GORE BAY—In just eight days, the curtain will rise on Gore Bay Theatre’s Summer Season and will feature two plays, ‘The Housekeeper,’ a comedy by James Prideaux and ‘Painting Churches,’ a comedic drama by Tina Howe.
‘The Housekeeper’ is a series of fast-paced scenes, some in the present, some in the past, with biting humour becoming funnier and funnier as it builds towards its unexpected and thoroughly delightful conclusion.
Rocky Mountain News said it was a “hilarious comedy, a comic valentine.” The Westmore News said, “‘The Housekeeper’ is one of the best new comedies to come around in a long time,” and the Barnstable Patriot reported that, “the opening night audience was convulsed with laughter.”
The play features John Robertson and Helen Landry.
‘Painting Churches’ is a comedic drama that explores the relationship between an artist daughter and her aging parents. Highly praised, the play received the Best Off-Broadway Play Award and was a finalist for the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for drama.
Time Magazine said it was “a radiant, loving and humorous play, capturing the hilarity, the sadness beneath it and the valour beneath both.”
Variety said it “was still a stunner, a visual poem,” and the New York Times said in its review of the play that it was “beautifully written, a theatrical family portrait that has shimmer and depth.”
The play features Theresa and Dario Laurenti and their daughter Rebecca Laurenti.
Co-directors Andrea Emmerton and Walter Maskel are very excited about the upcoming season. Mr. Maskel said, “We are very fortunate to have very strong and experienced actors. I have known the Laurenti’s for over 30 years and have directed Theresa, Dario and Rebecca numerous times in plays and musicals. They are an amazing and talented theatrical family, much like the family in ‘Painting Churches.’ Likewise, I have directed John and Helen in many, many productions and their superb comedic performances on ‘The Housekeeper’ will be sure to tickle your funny bone.”
Ms. Emmerton said, “the actors from both casts have received awards at regional and provincial drama festivals as well as receiving awards representing Canada at an international theatre festival. We have been rehearsing since January and are extremely grateful that Theresa and Dario travel from Espanola and that Helen has travelled from Sudbury to be in a Gore Bay Theatre production.”
Gore Bay Theatre is known provincially for the quality of their productions. In the past 20 years the group has won more awards at regional and provincial theatre festivals than any other community theatre group in the province.
Both productions will be presented on consecutive nights so that audiences will be able to attend both performances back-to-back, again another Gore Bay Theatre accomplishment, only offered by a couple of professional theatre festivals in Ontario.
The wonderful plays, two wonderful casts, and two wonderful directors will provide two wonderful evenings of theatre. Don’t miss it!
