Get your tickets for the Chemainus Theater Festival production of Glory: I dare you.
The theater continues to find its stride after a two-year layoff for COVID with its best show yet this year in Glory, written by Tracey Power.
The small cast of five performed to a relatively sparse crowd on opening night on Friday, September 16, but this show deserves a much larger audience, as indicated by the enthusiastic standing ovation at the end. .
Glory is destined to be a Canadian classic that I predict will still be performed decades from now, alongside other beloved Canadiana tunes.
The storyline is based on the powerful true story of the Preston Rivulettes, a legendary women’s ice hockey team that won four national (Canadian) championships and 10 Ontario titles between 1931 and 1940.
It’s everything and nothing you thought women’s hockey would be all those decades ago. It’s a story of audacity: daring to be different, daring to break down barriers, daring to step out of what women were supposed to be at that time.
It’s only fitting that the phrase “I dare you” repeats itself throughout this complex and beautiful storyline, with characters saying it to drive the action and each other in completely unexpected directions.
The text gives us a window into four of the actors: Helen Schmuck, played by Kate Dion-Richard, Marm (Margaret) Schmuck, played by Becky Frohlinger, Hilda Ranscombe, played by Emma Rendell, and Nellie Ranscombe, played by Morgan Yamada.
What makes it so successful is that each of the characters is equally well developed, with a gripping storyline and plenty of meat for the actors to sink into the drama.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not just sturm and drang. There’s a lot of humor and warmth with the emotional punch, leaving the audience feeling like these women are old friends.
This is aided by the four powerful performances given by the actors in this perfectly cast set.
Rarely have I seen a cast so well matched in their skill level and every performance is superb under the capable direction of James MacDonald.
Brian Linds as Coach Herb Fach rounds out the stellar cast, hitting all the right notes.
But how do we stage hockey?
With careful choreography that brings the dynamics of an ice hockey game from the rink to the stage. Choreographer Tracey Power managed to perfectly capture the feeling of being on the ice and the cut and thrust of the game with a kind of stylized dance. Emma Rendell in particular manages to capture the sensation of skating through her movements.
It is aided by the channeling of a hockey game-by-game announcer, which serves to not only lay out the flow of the game, but also to not let the audience forget that we were transported to a period of time before the women are taken seriously in many professions, perhaps especially in sport.
This and the addition of intermittent radio shows demonstrate the occasional sexism and racism of the time which is beautifully juxtaposed by down-to-earth portrayals of women, who are clearly nobody’s “dolls” who are too fragile for the game.
It also brings an ominous element that subtly runs through the room – this is the build-up to WWII, after all.
Narda McCarroll’s incredible set design also deserves praise and takes us straight into a cavernous ice rink, the locker room, the shoe factory and even a train. Its ingenuity is impressive.
Glory is a bold and unflinching look at four women, a game and a period in Canadian history that shaped the present.
I dare you to think Canada’s history is boring after watching this show.
Book your tickets at cmainustheatre.ca or by calling 250-246-9820. Hurry: This show only airs until October 9 and you don’t want to miss it.
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