Victoria Playhouse Petrolia on Greenfield Street. May 2014. (Photo by Google Maps)Victoria Playhouse Petrolia on Greenfield Street. May 2014. (Photo by Google Maps)
Sarnia

Curtain to rise again at Victoria Playhouse Petrolia

Performers will grace the stage once again at Victoria Playhouse Petrolia (VPP) in front of an audience this fall.

Reopening plans have been announced, along with a new welcome back show called Songs We Love.

"This is going to be a big celebration of songs we love. Everything from the very first season in 2012 to now, and also what's coming up in 2022," said Co-Artistic Director David Hogan. "It's going to be fast, we're going to do a lot of medleys so that we can get everyone's favourite song in there."

Songs We Love will feature VPP performers Alex Baerg, Michael Vanhevel, Jennifer Walls, and Mark Payne. The show is scheduled to run from September 7 until October 3.

"We're buzzing with energy! We're so excited," said Hogan. "We're pumped, ready to go into rehearsal. [It's] a small ounce of normalcy."

Plans for reopening include a smaller audience than usual with safety measures in place. Seating arrangements will allow for physical distancing between groups, guests will have different entry times, and shows will be open to up to 150 guests.

In regards to the performers, Hogan said the majority of rehearsals will be held outdoors and all members have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Despite a quick turnaround, Hogan said getting into rehearsal mode was easy and the biggest challenge was getting everything sorted out with the box office.

"We've been waiting in the wings so we're ready. We've been producing, we've got a set going, we've got costumes... we're ready," he said.

Tickets for Songs We Love are currently on sale and can be obtained by calling the box office at 1-800-717-7694 or emailing boxoffice@petrolia.ca.

Looking ahead to future programming, plans are underway for the 2021 holiday season. Hogan said they're currently waiting to see how many people can be invited to the theatre.

"Hopefully, by November or December, all restrictions will be lifted and we can have full houses," he said. "We're still waiting to see what kind of show we can produce … One hundred people at a show versus 400 is a different budget, it's a different show."

Patrons who had tickets for the 2020 holiday show will be contacted in the coming weeks.

Those who had tickets for postponed 2020/2021 shows will be contacted in the coming months. The following shows have been moved to 2022: The Roaring Twenties, On Golden Pond, Dynamic Duos, The Power of Song 2: Divine Women, When Irish Eyes are Smiling, and Wingfield: Lost & Found.

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