Submitted. Hosting your parents for a big dinner in an old, dilapidated farmhouse can be stressful enough, especially when your nine-months pregnant and you don’t exactly get along. Things can get really tricky when the labour pains strike and the parents are set to arrive any minute. Either things are going to go horribly wrong or they just might go terribly right. Such is the premise behind Gallery 7 Theatre’s latest play, Having Hope at Home, a hilarious comedy about family dynamics, babies and turkeys by Canadian playwright, David. S. Craig.
It’s the mother of all peace treaties: a formal family dinner. Carolyn has invited her estranged parents over to make peace. The table is laid, the turkey is in the oven and Carolyn has just gone into labour. In a valiant attempt to hide her labour pains from her parents, Carolyn struggles to maintain the façade of civility as she wrestles to find her place in the family. This hilarious comedy explores love, letting go and reconciling each other’s differences, all the while hoping against hope for a brighter tomorrow.
“Having Hope at Home is super-funny and a welcome anecdote to those pesky winter blues and post-Christmas blahs,” explains Executive/Artistic Director, Ken Hildebrandt. “The highly tense situation the characters find themselves in becomes the very catalyst they need to start working through some of their issues. The play has a lot of heart and an eclectic mix of likeable characters who are simply trying to make sense of themselves and their relationship with each other.”
Playing the role of Carolyn, the pregnant dinner host, is Colleen Plenert. Her sensitive and loving French-Canadian partner is played by Phil Dyck, while her parents are played by Larry Hamm and Carissa Boynton. Carolyn’s grandfather is played by John Dawson and newcomer, Sinziana Corozel, plays the mid-wife, Dawn.
Making her directorial debut at Gallery 7 Theatre is Becky MacDormand. MacDormand , who recently graduated from Trinity Western University, has already developed an impressive directing resume that includes productions of Crimes of the Heart, A Good Way Out, Eden Ablaze and Holy Mo!. She is supported by a highly-talented design team: set design is by Brian Ball, costume design is by Catrina Jackson, lighting design is by Philip Miguel and sound design is by Brittany Grant. The stage manager is Tanya Schwaerzle and production photographer is Dianna Lewis.
Having Hope at Home will run January 24 & 25, 30 – Feb. 1 and February 6 – 8, 2014 @ 7:30 PM with discount matinees January 25, Feb. 1 & 8 @ 2:00 PM at the MEI Auditorium, 4081 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford. Tickets for evening performances are $20 Adults, $18 Seniors & Students, $17 Groups (8+), $12 Children (12 & under) and $15 General and $12 Children for matinees. Tickets can be purchased at House of James, 2743 Emerson Street, Abbotsford (1-800-665-8828 or 604-852-3701) or online at www.gallery7theatre.com. For a preview please click here.
PHOTO CAPTION:
(left to right) Philip Dyck, Carissa Boynton, John Dawson, Colleen Plenert, Sinziana Corozel and Larry Hamm perform in Gallery 7 Theatre’s production of Having Hope at Home. Photo by Dianna Lewis, Creative Memory Studios.