New show to hit the stage
By Melissa Piche Times Contributor
Photo Courtesy of Danai Allen
Rosebud School of the Arts is excited to celebrate the holidays with their presentation of Christmas in the Market Place by Henri Gheon from Nov. 24 to Dec. 16 on the Rosebud’s Studio Stage.
Strathmore High School graduate Danai Allan will once again be delighting audience members with her musical presence. Allan has been in a number of productions out at Rosebud, including The Sound of Music this past summer and a performance in a previous Christmas production in her second year.
She has also been featured at the Arts on 817 concert series where she headlined as the first Opening Act in September.
Allan grew up in Strathmore for most of her formative schooling years and graduated from SHS in 2018. Her family still lives in Strathmore and she continues to connect with her high school drama teacher and mentor Deanne Bertsch, who is also quite involved with Rosebud School of the Arts where she has directed plays and is also the movement instructor.
“Me and her are pretty close, so we try to collaborate on things,” said Allan of the bond the two share. “We get to work together quite a bit which is so awesome because I love her.”
Allan is excited for the performance.
“It’s kinda like a classic Nativity tale but there’s a spin on it,” said Allan. “It’s like a humble little family telling a twist on the Christmas story.”
Allan said there are roughly nine cast members – all students in their 2nd, 3rd and 4th year of schooling out at Rosebud School of the Arts.
“My favourite part about it (Christmas at the Market Place) is that it’s not a typical telling of the story,” she said. “There’s aspects that are typical – it’s not exactly as you’d expect from a Christmas play. It feels fresh in a way but also familiar.”
Tickets for Christmas at the Market Place can be purchased online (rosebudtheatre.com). Showtime are 4:30 p.m., Thursdays to Saturdays. Adult tickets are $25 and youth tickets are $15.
Theatre and buffet tickets are available on Fridays and Saturdays, as an addon, subject to availability.