A new theatre company hopes Hootenanny will be a hoot in Galt Gardens for the whole family all through July.
“Hootenanny” began today, July 3 and runs at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday all July.
“It‘s a free family play. We want it to be accessible to children, but we also want adults to be able to enjoy it too,” said said co creator and director Nicola Elson, adding despite being Hootenanny, it isn’t a show about cowboys, though the three clowns performing do improvise horseback riding on colourful suitcases.
“It’s about Ordinary Garry, Ordinary Mary and Ordinary Barry, who think everything that is different is bad until they are transported to a magical world where everything that is different is good,” summarized Elson.
“It’s a very visual and physical show,” she described.
She and Julia Wasilewski built the show backwards.
“We found the props and costumes first and created a story around them. The story came after,” Elson said.
“Because when you’re performing outdoors, you can’t often hear the dialogue,” she continued, adding the visual aspect and the energy of actors and University of Lethbridge students Kenya Gimson, Jon Zimmer and Erik Hohmann is paramount in this show.
“We can move it under the trees so people can sit in the shade. And we want it to be close to the fountain as well where people are going to be anyways,” Elson continued.
“Just look for the bright blue wagon,” said Elson, who is married to New West Theatre’s new general manager Kelly Rheay.
“But it isn’t a collaboration with New West Theatre, though I will be directing their theatre for young people’s show in December,” she said, adding she is hoping Hootenanny will be a success and will lead to annual performances by the company.
“We’d like to bring a new show every year. We’ll probably name the company Hootenanny because branding is important. And we’ll probably create the next show in the same way,” she said,,adding her co creator Julia Wasilewski recently joined the University of Lethbridge faculty.
“And she saw a need for a family show in the summer,” she said, adding Hootenanny will be a memorable show for audiences of all ages.
The show runs at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Admission is free.