Valley Song sings for valleys of South Africa and Alberta

Laureen F. Guenther
Times Contributor

 

Valley Song, a play about a South African granddaughter and grandfather, will open May 19, on Rosebud’s BMO Studio Stage. Apartheid has just ended, giving the coming-of-age granddaughter new freedom to pursue her dream of a singing career, but her grandfather doesn’t want her to leave their small, rural village. A well-known author, who wants to leave city life and get back to the land, witnesses their evolving story.
“It’s a generational story too, of the older grandfather and the older author,” said director David Snider. “They lived in the old South Africa, and we’re now watching them have to adapt to the new South Africa. It tells the story of accepting change … a change towards growth or accepting loss, and the courage it takes to actually do that.”
The granddaughter, Veronica, is played by Rosebud School of the Arts graduate Lennette Randall, who also wrote the melodies for Veronica’s songs.
David LeReaney, who’s had a 40-year acting career in theatre, film and television but is new to Rosebud Theatre this season, plays both author and grandfather. LeReaney, a well-known dialect coach, uses two different dialects to distinguish his roles.
“The play itself is simple but deep, and that has been really rich,” Snider said. “One of the things that’s richest is that it will have a lot of the spirit of Africa and that’s a delightful thing to taste and experience.”
But he emphasized that we don’t have to know Africa to appreciate this story.
“There’s a lot of common ground in southern Albertan rural life to the world of this small South African village,” he said.
As a father, Snider is watching his teenage sons grow up, and as a Rosebud resident, he knows the village may also be on the verge of growth. He said the play urges him to have “the courage to listen deeply to my life and to have the courage to accept change.”
“A reality in Rosebud is, we’re likely to see a surge of new homes and community members. Our village, my life in this village, is also going to change,” he said. “There’s goodness in some new growth, but a loss of some of the simple things that I have loved about living here. And that’s part of life.”
Valley Song brings to Rosebud “even more of the treasure that this valley holds,” Snider said. “Our valley itself has a song that draws people to come, and I think this story articulates what that song means emotionally.”
“(Valley Song) also echoes the mandate of Rosebud School of the Arts, which is to cultivate and encourage new artist voices,” he said. “This is exactly the story. Young Veronica — who is a very talented, passionate, driven young woman — wants to live her life as an artist, for a living, as a vocational artist.”
Valley Song runs at 5 p.m., May 19 to June 25 on the BMO Studio Stage. Get tickets at rosebudtheatre.com or 1-800-267-7553.