The annual Hazel Bluff dinner theatre event is just around the corner, with the group revisiting an old classic this year.
Pecos Bill and Slue-Foot Sue Meet the Dirty Dan Gang will run from Feb. 7-10 at the Hazel Bluff Hall for the seventh annual dinner theatre.
“We have done it before and it was a lot of fun,” co-director Cathy Lent said. “It suits the clients, the customers who are coming to see it. It’s exactly what they want. It’s just a good time.”
Lent is co-directing the production with her husband Dave and Hazel Bluff resident Rose Bibby, a regular fixture of the Hazel Bluff community.
There are 16 actors involved, with most hailing from the Westlock and Hazel Bluff areas. Working with so many talented actors, Lent said, has been a great experience.
“We’ve got a bottomless pit of talented people in the area, people who are willing to entertain,” she said.
The relaxed, laid-back atmosphere of the group was apparent at a rehearsal last week, which was one of the first times the actors took to the stage in full or partial costumes.
“The cast is all here because they want to be. Nobody had their arm twisted,” Lent said. “We had people asking to be in it, so that tells you it’s mostly about having fun.”
On top of the performance, the ticket price will include a stew supper for the Thursday, Friday and Saturday shows — appropriate considering the rural setting of the play and the mid-winter performance dates.
The volunteer actors are just the tip of the iceberg when looking at how much time and effort goes in to putting on these annual productions — Lent estimated somewhere between 50 and 75 volunteers take part in the event.
The proceeds will all go right back into the community hall.
This is the seventh annual dinner theatre, but just the third in the new hall since it officially opened in 2010. While the performances in the old hall were fun, it seems many involved agree the new hall is a big step up.
“This hall is so much nicer than the other one, because there’s no snow drifting across the floor,” actor Hugh Thompson said.
“Nobody wanted to change into costume because it was so cold,” Lent added
Thompson also noted he has enjoyed working with the cast and crew of this performance, commending them for creating such a relaxed and fun atmosphere.
Tickets for the all-ages show are available at the Flower Shoppe in Westlock. Adult tickets costs $25 for the dinner theatre and $18 for the Sunday matinee, while youth aged 14 and under will pay $18 and $10 for the matinee.
