Members of The Motley Troupe theatre group are preparing for opening night on Nov. 30, with two additional performances on Dec. 1-2 as well.
A local theatre group is ready to lift the curtain on a new chapter.
The Motley Troupe, formerly know as House of Paws Dinner Theatre, is excited to present a unique dinner theatre experience with a play called Lagooned!
“It’s about a group of eccentric castaways that find themselves shipwrecked in the middle of the South Pacific. They begin to find each other—because they all kind of wash up at different times on shore. And as they come to find each other they realize that they might not be alone on this island,” said director Christa Mullaly.
“Think of Gilligan’s Island crossed with three or four different plot-lines that will come in throughout the play. Lots of different groups of characters and lots of music to tie everything together.”
Although there are many familiar faces back again this year, there are some new ones as well, and they’ve put their heads together to re-name and re-brand their group.
“We changed our name because we changed our fundraising purpose. We actually had a really interesting creative process with our cast and crew,” explained Mullaly.
On the first night of rehearsals, they asked people to submit names of what they thought would best represent who they are as a theatre group, and when the ballots came in the decision was made to re-name and re-brand as The Motley Troupe.
“We also did that with groups and organizations we wanted to fundraise for. It’s really important to us as The Motley Troupe, that our cast members were involved in selecting those causes that are near and dear to their hearts,” said Mullaly.
“We started with quite a large list of ideas and then narrowed it down from there.”
The organizations that they are raising funds for this year are as follows: Lori Craven Memorial Fund, the breakfast programs for Lloydminster public and Catholic school divisions, Hillmond Community School, and Kitscoty School, and the Lloydminster Legion–for practical support toward things their veterans need.
The production will take place at the Kitscoty Community Hall, with three evening shows that include a delicious dinner and live music during intermission and after the curtain drops: Thurs. Nov. 30, Fri. Dec. 1, and Sat. Dec. 2.
Rehearsals for the production begin the first Wednesday in September and run every week right up until opening night.
Mullaly said they are amped-up to show guests what they have in store this year. Volunteers put in a lot of heart and countless hours, both on and off the stage to make the play a success.
“For instance, we always go out for a weekend, we painted all of our backdrops and pulled together some props. Our props and costume manager has been working on props with a group of our cast since our first read-through of the play,” said Mullaly.
“We’ve got an amazing cast this year to be able to support some of our newbies with ideas, creativity and innovation,” said Mullaly.
“There will be lots of things for people to sing along to and lots of music that folks will recognize. We’re really excited about that audience engagement that we always get as well. It’s a fun idea for Christmas parties or just getting together with friends for the night – you will not be disappointed!”
Tickets for the dinner theatre are available at Mel’s Hair Shop – 5201 48 Street. Individual tickets are $80, or $640 for a table of eight. If anyone is looking for additional information, or would like to become a sponsor they can reach out through The Motley Troupe Facebook page or email themotleytroupe@gmail.com.
