Kenneth Brown
of The Crossroads

The Eatonia Oasis Players are preparing for their first production in five years and there are still tickets available for one or two of the group’s performances.

The theatre group is doing three performances at the Eatonia Community Hall from Jan. 25 to 27. The Oasis Players will present their rendition of a play Suite Surrender written by Michael McKeever. It’s their first production since 2013.

A play was chosen for performances in 2014 but then the group’s long-time director Lenore Bailey was diagnosed with cancer. The group cancelled its 2014 production and went on a lengthy hiatus while Bailey fought the illness. The group is moving forward without its longtime director, who lost her battle.

Deanna Callsen, a cast member and first-time director, said she agreed to co-direct the play in 2014 with Bailey, but the play didn’t happen. She has done a lot of acting, but now she’s directing and “it feels really good to be back at it.”

The Saturday performance has sold out, but there were still tickets available as of Jan. 10 for the Thursday and Friday performances, according to Callsen. Contact Delia Massey at 306-967-7778 for ticket information.

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Callsen said it has been a bit overwhelming to get going after a five-year hiatus, but the annual theatre production is something the community and theatre group have been missing. It has also been challenging to direct while preparing for a role in the play, she explained.

There are nine cast members, with five newcomers to the group and four veteran cast members. Callsen said the group functioned as a well-oiled machine before the hiatus and even with a long break, members have come together to make it work.

She noted that the play takes place in an upscale hotel in Palm Springs, Fla., in 1942. The comedy is about two huge celebrities who are in Palm Springs to perform at a war benefit. Callsen said the play will tickle people’s funny bones.

“This is the funniest play we have ever done,” the director said. She said cast members are still having a hard time getting through a rehearsal without having to stop and laugh. “It is so funny.”

Callsen said she started reading through scripts and she was having a hard time picking a play. One of the veteran cast members suggested she take a look at the play Bailey had chosen for the group in 2014. She said Suite Surrender was the play and for the group, “it’s a really special tribute” to its former director. She said it’s an honour for her to do the play now.

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