Bringing back the grill set from earlier in the season with a bit of Christmas magic, Swamp Donkey Theatre is presenting an original Christmas musical written by two of its very own staff members.
“Every year we sort of do a varying take on kind of a wholesome show about the importance of community and the meaning of Christmas, being with community and people that you love, and holding on to some tradition,” said Melanie Baux, artistic director at the theatre and co-writer of the play. “We usually add some comedy and some good Christmas songs.”
Baux, together with the theatre founder and president, Trisha Dawn Gizen, wrote their third play for the theatre company this year called Christmas at the Creekside Grill.
Playing off an earlier musical this season which was set at the Spitfire Grill, this show is set at the Creekside Grill.
The writing process of the play began in the summer with some ideas and the creation of a play outline, Baux said.
Together, Baux and Gizen, spent a night in a hotel to get away from life in order to buckle down and write the play.
Set in a small town, the play features a conflict with a bigger corporation that comes to impose on the traditions of this small town, Baux explained. The plot follows cast members being stranded at the grill over Christmas, and in the end, the cast finds the Christmas spirit together.
“It’s like a little Hallmark movie but a musical,” she said.
Baux said the show is written specifically for the cast, highlighting each cast member’s personality through their character.
Once it was written, they added unique songs that suit different scenarios.
“There's musical theater, there's some country, some pop music, a couple of traditional carols,” Baux said. “You get a really wide variety.”
The cast itself is made up of nine youth and nine adults from Cochrane, Redwood Meadows, Bragg Creek and area, as well as Calgary and Canmore.
Youth taking part in this Christmas musical are fresh off their Willy Wonka production, which Baux said was an incredible show featuring 24 youth cast members. The shows completely sold out even after adding seating.
Many of the youth in Willy Wonka have been part of the Swamp Donkey Theatre for years, she said, which can be seen in the quality of the performances.
Since the company’s youth program ended on Nov. 25, cast members only had two and a half weeks to put the Christmas show together.
“We handed out the script and the music and I had recorded all the parts so that people could be practicing at home,” Baux said. “[Then] when we got to rehearsal, everyone was sort of ready to hit the ground running.”
Baux said while it’s a fast turnaround, it has come together every year and she has no doubt it will come together this year.
This Christmas performance is meant to make people come and feel good and ready for Christmas, she said.
“It sort of speaks to the community of the theater,” Baux said. “It’s set in a Grill, but we talk about the community that we've built and the people who are important around us.”
She said this is a metaphor for the community the Theatre company has built.
Tickets to Christmas in the Creek can be found at swampdonkeytheatre.ca. Baux said tickets are still available and selling well. Performances are scheduled Dec. 15 through Dec. 17 at 7 p.m.
