Arts society to stage first-ever play

By Rob Vogt Local Press Writer
Be careful what you wish for.
When a socialite and novelist invites a medium to his house to conduct a séance, his motive is to gather material for his next book, but something else happens.
The ghost of his first wife appears, intent on disrupting his second marriage, and the fun really begins.
That is the back drop for “Blithe Spirit”, the first play the Claresholm Arts Society has ever put on.
The society has entertained local audiences for years with a wide range of musicals early each year.
“Blithe Spirit” will be the first play the society puts on when it takes the stage at the Claresholm Community Centre on May 26, 27 and 28.
Auditions for “Blithe Spirit” start Feb. 24 (tomorrow) and first-time director Isabella DeDominicis is excited about the production.
English Playwright Noel Coward wrote the play in six days in 1941, during the height of the Second World War, in part to get the minds of the British off the war for a few hours.
“It’s a very light, witty, fun and dry play,” DeDominicis said.
“Blithe Spirit” has seven roles, much smaller then the traditional musicals the arts society has been staging, which provides a different type of show.
“You can focus so much on character development,” DeDominicis said. “It’s going to be a really cool play.”
Although this is DeDominicis’ first turn in the director’s chair, she brings a variety of theatre experiences.
“I’ve been involved in the theatre since I was a kid,” she said.
That has included doing drama camps in Fort Macleod when she was younger to doing light and sound for Claresholm Arts Society productions.
She did the theatre tech for the Empress Theatre in Fort Macleod from 2015 until the COVID-19 pandemic shut it down.
DeDominicis also worked with Megan O’Brien, an old friend from Claresholm, on a production of William Shakespeare’s “The Twelfth Night” by the Prime Time Players in Canmore.
In her previous productions, she came in during the final month to do the set and lighting. Now she is there from the beginning.
“This is a very cool learning experience for me,” DeDominicis said.
Not only is “Blithe Spirit” the arts society’s first play, but also its first spring production.
DeDominicis encourages anyone to audition.
“You don’t have to sing,” she said with a smile. “If you’re interested in acting, come audition.
“It’s a fun experience.”
Anyone interested in auditioning can contact Dana McLeod at 403-625-6177.