ROB MURRAY: The Pine Tree Players presents the Canmore Summer Theatre Festival, August 11th-22nd with two great shows, Twelfth Night and Minotaur, at the Canmore Rec Centre field. I’m joined by many members of the cast and crew. Let’s start with you, Lily.

LILY BURDEN: I play Valentine in Twelfth Night, and I am one of the nephews in monotone.

TM: I’m Tyler McClaron, and I get to direct the Minotaur play this year.

MH: Mira Hills, and I play Viola in Twelfth Night.

HW: Heidi Ward. I am Malvolio in Twelfth Night and King Minos in Minotaur.

SR: I am Shelby Reinitz, and I’m directing Twelfth Night.

IP: I am Isabella Pedersen and I play Olivia in Twelfth Night.

RM: Tyler, what can you tell us about Minotaur?

TM: This is our family offering for the Canmore Summer Theatre Festival this year. A lot of people might be familiar with the Minotaur story of Theseus having to go into the labyrinth. This one deals with that, but also deals with the battling of the inner demons inside ourselves that we all need to do in order to achieve our full realization of self.

RM: I read the script for this one; I was on the play selection committee. I remember thinking “This is a really cool script. I have no idea how they’re going to pull this off with some of these technical effects in an outdoor theater space.” Has that been a challenge?

TM: We had to look at different options for lighting, for making people appear and disappear on stage, but we’ve definitely found some creative ways to get around that. We’re incorporating some dance, a lot of movement, some puppets as well. You know I love puppets, Rob! It’s finding some interesting ways to bend those options in this outdoor festival space.

RM: Shelby, tell us a little bit about Twelfth Night.

SR: Twelfth Night is one of the classic Shakespearian comedies. The play, which has always been synonymous I think with gender identity, is taking on a further exploration into that area because our cast is all female and non-binary.

RM: Is that one of the ways that you’ve adapted Shakespeare to modern times?

SR: I think so. It’s taking some of the important parts of the story that, while they still do resonate, it just kind of takes it to another level. It’s really timely to be putting forth new ways of interpreting classics and incorporating them into issues that are very important for our world today.

RM: Lily, have you been involved in theater before here in the Bow Valley?

LB: This is my first time with Pine Tree. It’s very exciting and I’m having a lot of fun figuring out all of the behind the scenes and the acting.

SR: Lily is also the Dance Captain for Twelfth Night.

LB: I figure skate, but I also pick up choreo and stuff like that very quickly. Alysse was kind of like “You are perfect!”

SR: Our show is set in the Regency period, so we felt like some of those big Regency ballroom style dances would be really cool to incorporate, and why not do it?

RM: Isabella, I think the first time I ever saw you on stage, you must have been like, I don’t know, six years old or seven years old? You were a Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.

IP: Oh my gosh, I’m flashing back. Just here in town at the Lizzie Rummel school.

RM: You’ve done a lot of theatrein your childhood and youth here, you’ve done some traveling, now you’re back in town. How does it feel to be back in the local area?

IP: It feels like coming home. It’s very fascinating to see how theatre shifts and adjusts depending on the country that you’re in. I got started in theatre here and it feels very natural to get back into it again in the Bow Valley.

RM: How does it feel to actually be going live on stage again?

IP: Honestly, a little magical. That is the magic of theatre. It responds to the energy of the people who are in this space with you. For me, that was something that was really difficult to replicate through Zoom, or even through film or television. It’s theatre that really has that intangible quality.

RM: Mira, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got involved with the Pine Tree Players.

MH: I got involved the first festival ever three or four years ago. I always wanted to go back to it because I had a great time doing it. When I heard it was Twelfth Night, I really wanted to do it because Twelfth Night is one of my favorite Shakespeare shows.

RM: Heidi, what’s the experience been like for you?

HW: Fabulous. The Summer Theatre Festival has so many moving parts and so many different aspects to it that there’s cool things to learn, be a part of, and experience. I kind of can’t get enough. I guess you could say.

RM: Who would you recommend both of these shows for?

HW: Everybody who loves storytelling and fun, and excitement and comedy. I think there’s something for everyone in both shows for people of all ages.

RM:. Minotaur at 1:00 PM and Twelfth Night at 6:30 PM, starting August 11th and running on select dates until the 22nd. Ticket details online, and please note there’s a new venue for the Canmore Summer Theatre Festival this year. They’re at the football field by the Canmore Rec Centre and Canmore Collegiate High School. Lily, Tyler, Mira, Heidi, Shelby, and Isabella, thanks so much for joining me on the show today.

Filed under: Canmore, Pine Tree Players