Mooseberry Acting Company performing Sandy Toes and Salty Kisses in April
February 10, 2025, 1:48 pm
Ryan Kiedrowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Mooseberry Acting company is working on a spring play, which will run April 4-6. This time, the group takes on a Michael and Susan Parker production from 2019, “Sandy Toes and Salty Kisses.”
Sheilagh Garrett and Phil Hamm are co-directors, and Garrett provided a brief synopsis of the play.
“The Lovers’ Landing Beach Hotel, a popular wedding destination, has acquired a certain mystique,” Garrett noted. “Recently inheriting the hotel from her late father, Audrina Brown quickly discovers that her Uncle Bubba, the hotel manager, is running a variety of “extra-curricular activities” (all illegal) on the property. Together, they are convinced a guest at the hotel is an undercover agent investigating the hotel. Mayhem ensues!”
The cast features a mix of returning Mooseberry actors, plus a couple new faces. Darby Yakiwchuk as (Willberforce ‘Bubba’ Brown), Bobbie McLaughlin (as Audrina Brown), Amanda Selby (as Beatrice Rutherford-Smythe), Karly Fregin-Gillis (as Traci Rutherford-Smythe), and Devin Nosterud (as Douglas Dupont) are back, welcoming newcomers Delany Frape (as Candy) and Graig Palmer (as Peter Mudd) to their first production with the company.
“We try to keep it really light-hearted,” Garrett said of the plays Mooseberry Acting Company chooses to perform. “We just want people to come out, laugh, and enjoy their evening. We have fun doing it, and we want our audience to have fun and enjoy the performance.”
There is a loose guideline to which plays they consider as well, often initially suggested by the actors.
“We want comedies, we want two acts, we want humorous plays,” Garrett explained. “I will read through the brief, and then sometimes order the whole play and look through it. I will do some research on YouTube to see if I can see a play that’s already been produced.”
Rehearsals for Sandy Toes and Salty Kisses have just begun, plus all the behind the scenes work with the stage crew.
“We have a great crew that have been around for a while, and new people that are always willing to help,” Garrett said, adding that additions to the Mooseberry Acting Company family are always welcome. “We want to create a venue for people who would like to be involved in something like this. So we don’t want it to be closed, we want it to be open. If you close something, you’re going to die. If we keep it open and keep getting new people coming in, it just makes it so much nicer.”
Legacy of theatre in Moosomin
Garrett says that there’s been an amateur acting group active in Moosomin almost since Moosomin became a community, but the Mooseberry Acting Company can trace its roots back to the 1980s with original director Phyl Henry.
“So many of those early members are no longer with us, but Mooseberry was pleased to have 90-year-old Bea Beckett, a member since the mid-eighties, help out in our play Too Many Cooks,” noted Garrett.
A constant thread through all Mooseberry productions is the spirit of positivity and playfulness.
“Mooseberry’s plays are intended to be fun,” Garrett said. “We encourage cast members to bring their own slant and humour to the roles and not to take things too seriously.”
Cast and crew spend vast amounts of time together leading up to a performance, becoming a close-knit theatre family.
“We went through a period about 12 years ago where Dr. Barrie Davidson, Hal Garrett and Phil Hamm were constantly required to ad-lib lines and actions because one of the others would deliberately mess up their cues!” Garrett said. “Our audiences know they come for the laughs. It’s just fun!”
As with many community groups, the pandemic five years ago threatened the future of the Mooseberry Acting Company, but persistence ensured the group carried on the local tradition.
“We had a gap during the Covid epidemic, but Phil pushed to get Mooseberry back on track and we have had two very successful performances since,” Garrett explained. “Once we were back into it, now we’re rolling again. The actors love getting out there and doing this.”
General interest in live theatre seems to ebb and flow, and Garrett believes theatre is currently riding a wave of popularity again.
“We find that we have more interest in people participating right now,” she said. “We went through a little spell, maybe 15 years ago, where some of our older members dropped off, and we didn’t have a lot of new members, but it has kind of turned around now. We have more people coming out and enjoying the shows and participating in the shows.”
Although most of the MAC audience tends to be local, Garrett says there’s often family and friends from Regina, Brandon and surrounding communities that do come to Mooseberry productions.
“We try to keep ticket prices low, with most of the revenue covering script, licensing and performing costs with the balance going to Moosomin Arts Council for rental and insurance of the theatre facility,” she said.
There’s also an added bonus with the Moosomin Community Band performing 30 minutes prior to each performance.
“It’s an opportunity for them, because they don’t have a lot of venues where they play, so it’s a great opportunity for them to come out and perform in front of the community,” Garrett said. “They’re so talented, and it’s wonderful to hear them play. We love having them, and we’re so glad we’ve partnered with them.”
Sandy Toes and Salty Kisses runs April 4 to 6 with evening shows on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm and a Sunday matinee at 2 pm at the Moosomin Community Theatre. Advance tickets are $20 and are available at the World-Spectator office, Conexus Credit Union, or from Mooseberry Acting Company cast members. Tickets are $22 at the door.
