Next up for Central Alberta Theatre is Alan Ball’s comedy Five Women Wearing The Same Dress, which runs March 24th through to April 8th in the Nickel Studio (in the Memorial Centre).
In Ball’s hilarious comedy, which is being directed by Craig Scott, five very different bridesmaids find themselves hiding together in an upstairs bedroom, hoping to escape the wedding reception of a bride that – they soon realize – none of them really like.
Rounding out the cast are Ashley Mercia (Mindy), Alexandra Taylor (Meredith); Kirstin Merriman (Frances); Nicole Leal (Tricia); Tara Rorke (Georgeanne) and Paul Sutherland (Tripp).
The play is set at the home of the bride in Knoxville, Tennessee during the newly-married couple’s ostentatious wedding reception.
The five bridesmaids (for Tracy, who the audience does not meet) have found refuge in the room of Meredith, the sister of the bride. The women come to realize that despite their differences, they have more in common with each other than any of them do with the bride.
“It’s at a wedding reception in a well-to-do family. It all happens in the younger sister of the bride’s bedroom,” said Scott, adding that Meredith isn’t too pleased with the celebratory goings-on as it is.
“She doesn’t like her family and she’s rather rebellious. She has a Malcolm X poster on the wall,” he said with a laugh.
“The cool thing about the play is that it’s about five bridesmaids who realize that the only commonality they have amongst themselves is, why am I a bridesmaid for Tracy? Because we don’t know her, and we don’t really like her! That’s the question that’s really being asked.
“As time goes on, they form a bond,” he said of the women’s interactions with one another as they take a break from the wedding festivities.
“The five of them form a bond even though they are from different backgrounds and different circumstances and they’ve had different circumstances. It’s funny – if you throw five people into a room together and into a situation together, that they can learn to relate to one another.
“But they are all very distinct people.”
Meanwhile, Scott has had a blast working with his talented cast from day one. Collaboration on the play – which melds comedy with some poignant moments, too – is always a fun and richly creative process.
And seeing the actors come together as a group was inspiring in and of itself as well.
“I also told them the dresses you guys will be working with are ugly, because you complain about it throughout the entire play,” he added with a smile. “The room is also going to be peach because I wanted it to clash with their dresses.”
CAT will be donating $1 towards the Central Alberta Women Emergency Shelter for every ticket sold for Five Women Wearing the Same Dress.
For ticket information, check out www.blackknightinn.ca.
mark.weber@reddeerexpress.com
