The latest Westlock Rotary Dinner Theatre production — and the last one to be helmed by showrunners Bunnie and Dick Arth — kicked off Oct. 12 to a packed Westlock and District Community Hall.
Hilda’s Yard is set in 1956 when a pair of empty-nesters named Hilda and Sam Fluck (played by Karen Bouman and Ron Lechelt) have just purchased a TV set and are getting ready to enjoy their first night of television.
Unfortunately, the happy occasion is interrupted by the sudden appearance of their two children Janey (Leslie Foster) and Gary (Matthew Charrois).
Janey has just split from her husband, while Sam is bringing along his new girlfriend Bobbi (Tonia Young). There’s also a sixth guest: an eloquent thug named Beverly (Mark Siegle), who has some “business” with Gary.
In addition to the cast, the comedy-drama represents the efforts of a hard-working crew who designed and built the set, arranged for costumes, sold tickets and overseen the lights and sound.
With a busload of people coming in from Whitecourt for opening night, Dick said they’ve been overwhelmed by the response so early in the show’s run.
Even so, there are still spaces for anyone who wishes to take in the play on Oct. 19, 20, 25, 26 and 27, as well as the Oct. 21 matinee.
“There’s no such thing as sold out,” Dick said.
A long history
The Westlock Rotary Dinner Theatre Production has been running since 1992, though there were a couple of years where Dick and Bunnie took a year off.
The very first play to be staged was the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and since then, the array of productions has included both well-known plays like Oklahoma, Show Boat and A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline to scripts penned by Bunnie herself.
The purpose of the dinner theatre series has always been to raise funds for the club and its community/international projects.
Over the past two and a half decades, more than $1 million has been raised for the Rotary Trail, the purchase of a new CT scanner for the Westlock Healthcare Centre, sponsorship of the Westlock Rotary Spirit Centre and a girls’ school in Ethiopia.
But as noted earlier, this will be the last production to be overseen by Bunnie and Dick, who are moving to Edmonton in 2019.
Bunnie said they feel sad about retiring, but they both know “it’s time.”
Tickets for Hilda’s Yard range from $55 to $60 for the evening shows and $25 for the remaining matinee.
Anyone still interested in buying tickets can purchase them at Arth’s Fashion Centre in Westlock or by calling 780-283-0386.
