When theatre lover Ruth Tisdale wins tickets to the first night of a new play, she takes her husband, Jack, for their silver wedding anniversary.
But not all goes well for the couple, nor the cast and crew behind the scenes.
That’s the plot of Norm Foster’s comedy Opening Night, which the Coquitlam-based Stage 43 Theatrical Society will present for its 42nd season opener.
Directed by Tiffany Markwart, who headed up last year’s Calendar Girls at the Evergreen Cultural Centre, the fast-paced play features eight actors, including four Tri-City residents (in alphabetical order):
- Michael Airton
- as Michael Craig
- Liam Coughlan
- as Jack Tisdale
- Luca Herring
- as Tom Delaney
- Trinity Sullivan
- as Libby Husniak
The other cast members are:
- Amber McMunn (Langley)
- as Cilla Fraser
- Corrine Out (New Westminster)
- as Ruth Tisdale
- Harry Pering (Surrey)
- as Clayton Frye
- Shaan Rahman (Vancouver)
- as Richard Hyde-Finch
Coughlan said he enjoys performing in Foster’s plays because they’re relatable.
“In all of his plays, you can see characters that are familiar to you, in your community, your neighbourhood or — more often that not — in your family tree or home,” he said in a news release. “Norm Foster brings a compassionate sense of humanity to the characters.”
Premiered in 1989 by the Piggery Theatre in North Hatley, Que., Opening Night is a staple for community theatres.
For the Evergreen run from Oct. 17 to 26, 2024, Opening Night is produced by the society’s president, Claire Pinkett.
Meanwhile, Stage 43’s next productions in its “Something for Everyone” season are:
- Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery
- January 2025
- written by Ken Ludwig
- directed by Dale Kelly
- The Father: A Tragic Farce
- May 2025
- written by Florian Zeller
- translated by Christopher Hampton
- directed by Ocean Trudel-Poulin
For tickets to Opening Night at $30/$25, you can call the Evergreen Cultural Centre box office at 604-927-6555 or visit the facility online. The play is appropriate for ages 18 and up without parental guidance. For season tickets, go to the Stage 43 website.
