The University Of Lethbridge explores love, sex, technology and the future in four short plays  directed by four different directors including by Gail Hanrahan who will be retiring soon.

 TomorrowLove runs March 14-18

“This production will be my last show at the University of Lethbridge as a faculty member before my retirement,” said Hanrahan in a press release.

 “I’m really enjoying this process where our emerging directors are leading the processes more. And certainly, this entire production is about the students,” she continued.

“TomorrowLove” is a selection of four short plays written by Rosamund Small about love, sex, technology and the future. Audiences are immersed in four possible futures where technology and humans connect and collide.
”When director and Drama Department faculty member Gail Hanrahan began reading the collection of plays contained within TomorrowLove, she was drawn to the possibilities and challenges that putting on the production would present.

“I thought this would be very interesting for our students because each play has just two characters. The actors would be challenged to develop their characters on a much deeper level,” Hanrahan said. 

“The playwright created characters she said could be any gender, which would really open up possibilities and opportunities for our directors and actors to explore each script.” 

Hanrahan selected four plays from the collection, choosing to direct “Evidence”, and invited student and alumni directors to direct the other three short plays. 

“It was really important to me to work with these emerging directors, who have already been doing excellent work in our theatre community,” says Hanrahan.
Alumni Anastasia Siceac (BFA ’20), director of “Reality Hurts”, along with Jordyn Nixon (BFA ’21), director of “Eight Legs Two Hearts” return to their ULethbridge theatre roots. Current student, Kacie Hall, director of “Perfect” and intimacy director of “Evidence” caps off her student experience directing a Mainstage show before she graduates this spring. 

“ Tomorrowlove is actually a bigger collection of plays than what we’re doing. They’re all by Rosamund Small. They all focus on the idea of human relationships and the impact of technology. So we’re looking at the impacts of technology that has on on human connection  and on human nature. So the ones we picked delve primarily on romantic relationships. Though we do have one about a set of strangers who are brought together by technology,” said  Hall  in provided footage. She directs the third play in the series “ Perfect” 

“So I’ve really been thoroughly enjoying it just because it’s really nice to think that connection doesn’t have to change just  because technology does. That humans a lot of times will stay the same. And there’s things  that I relate to  with every single one of these characters because of that,” Hall continued.

“I’ve been truly fortunate to have really wonderful actors and I’ve told them time and time again that they’ve  really bring this story to life. And this story is really near and dear to my heart. it’s very special. I won’t give too much away, but there’s really nice representation in it that doesn’t often get to be seen in media in general let alone live performance. And my actors have done such a fantastic job in taking so much care and consideration and compassion with this story. I’m just really excited for people to seem them bring these characters to life,” she said. 

The Lethbridge and District Music and Speech Arts Festival is back, March 20-April 1 with a full line up of talented performers from Southern Alberta and Lethbridge, plus a bonus concert.

This year there are 3,584 participants performing solo and with choirs, orchestras, bands and choirs, performing 753 pieces. Participants mostly come from Lethbridge, but there are a few of out of towners from Cardston, Taber and even High River.

“We have a full week of bands Tuesday to Friday and a full week of choirs,” enthused Jaimee Jarvie, the new general manager of the Lethbridge and District  Music and Speech arts festival.

“ It’s been great. It’s been a learning curve. It’s been amazing. But I’ve been involved with the festival as a performer or teacher since I was in Grade 1,” Jarvie said.

“It’s been a little easier because I already know a lot of the students and teachers. So it’s a joy to connect with them again and getting them excited about the festival again. It’s been wonderful, ”continued Jarvie, who has performed in the festival as part of several school, university and  community choirs as well as a solo performer.

There are performances every day beginning at 9 a.m. at Southminster United Church, St. Augustines Church and sanctuary,  Sterndale Bennett Theatre, Casa as well as the Owl Acoustic lounge. There are no performances at the Yates Theatre.

 There is also  a new concert, opening the festival on Wednesday, March 22 at 7 p.m. in Southminster United Church.

The Musical Theatre Showcase Concert is March 25 at 2 p.m.and  The Stars of the Festival Wrap Up Concert is April 1 at 2 p.m.

The festival begins with Senior piano in the Casa Community Room, Monday,  March 20 and woodwind/ brass solo in St. Augustines sanctuary.

 The schedule and more details are at http://lethmsf.org.

Jarvie is excited to bring back handbell classes, Tuesday, March 21 at St. Augustine’s sanctuary as well as pipe organ, Friday March 24 also at the St. Augustine’s sanctuary   which they weren’t able to do because of Covid.

“ We weren’t  able to do those during the pandemic festival, but they’re back and we’re really happy about that,” she said.

Nelson/ Edmonton songwriter Maddy Storvold is stoked to play the Geomatic Attic with her  all female folk trio, Saturday, March 18.

 She has been running non stop, touring , preparing  her third studio “Sunstorm” and  getting ready to record a new live album.

 She s just released a video from the new album “ Long Time Gone.”

“ So I have to  maximize sleep as much as I can in between shows,” Storvold said.

 She has been touring a lot in anticipation of the third album. She was last in Lethbridge with Jack Garton in nOctober, but she is really excited to bring her trio including upright bassist/ mandolinist/ vocalist Jill McKenna and fiddle player/ mandolinist/ vocalist Alina Deanna to Lethbridge.

“ It’s been great,” she said.

 the trio is relatively new as they of joined forces late last year after meeting at festivals.

“They add so much to the music. They are multi-talented. They’re amazing players. Jill studied jazz music in New York City  for four years and Alina studied music in the Kootenays and has an audio engineering degree,” Storvold enthused. I’m really excited to sing three part harmonies because I grew up singing in the church choir. And it’s exciting to have two mandolinists,” she continued, she said emphasizing they aren’t a bluegrass trio.

“Bluegrass music is about taking solos and I’m really bad at playing lead though I’m a pretty good guitar player. I like old folk singers so I like to play for the song and for the story,” she said.

“ I’ve always wanted to form an all female  trio. Female musicians are hard to find.  Male musicians are more common,” she said.