Even with the unpredictable extreme weather events that climate change has wrought, it’s a pretty safe bet that snow won’t fall on Port Hope in August.
That picturesque lakeside community has that in common with the fictional community of Kringle, Ontario, where the town reeve has hatched a tourism development plan that has Christmas at its centre — not just in December, but all year round.
With the townspeople fully on side, all is good until a heat wave melts away early enthusiasm for the plan. That’s when things get really interesting and hilarious in Christmastown, the fourth and final main stage theatrical production of the Capitol Theatre’s summer season.
Written by celebrated Canadian playwright Briana Brown, Christmastown is making its world premiere at the historic theatre in Port Hope, opening Friday, August 16th and continuing to Sunday, September 1st.
Directed by Capitol Theatre artistic director Rob Kempson, the farce — billed as being about “making magic all year long” — stars Christy Bruce, Alison Deon, Deborah Drakeford, Darrel Gamotin, Adrian Shepherd-Gawinski, and Mirabella Sundar Singh.
Brown, who holds a master’s degree in creative writing from the University of British Columbia, admits to being “a little fascinated by Christmas.”
“I never had the kind of Christmas you see in movies or on TV,” she recalls. “I’m an only child. My dad was an only child too. There were a couple of other family members early on, but they (family Christmas gatherings) were always quite small.”
Kringle, says Brown, is reflective of her upbringing in a small town outside of Bayfield on the eastern shore of Lake Huron in southwestern Ontario.
“Kringle is one those smaller towns that’s struggling,” she explains. “It used to get a lot of traffic with people on their way through to get to a beach area, but there’s a new highway and everybody avoids it now. So, they’re trying to use the town’s name and see if they can drum up some tourism or a reason for people to start coming back. They have decided that a 24/7 Christmas town is the way to go about it.”
The playwright used her own small-town experiences to lend authenticity to the fictional town.
“There are a lot of bits and pieces of real-life people,” Brown says. “You do collect experiences and characteristics. The location — a gas bar/convenience store/restaurant/dry cleaning service — existed when I was growing up; that sort of hub of activity with all the different things that could be happening at the same time. That multi-use space seems like a great setting for a comedy; a place where so many worlds collide and there’s a lot of action going on.”
Brown has no fears that a Christmas-themed play will be a tough sell in August.
“Part of the reason it actually makes sense is because, in the script, it takes place in August,” she says. “They’ve embarked on this big idea when they’re two weeks into a heat wave. All of the people on stage have their Christmas costumes rolled up or half off because they’re exceptionally hot.”
“The time of year really works for it. It is this idea of how do you sustain Christmas magic at a time when it doesn’t at all feel Christmas-y?”
Brown adds the staging of a play set in a small town is right at home in Port Hope.
“One of the reasons he (Rob Kempson) programmed it is because Port Hope has a real affinity for Christmas,” she says, adding “They do a lot of things around that time of year and are really into it, so he thought it would be a good fit.”
“Rob and I have worked together a number of times. I actually directed a show that he wrote and performed in, and he has directed another of my plays. It’s wonderful to have that history and that kind of trust with a collaborator.”
“It is my first time working with the Capitol. Everyone has been so welcoming. Port Hope is so beautiful. I’m really excited to be able to spend a few weeks there. I feel very lucky.”
Brown, whose playwriting credits include The Concessions (nominated for a Jessie Richardson Award for Outstanding Original Script), A Funeral Party (a finalist for the Safe Words National Play Award) and Cassandra, is thrilled that her play is making its world premiere, but notes that also means there is still work to be done during rehearsals.
“I’m going to be making slight changes here and there to the script,” she explains. “Theatre is meant to be performed. You do your best in the writing of it, but if there’s an actor that keeps getting a line stuck in their mouth in the same way five times, you’re like ‘That’s probably my fault. I’ll address that for you.'”
“It’s exciting but it’s also a little bit scary, but in the best way possible. I’m so excited about the cast. I’ve met five of the six of them who performed in workshops of the script. Everybody is amazing. But with comedy, there’s nothing better than sitting in an audience and hearing people laughing, and knowing that you are part of why that is.”
Brown says Christmastown may be the most personal of the plays she has penned, what with her growing up in a town not unlike Kringle and having moved back to a small town from Toronto a few years back.
“Every play you write has bits of you that you’re revealing to the world,” she assesses, adding “There are a couple of storylines in this one that are quite close to me, and to some recent experiences I’ve had.”
With rehearsals well underway, Brown says she’s open to suggestions from Kempson and the cast in terms of how her play is presented.
“I definitely think the people I’m working with are putting the story first in all of the choices that they make,” she says. “Having the history and respect that I have for Rob (Kempson) makes it a little easier to be open. You get a lot of feedback as a playwright, especially through the development process. “It’s really important to take a step back and ask ‘Does this serve the script?'”
Once the play opens, Brown says “If audiences have a great time and laugh a lot,” that will tell that her play, and how it was presented, was a success.
“But maybe also shed a tear or two, or felt touched. That they recognized themselves, or someone they know, in some small way. It’s both the comedy and the connection. Those are the big things I try to make sure an audience experiences.”
But, she notes, there’s another benchmark she’ll be looking for.
“I’m knocking on wood here, but it would be great if this play has a longer life after this production. I’ve had a few productions of each play I’ve written. Getting programmed in multiple communities would be really amazing.”
Behind the scenes of Christmastown, Kat Chin is stage manager with Jeff Soucy assisting. Sound design is by Jeff Newberry, lighting design is by Jareth Li, and Anna Treusch is the set and costume designer.
Sponsored by Part Time CFO Services, Christmastown runs for 19 performances from August 16 to September 1, with shows at 7:30 p.m. on August 16 and 17, August 22 to 24, and August 29 to 31 and 2 p.m. matinees on August 18, August 20 to 22, August 24 and 25, August 27 to 29, and August 31 and September 1.
The opening performance on August 16th is pay what you can ($5 to $50), with tickets for subsequent performances costing $48 ($40 for those under 30). A “Shop, Dine & Show Package” package, which includes vouchers redeemable at participating downtown restaurants and retail shops, is also available for $70.
Brown will also be sitting down with Kempson for a special “playwright in person” conversation at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, August 27th, where she will discuss the inspiration behind Christmastown, her own appreciation for small-town living, and the process of going from page to stage as a playwright. The cost is free for subscribers or $5 general admission.
Tickets for Christmastown are available at the Capitol Theatre’s box office in person at 20 Queen Street (open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday), by phone at 905-885-1071, or online at capitoltheatre.com, where you can also order tickets for the August 27th “playwright in person” event.
