Flagstaff Players to perform one-night-only variety show

The Flagstaff Players are performing a one-night-only variety show on April 2 in Sedgewick.
“We normally do things over two weekends, but decided to do just the one night,” said Mary Jane Hedeman.

The evening will act as a fundraiser for the Sedgewick Community Hall, but will also assist in fundraising for the Players.

Hedeman said that the group began paying insurance at the Hall, where they store their equipment, costumes, and props.

“We haven’t made any money for two years,” she added.

The Players’ last performance was And Then There Were None, a whodunit by Agatha Christie, in February of 2014.

“We’ve kind of taken a sabbatical,” said Hedeman.

She added that the last play was performed shortly after Larry Kennedy passed away. “We got through that one, and then we all needed to take a breather.

“This is the longest break we’ve taken since around 2000.”

The Players have a rich history in Sedgewick, with their first production, Polly Wants a Cracker, hitting the stage in 1961.

After another production the next year, the group disbanded. They re-formed in 1977, and began putting on yearly shows once again.

“Around 1990, CHSPS started a drama group under the leadership of Sharleen Chevraux. They produced at least one big play a year, for a decade or more,” said Hedeman.

When her own child became a part of the high school group, Hedeman became heavily involved, beginning with assisting where help was needed, and eventually taking on more of a leadership with the group.

“In the late 90’s, the Flagstaff Players was ‘reborn’ and presented a melodrama at the Lougheed Hall, called Curse You, Jack Dalton,” she said.

In 2000, Hedeman and Chevraux put together a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, heavily involving college and university students home for the summer, for Killam’s Centennial celebration.

In 2002, which Hedeman noted was her silver wedding anniversary, she and her husband were a part of a performance of It’s A Wonderful Life.

“We’ve done something almost every year since,” she said.

The April variety show will be performed in two acts, and trimming is still being done to fit anticipated time limits.

“It’s Vaudeville meets The Muppet Show meets Saturday Night Live,” said Hedeman.

“We wanted Miss Piggy as our MC, but she wanted big bucks,” she laughed. “We got someone that’s almost as flamboyant.”

She also said that Monty Python was an inspiration for parts of the performance.

She noted that the show will include music, drama, comedy, gymnastics, slapstick, and even cowboy poetry.
“Some of it’s silly, some of it’s serious, and some of it’s just plain fun,” she said.

There will be audience participation as well, and even a few strategically placed hecklers.

“I really think people will like it,” said Hedeman.

She also said that the performance will not be a dinner theatre, which is unusual for the group. Instead, there will be a limited bar, and snacks at intermission.

The variety show will feature a wide variety of performers, from Elementary School students to senior citizens. Hedeman estimates over two dozen people are involved in the production, both on stage and behind the scenes.

The show is a way to get the Players back in practice before their next planned performance in the fall.

Hedeman said that auditions will likely be held in June, for a locally written play loosely based on The Princess Bride.

“We’ve been talking about it for five or six years,” she said.

There is no stage adaptation of the book or movie that the group can find, so their script needs to be finished before the production can be put on.

The April show will also be used to raise a bit of seed money for their next performance. The curtain will rise at 7:30 p.m. at the Sedgewick Community Hall this Saturday.

Megan Lockhart
Associate Editor