Amateur Theatre troupe plays politics
For over 95 years, The Playgoers Club of Lethbridge has delighted audiences with full-length comedies and one-act plays from some talented authors, directors & actors. This February, Playgoers will be presenting a script different for the usual genre.
“Daisy,” written by author and playwright Sean Devine examines political advertising and its effect on elections and the public discourse - a topic which seems particularly relevant today. “Daisy,” however, is set during the 1964 US presidential election, and explores the true story of one of the most devastating political attack ads of all time..
Rita Peterson, Artistic Director for Playgoers chose “Daisy” because it was a different type of script than what the company usually presents.
“We’re good at making people laugh, but I think it’s important for a club like ours to stretch its wings now and then and show the community there is more to Playgoers than comedy,” says Peterson.
While choosing “Daisy”, Peterson conducted some research into the play. Most of the characters in “Daisy” are based on real people and the show itself is inspired by true events.
“Each one [of the characters] is unique and brings to the stage their own distinct personality. The strength of the characters is a huge part of how I choose a script.”
Her choice of script will resonate clearly with the current political climate in North America. She feels the play conveys an important political message and the parallels of what happened then and what is happening now are startling.
Peterson hopes that, by watching “Daisy”, audiences will be motivated to think about how they are impacted by the media when they choose a candidate to support.
“Theatre has the power to change people; how we think and behave. If this play prods people to think about politics in a broader, more enlightened way, then we have done it justice.”
Recently, Playgoers featured an older cast for many of their productions. Four of the six characters in “Daisy” are younger and Peterson hopes this will bring in a younger cast and audience for future productions and performances..
She adds, “Of course, we would love to see them stay and share their talents with the club and audiences for many years to come.”
Lethbridge Shakespeare Perfomance Society members Cole Fetting, Trevor Loman and Megan Fennell join Victor Nwabougor as the cast of “Daisy” along with veterans Allen Gibson and Karl Airey.
“Daisy” is in pre-production right now and will be performed on stage from February 19-22, 2020 at the Sterndale Bennet Theatre. Tickets will be available on-line through the City’s ticket centres or at Yates Memorial Centre and the Enmax Centre.
