Brush off your Stetsons and load your guns.
An ol’ fashioned spaghetti western spoof is coming to town.
On Jan. 20, Edmonton-based Accidental Humour Co. with Theatre Athabasca will present Cowboy: A Cowboy Story at the Nancy Appleby Theatre.
The five-person video-enhanced comedy show is set to bring actors from across small-town Alberta to the local stage.
“It’s basically Blazing Saddles, in the sense that you’re taking all the tropes of Western movies and jamming them into this very silly, over-the-top show,” said Kimberly Stadelmann, a core member of Accidental Humour Co. and the stage manager and costume designer for the upcoming production.
The story is about Cowboy, a man who rolls into a town, and while he is trying to assess what is going on, hilarity ensues.
Stadelmann said an element that makes the show stand out against your regular on-stage production is the video integration. She said there will be three screens showing pre-recorded clips between scenes, and at times the actors interact with them
“It’s not just a play. It’s not just a film. It’s integrated. It’s a little bit different,” she said.
Stadelmann, who is from Stettler, pointed out that most members of the troupe are from small-town Alberta themselves.
William Banfield, the actor who plays the prospector, is from Picture Butte – “well-known as the feedlot capital of Alberta,” he noted.. He said the members of the company saw many theatre and musical productions coming from outside of the province, though few came from within its borders.
“We felt it’s very important to bring art that was created in Alberta by Albertans to these smaller towns so they could see what their province is creating and be proud of the art that it’s creating,” he said. “And maybe even to inspire other people to take part in it and, you know, live in that field of dreams.”
He noted that an important part of making that art accessible in this show is the “talkback,” a question-and-answer period with the actors after the show.
“People don’t usually see things like it, they have a lot of questions, and it can be a lot of fun talking with the actors,” he said, adding that they will welcome any and all questions.
The Athabasca show is one stop the company is making while on a tour of Alberta, which also includes showings in Coronation, Consort, Kinsella, Morinville.
“We really do enjoy kind of taking it around and sharing our show with smaller communities because we all kind of remember that experience of getting to see something a little different,” said Stadelmann. “We really believe in bringing art made by Albertans to Alberta.”
Tickets are available for $18 in advance at Value Drug Mart or online at www.theatreathabasca.com, or at the door for $22.
