.’ (which ran in October 2009),” he said.

“It takes place in the First World War. There is some great ragtime music, but  and it really talks about a point in time when Canada really found its identity,” he enthused adding it will appeal to all ages.

 

This season also features a lot of familiar faces returning including Scott Carpenter, Erica Hunt Jocelyn Haub Mwansa Mwansa and Devon Brayne and Jay Whitehead, who will be directing “Bandstand.”

 

Allison Lynch, who performed in last summer’s musical revues. They also have  a couple newer faces including  Ksenia Thurgood. Ian Yuri Gardner returns this season as well. He performed with New West from 2002-2005, and just finished a run of the Lion King on Broadway in 2011.
“ I think it’s really going to be a great summer,” Mason enthused.

 

New West also has a Christmas  production. “Tidings” runs Dec. 18-Jan. 5, 2013 and Munsch gets a rest for their annual Theatre For Young Audiences. Instead, they will be putting on “Peg and the Yeti” based on  Kenneth Oppel’s popular  children’s book.
“It is about a girl who convinces her parents to join her climbing Mount Everest and she runs into all sorts of crazy characters,” Mason summarized.

 New West  finishes their season with a thriller “ An Almost Perfect Thing,” Nicole Moeller’s creepy drama  about a young woman who escapes a a seven year captivity and only tells her story to one person — a journalist who writes for a major newspaper.
“It’s about how the media sensationalizes stories and people’s fascination with those stories. It will keep people on the edge of their seats wondering what happens next,” Mason described.
 It runs Feb. 28-March 9, 2013.

“We’re really excited about this season. I think there will be something for everyone,” Mason continued.