A DeWinton production company with a flare for the dramatic plans to get Okotoks families in an uproar this summer.
Goodger-Pink Productions is inviting youngsters to use their outdoor voices during the performance of its unique take on a classic fairy tale with Rumpelstiltskin Revisited in a northwest field on Drake Landing Drive over the next two weeks.
“Nowadays there is a lot of theatre that asks of you to just sit quietly in your seat and watch from a distance,” said Samantha Duff, creator of Goodger-Pink Productions. “We felt, because we are really trying to connect with the whole family we try to get children involved in theatre and the arts at a younger age so they can grow up loving it, we needed to find ways to connect with them and we found the audience interaction is one of the best ways.”
In the four years Goodger-Pink Productions has been entertaining Okotoks families, Duff learned that audiences really enjoy the opportunity to be a part of the show.
“We are now getting two and three-year-olds actually sitting through the whole thing because we allow them to react to us in the way they want to which is vocally,” she said. “We are trying to get more scripts that are similar to the British pantomime style because it’s been so popular with that audience base. Like the other ones we’ve done in the past there is lots of audience interaction. We are asking them to shout things back to us and get involved so they feel they are a part of it.”
Rumpelstiltskin Revised tells the story of a little girl who is required to do specific tasks for the queen and gets help from her friend Rumpelstiltskin.
Duff, Okotoks native Joe Fowler and Calgary actress Holleay Rohm will play multiple characters, resulting in a fast-paced, entertaining show.
“You put on a funny hat and silly glasses and you’re a character and you go off and put on a wig and come back on and you’re another character,” she said. “The kids really react well to that where we ask them to use their imaginations. Those silly switches really keeps them engaged.”
Calgary actor Joe Fowler, who graduated from the Alberta High School of Fine Arts in 2008, said his performances in Goodger-Pink Productions are a highlight for him each year.
“You don’t often get to perform outside,” he said. “There is something about being outside that makes it really enjoyable.”
Fowler plays Rumpelstiltskin and Lily’s father, which he said has its challenges.
“There’s a few costume changes that are quite quick,” he said. “It’s always fun trying to remember what needs to come off and what costume pieces I have to grab. It definitely comes with rehearsal. The more you do it the more familiar you get with it.”
Fowler said the stress of changing characters frequently is made up by the audience interaction.
“There is sort of this weird rule in theater where you are not supposed to break that fourth wall so it’s really nice to break that wall and invite them into that work with you,” he said. “It makes it more intimate and the whole experience more enjoyable when you get to participate with the show.”
Goodger-Pink Production’s combination of pantomime style and outdoors shows has resulted in an increase in its popularity among young families, said Duff.
To enhance the family-friendly feel, Duff is bringing in food trucks.
“We are really trying to move towards making this a whole theatre event,” she said. “We find that our audiences are keen on coming early and setting up their blankets and they enjoy the music we play beforehand and some of the kids get up and dance around. After the show the kids get their pictures taken with us.
“It’s this whole experience for them to talk to the characters after and they get to play with the props.”
Goodger-Pink Productions is inviting youngsters to create a logo for the theatre group, which has a preference for fairy tales. Submissions will be accepted between June 24 and July 12 at [email protected] or the Okotoks Art Gallery. More details are available at goodgerpinkproductions.com
Performances of Rumpelstiltskin Revised take place June 24 at 7 p.m., June 25 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., June 26 at 2 p.m., June 30 at 7 p.m., July 1 at 7 p.m., July 2 at 11 a.m. and July 3 at 2 p.m.
In the event of inclement weather, performances will take place at the Alberta Dance Academy.
To ensure the show is financially accessible, the cost is by donation only.
