Sooke Harbor players are taking a fresh approach to telling a classic tale of love and knights in shining armor.
“We decided to move to pantomime,” Sooke Harbor Players president Andrew Donnelly said of his upcoming pantomime Camelot. “The pantomime is often based on fairy tales or legends, and the audience is highly involved.”
The story is loosely based on the legend of the Knights of the Round Table, with characters including Brielle Hogan’s Prince Arthur and Sage Easton-Levy’s Princess Guinevere.
The villain Morgan Le Fay is played by Margaret Ayres, and her real-life husband Tim Ayres plays Tangled King Valerin. A comic book character, Arthur’s one-time nanny, Connie is played by Josh Bell. Paul Holmes plays Laughalot, the court jester who desperately wants to be a knight but is a little scared. The old magician Merlin is played by Willis Taylor, and the younger version of Merlin is played by Mason Ray.
Mime Camelot was written by Ben Crocker, directed by Susan Brown, with Marianne Scholes as music director, Sarah Wilford as assistant director, and choreographed by Carly Rae. Costume design was by Nicole Rae, sets were designed by Kimberley Zutz, and sets were built by Brian Zutz and his team.
“This is a true family show for all ages, presented and performed by families from Sooke and the surrounding area,” Donnelly said. “The past two years have been very difficult for an performing group like ours. COVID has shut us down for over two years.”
Increases in fees charged by rights holders for box-office programming have also had a major impact, he added.
Originally established in 1982 as Stage West, Sooke Harbor Players is celebrating its 40th anniversary as a community theater. Recent pre-pandemic titles include Anne, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella and Treasure Island.
Camelot the Pantomime will be on Friday, November 25 and Saturday, November 26 from 7:15pm to 9pm and Sunday, November 27 at 2:15pm at Edward Mill, 6218 Sooke Road En Community School Theater held. Next week’s shows are December 2nd & 3rd at 7:15pm and December 4th at 2:15pm
Tickets are $22 for adults, $16 for under 18 and seniors, and free for children under five.They are available on The Stick at www.sookeharbourplayers.com, or contact Susan at 250-415-9410. Free tickets for the November 25th show are limited and available only to financially needy individuals, please contact Susan at 250-415-9410.
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