It’s been more than two years since a show has graced the stage of Dancing Sky Theatre.
But with the rural theatre company’s upcoming comedy set to open at the end of April, the wait to get back on the stage in Meacham, Sask. is about to be over.
Jonas and Barry in the Home, a comedy by renowned Canadian playwright Norm Foster, marks Dancing Sky Theatre’s return to its home stage for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic forced a shutdown of theatres across Canada. The show follows the flamboyant Jonas and curmudgeonly Barry, two at-odds men in a senior’s home coming to terms with the realities of aging in their own ways.
Abbey Thiessen, who plays Barry’s daughter Rosie in the production, said the return to the stage was refreshing.
“It’s like breathing again,” Thiessen said. “Everyone has brought such energy into the rooms, and there’s such excitement about seeing people onstage. It’s like breathing — it’s an exciting, wonderful, necessary thing.”
Artistic director Angus Fergus said he’s excited to be working on a full play after such a long hiatus.
“I think people are really aching to have the community experience again,” Ferguson said. “We’re doing everything we can to make people feel … confident that they can come back.”
While the physical theatre in Meacham has been devoid of performances for more than two years, Dancing Sky has not been dormant. Since early 2020, the company has produced a few live shows — all taking place outdoors to both ensure that both audience members and performers could enjoy the experience safely, and to comply with provincial public health orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Jonas and Barry in the Home, Ferguson said the theatre will be asking for proof of vaccination and masking from audience members during weekend matinees. For the evening shows, those precautions will be encouraged but not required.
“It’s really great, to be able to invite people back,” Ferguson said. “Everything’s always funnier if you laugh with other people.”
Dancing Sky Theatre’s upcoming show features Saskatchewan actors Blaine Hart and Kent Allen playing the titular characters Jonas and Barry, respectively. While Hart and Allen have both been involved in Dancing Sky shows before, Thiessen’s turn as Barry’s daughter Rosie is their debut with the company.
A self-proclaimed fan of rural theatre, Thiessen said she’s immensely excited to be on stage with this company for the first time — and said this comedy is the perfect way to invite an audience back into the theatre space.
“You’ll smile until your face hurts,” she said. “You’ll leave feeling a little lighter. And after two years of a pandemic, we could all use a little lightness.”
Dancing Sky Theatre’s production of Jonas and Barry in the Home runs from April 29th to May 15th, 2022. You can purchase tickets online at dancingskytheatre.com.
