Mary's Wedding sets love against the First World War at the Firehall Arts Centre, February 25 to March 13

Two-hander has won Alberta Literary Award for Drama and other prizes

Post Sponsored by The Firehall Arts Centre
 
 

The Firehall Arts Centre is getting ready to stage the award-winning Mary’s Wedding from February 25 to March 13.

When Mary and Charlie unexpectedly take shelter in a barn during a thunderstorm, a tentative love is born. But the year is 1914, and Mary and Charlie must surrender to the uncertainties of their tumultuous times. Mary and Charlie’s love contrasts with the devastation and destruction of the First World War. Presented as a dream on the eve of Mary’s marriage, the play gives audiences the gift of spending time in a state of innocence; in a story without irony that comes with the passion, naivete, and inexperience of youth.

Written by Canadian playwright Stephen Massicotte and directed by Firehall Arts Centre artistic producer Donna Spencer, the Firehall’s production of this award-winning script features two teams of performers: Sarah Roa (Mary) and Tanner Zerr (Charlie); and Emma Ross (Mary) and Jacob Leonard (Charlie).

Winner of the Alberta Literary Award for Drama, the Alberta Playwriting Competition, and the Betty Mitchell Award for Outstanding New Play, Mary’s Wedding is an epic, unforgettable story of love and loss which weaves a theatrical spell of hope and memory.

“I sought to find a smaller-cast play that I knew would touch audiences’ hearts with passion, humour, and poignancy,” says Spencer. “Mary’s Wedding’s beautifully poetic words and its exploration of love, hope, and resilience are so appropriate as we navigate our own troubled times. In choosing this play, I felt it best to cast this work with two teams of actors to provide more opportunities for Vancouver’s many talented young professional performers to share their skills during ever-changing COVID realities.”

As Mary and Charlie’s relationship evolves, so does the audience’s understanding of the times these young people were forced to navigate—a generational trauma that we would do well to reflect on in these tumultuous times. This exquisite examination of the power of love set against the cost of war is brought to life with sets and lighting by Lauchlin Johnston, costumes by Stephanie Robicheau, and sound design by Riley Hardwick. 

For more information visit the Firehall Arts Centre’s website.

Post sponsored by the Firehall Arts Centre