Boundary thespians can look forward to live theatre à-la Creole cuisine this summer.
Stage director Aaron Baker, whose COVID-safe production of Shrek wowed audiences last year, said the Boundary Musical and Theatre Society (BM&TS) will perform Steel Magnolias in July. Ticket holders will be treated to good old-fashioned Southern fare, possibly including grits and shrimp gumbo.
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The play by Robert Harling explores the travails of six female characters whose lives come together in a Louisiana beauty salon. “It reaches all the emotions,” Baker said, adding that cast members will dawn southern drawls “to the best of their abilities.”
Pandemic restrictions hardly lend themselves to live performances, to say nothing of dinner theatre, but BM&TS has found a way forward. The theatre company chose Steel Magnolias for the play’s simple stagecraft, limited casting and non-musical format. Cast members have been rehearsing via Zoom since B.C. entered its second lockdown last November.
“We’re going to follow all COVID protocols — whatever they look like come July,” he explained.
The play will be staged outdoors over two weekends in July, featuring performances by two casts, each boasting six talented women.
The BM&TS will soon confirm performance dates, ticket sales and menu items.
Baker said the society is meanwhile bringing back its Broadway Junior Players program. Fifteen to 20 children will meet in separate age groups for one week of stage training this summer, he explained. Baker and wife Shannon Wolf will meanwhile host an invitational “Tunes for Tots” program for kids aged two to four.
Parents interested in enrolling their kids in the Broadway Junior Players Program are asked to message Baker through the BM&TS Facebook page.
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