ON STAGE
What: Gruff
Where: Various locations
When: Aug. 26 through Sept. 6
Tickets: Free
Reservations:
Kaleidoscope Theatre For Young People hit the road Saturday to kick off three weeks of free performances of Gruff, the company鈥檚 first touring production in over a decade and the first outdoor performance in its 46-year history.
Four socially-distanced performances for audiences of 40 patrons were held over the weekend at Dominion Brook Park in North Saanich, which served as the de facto kick-off to the company鈥檚 in-limbo 2020-21 season. 鈥淩ight now, we鈥檙e using these to test the waters so see what is possible,鈥� said Kaleidoscope Theatre鈥檚 executive director, Pat Rundell.
鈥淲e haven鈥檛 been a touring theatre company in over 10 years, so it鈥檚 a chance for us to re-learn and see what鈥檚 possible.鈥�
Gruff 鈥� a Puente Theatre production commissioned by Kaleidoscope Theatre in 2013 鈥� will be remounted with a pair of hour-long performances at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Filter Beds area of Beaver Lake Park. Additional free performances will be held at the site twice daily through Sunday, followed by additional performances at Ed MacGregor Park in Sooke (Sept. 3) and Government House (Sept. 4-6).
Several months of preparation wet into planning the puppet musical for families directed by Mercedes B谩tiz-Ben茅t, who co-wrote Gruff with playwright Judd Palmer. The all-star assembly includes stars Jana Morrison, Trevor Hinton and Rundell, with music by Brooke Maxwell, who co-wrote with Palmer the lyrics about two goats and a troll and the battle for friendship and environmental preservation.
鈥淚t has definitely been strange creating theatre in this environment and having to implement new safety protocols, not only for our actors but also our audience. But this show lends itself perfectly to its time as the actors perform in full face masks. They are distanced the entire time.
The musical was not initially part of the company鈥檚 2020-21 season, but was a late addition when all planned Kaleidoscope Theatre shows were postponed when the McPherson Playhouse was shuttered in March. Rundell is unsure, at this point, what the future will entail, but he鈥檚 definitely looking at the success of Gruff and how that will impact upcoming Kaleidoscope Theatre productions in the COVID-19 era.
鈥淚f all the stars align, I would love to see a show up by Halloween, if not by Christmas. It鈥檚 really exciting to have Kaleidoscope Theatre back in the community. I think there is such a need for entertainment, especially live ent. There has been so much screen time, being able to offer something in person for kids and families is amazing.鈥�
