Maple Ridge theatrical company holding more auditions

Emerald Pig Theatrical Society is holding more auditions – this time for The Last Real Summer, written by Warren Graves.

Auditions for the production will run two days at the end of January in Pitt Meadows.

The Last Real Summer is about a woman named Elizabeth Wharton who returns home to rural Alberta and looks back on her youth in 1939 and 1945. Her memories come to life on stage including a relationship she had with a boy whose aspirations to leave his family farm leads him to enlist in the Air Force.

The Society describes the play as “touching, funny, and at times heartbreaking”.

”The Last Real Summer is a gorgeous period piece with plenty of room for strong actors to flex their muscles,” the society said on their website.

The author, Graves, was born in London, England, and moved first to Calgary 1964, and then to Edmonton with his wife and two children. He became a full-time writer in 1974.

The play is in two acts and has a cast of eight: three men and five women. It was first produced by Theatre3 in Edmonton in 1981.

Emerald Pig is casting for:

• Elizabeth Wharton, 58, who is a skillful and an emotionally energetic story teller, since she is narrating the play.

• Lizzie Tingley, a young Elizabeth Wharton, at the age of 17- and 21-years. Lizzie is spirited, vibrant, and is growing into a strong and determined young medical student. She falls in love with Douglas Cameron.

• Herbert Tingley, Elizabeth’s father, is 38-years-old and the school principal. This character is described as easy going and pleasant.

• Molly Tingley, Elizabeth’s mother, who is 36-years-old and from Ireland. So, the ability to mimic an Irish accent will be required for this role. She is strict and fussy, with a bit of a sense of fun.

• Douglas Cameron, at 17- and 21- years-old, in Elizabeth’s memories. He is a farmer’s son who wants more than a life of farming. Although he falls in love with Elizabeth, he eventually runs away to join the Air force. His character is described as playful, fun, and an adventurous dreamer.

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• Peggy Cameron is 36 and Douglas’ mother. She is a typical 1930’s farm wife who doesn’t like conflict and is always cleaning or mending something.

• Duncan Cameron is 38 and Douglas’ father – a farmer who is gruff and often angry. He served in the Second World War.

• Kathy Wharton, 33, and Elizabeth’s daughter, who joined her mother on her trip back home. This character creates breaks in the memories and brings the audience back to the present. She is less than happy with her life as a wife and mother and finds it unfulfilling.

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The Emerald Pig production is being directed by Angela Bell and is expected to be the theatrical society’s entry into the 2023 Fraser Valley Zone Festival of TheatreBC.

Open call auditions are being held on Wednesday, Jan. 25, from 7-9:30 p.m. at Heritage Hall, 12460 Harris Rd., in Pitt Meadows.

The second date is on Monday, Jan. 30, from 7-9:30 p.m., at the South Bonson Community Centre, 10932 Barnston View Rd., also in Pitt Meadows.

Callbacks will be by invitation from 11-2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4.

The production is set to hit the stage May 5-7 at the Albion Community Centre, 24165 104 Ave., in Maple Ridge, and May 12-14, at the South Bonson Community Centre, 10932 Barnston View Rd., in Pitt Meadows.

For more information email thelastrealsummer@gmail.com or go to emeraldpig.ca.