Category: 22-23

This magically inventive comedy-drama will transport you back to a time when people struggled, even harder than today, to survive. The nearest hospital was days away and forceful weather, disease, work accidents, malnutrition, and childbirth could claim your life quickly. You will meet the hard working people of Daniel’s Harbour, an outport with a vast roadless community, whom Nurse Bennett must serve. She travels by foot, boat or dogsled, depending on the season. Some of her patients are stubbornly superstitious, while others are willing to learn from “the Nurse.” From those in robust good health to those in dreadful pain, all possess the grit, courage and humanity to sustain themselves and their neighbours through extremely hard times. Tempting Providence explores Bennett’s steely British resolve but also humour and compassion for all those Newfoundlanders she comes to know and care for. At the core of the play is the love story between her and her pragmatic husband, Angus.

MERCURY PLAYERS SHOW ASKS:  CAN A BAD SEED EVER GROW?

The Mercury Players are presenting Mrs. Reynolds and the Ruffian, a drama by Welsh Playwright Gary Owen , about a lonely but determined senior, trying to keep her neighbourhood clean and friendly, and the menacing young man who vandalizes her cherished garden and the local street.   When Mrs. Reynolds first agrees to let Jay (the Ruffian) work out his community “payback” by restoring her flowerbeds, there is much hostility on both sides.  However, human beings are complex and neither imagines the unlikely relationship that develops.

In a world where we often think only in tweets or headlines, Mrs. Reynolds and the Ruffian gives the audience an opportunity to look at the bigger picture and ask ourselves what happens when we try to break down barriers between people and get involved with each other’s struggles.  Is it worth it to try to help each other and improve the community?  It’s a story with hope.

Local actor Connor Lachmanec, who recently appeared with Shawnigan Players in The Crucible , plays the streetwise Jay, a troubled  youth who endured a  violent childhood.  Lachmanec sees the play  as “a universal story about redemption.  There’s a lot of intergenerational fighting nowadays.  So it’s cool to see the friendship between an older and younger person.  It’s also very relevant because, as the kids in the cast were telling us, there’s people doing (vandalism) like this -burning their high school bathrooms and stuff.  I think it resonates. “

While the play is a drama, there are lots of humorous moments too.  At a meeting with Mrs.  Reynolds, Jay scoffs to social worker, Cassie, (played by Julia Lalonde) “Where’d you get her, Antiques Roadshow?”

Also appearing in Mrs Reynolds and the Ruffian is Leslie Sanchez as Mrs. Reynolds, Dayna Corbett as Jay’s love interest, Mel, and  Cowichan Secondary School students Ella Dupuy and Presley Anderson, who play Jay’s delinquent pal, Kieran, at alternating performances.

Director, Mary Louise Phillips, states “For me personally, working with emerging talent from the school community is both a delight and an education.”  Phillips further remarks  ” …this play, with its young performers interpreting very contemporary adult themes, poses a challenge for them, for me, and the audience to explore new territory.”   

Warning:  Mrs. Reynolds and the Ruffian contains adult themes and strong language. May Not Be Suitable for All Ages

On December 21, 1988 PanAm Flight 103  crashed onto a residential street in Lockerbie, Scotland. Seven years later “The Women of Lockerbie” are still struggling to come to terms with the fallout from the Lockerbie Bombing. This is a fictional play inspired by the Lockerbie Laundry Ladies who laundered the passengers’ clothing so that it could be returned to the families of the dead. The play is presented with a chorus in the Greek Style of Theatre at the Duncan Showroom, 133 Station Street.

Madeline and Bill travel from New Jersey to Lockerbie, Scotland. Madeline, played by Megan Bourns, is hoping to find some physical piece of evidence that her son died in Lockerbie. Adrian Ingham as Bill is trying to come to terms with “Why”. Why did his son die? Why can his wife not find closure? Why? After attending a vigil in the town Madeline and Bill roam the nearby hills struggling to make sense of the loss of their son. Near the creek that flows down the hillside they encounter “The Women of Lockerbie”. 

Shawnigan Players regular Jan Ovans is Olive, a spry senior who has come into conflict with the officious American George Jones. Olive and her friends want to take possession of stored clothing items so that they can be laundered and returned to the families. The Chorus is played by Lisa Read, Bethanny Brooks, Margie Pringle and Shauna Clinging. George, played by Dan Leckey, has been tasked with storage and disposal of all items that were held for the investigation of the bombing. Olive is aided by Hattie, the feisty cleaning lady at the storage facility played by Lori Appleton.

Director Sylvia Swift is excited to be working with the Greek Style of theatre where the chorus helps to clarify the story and connect with the audience. To quote a director of the play “Evil only triumphs when you allow it to. The best way to combat it, is with fierce love, great acts of kindness and strength of community.