Rosebud reveals its 2012 season

Times Reporter

 

The 2012 line up for Rosebud Theatre of the Arts promises to bring a mixture of laughter and inspiration to its patrons. 

The new season will begin with ‘$38,000 for a Friendly Face’ in the spring. It begins with a man who had been let go of his security guard job because the company needed to save $38,000, so he decides to run a funeral parlor. 

It’s a bad day at the parlor, because there is a woman whose body is in one room but in two cardboard boxes, one for her ashes and another for her hip.

“Her daughters come to visit and her daughters have lived blocks from each other, but don’t talk to each other, can’t stand each other and they can’t stand their mother,” said Artistic Director Morris Ertman. 

“So it’s a bad situation and this guy just wants everything to be good, because he’s a friendly face.”

Ertman said it turns out to be a bad day in the kitchen too – the women on the last supper committee are arguing, when suddenly a food fight breaks out.

“It’s a dismal day in a funeral home when it should be a celebration of somebody’s life. What ends up happening is, into their lives comes a young single mom who’s really got an edge to her. She’s a tough little chick, a tough kid and she comes in, she’s delivering flowers, and she winds up staying,” said Ertman.

“It’s this absolutely hilarious kind of madcap ordinary people falling apart in a funeral home kind of crazy zaniness that winds up taking a turn towards kindness. It’s going to be a lot of fun in the theatre, people are going to have a lot of good laughs and its going to give them, I hope, a kind of feeling of graciousness at the end of it all, a feeling of goodness.”

Next up, in the summer, is the production that has most staff buzzing. The theatre will be showing a musical production of the beloved ‘Anne of Green Gables’.

“We’re pretty excited about this. We’re pretty excited about doing that show in our little town,” said Ertman. 

“It’s so wonderful. I reread the book this summer and no wonder everybody reads it to their daughters at bed time, she’s such a wonderful character.”

Ertman compared Rosebud to Avonlea, where Anne’s story takes place, stating the two are both quaint and feel like a place people used to know. Ertman said he hopes everybody comes with the whole family. 

On the studio stage in the summer of 2012 patrons will be treated to the production, ‘My Name is Asher Lev’. 

Ertman has directed this play previously at the Pacific Theatre in Vancouver with two Rosebud actors. He said the two men would be coming home to play the same roles once again. 

“It’s the story about a young painter who has an incredible sight and an incredible love of his family and of his faith but yet paints in a way that’s controversial for them all,” said Ertman. 

“It’s the story of his journey, it is one of the most moving, powerful stories that I’ve ever directed I’ve directed it once before.”

In the fall ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ will be gracing the stage, the story of Mitch Albom and Morrie Schwartz. 

“Again it’s a another story about a younger person… but he winds up visiting his old college professor because he feels obligated because he finds out the guy’s dying. When he meets him the two of them rekindle a friendship that’s so near and dear,” said Ertman. 

“There’s a reason why 41million people have read the book, it’s just plain inspiring, it makes you feel like living and that’s what I think this story will do and we’re pretty excited to put it in our fall slot.”

Ertman, Heather Pattengale and her husband Paul Zacharias have joined forces to create the Christmas production for 2012, called ‘May and Joe’.

“It’s actually one of the shows we’re most excited about because we’re most out on a limb, we’re excited about creating it and it has the most risk for adventurous writing and feeling and everything else because it’s brand, brand new,” said Ertman. 

“What would happen if the story of Mary and Joseph all of a sudden happened again but to a young couple living in Winnipeg Manitoba?”

Ertman said the couple goes to Thunder Bay, Ontario, for work the day after Boxing Day. On route they meet angels, wise guys and all kinds of people and ultimately find out something about their love for each other. Ertman said it is a folk musical and there will be a folk band on stage performing. 

“We feel pretty great about next season and pretty optimistic that people are going to respond well to it,” said Ertman. 

“One of the other things that makes it so wonderful is, yes we do these amazing plays, but people get to come to an amazing place. A big part of what Rosebud is, is the experience of driving in from the city, or wherever you happen to be, and they dip down into this little valley and go what? What’s going on, it’s so small.”

Ertman believes the combination of the eccentric students, the kitschy stores and the talent are what make Rosebud the magical place it is.