Up until 1963, Cambrian Players was known as the Port Arthur Community Players when it began in 1949. Cambrian has always been in existence as "Theatre for the love of it!" meaning that volunteers put on the shows. However, the key people involved in the productions are experienced, and although they will take on novices, as Richard Pepper, the president of Cambrian points out, "We always have open auditions, but we would never give the role of Hamlet to a novice. We'll give the lead role to the experienced actor. And we never have an inexperienced director. Directors always have a number of productions under their belt." With around 50 volunteers on every production, "we aim for professional standards – all state of the art lighting, stage sets, stage design, etcetera. We never put up cardboard sets. It's got to be real theatre," says Richard. "We're not professional (unpaid), but we're experienced."
The season begins on November 11, Remembrance Day at the Paramount Theatre with, You'll get used to it: The War Show, by Peter Colley and directed by Lawrence Badanai. The story involves half a dozen soldiers in WWII who experience the battles of Dieppe and D-Day. As of Nov. 11 it will be the 100th anniversary of WWI and the 75th for WWII. The play combines humour and pathos, and although it does not skimp on revealing the horrors of war, the violence is presented symbolically. The cast of 28 will sing, but it's not a musical. They will be singing classic WWII songs like, The White Cliffs of Dover and In der Fuehrer's Face, a combination of the sentimental with a bit of the rude.
Shows run from Wednesday to Saturday for about two weeks – two long weekends. Weeknights cost $10 for everyone, weekends are $20 for adults while seniors and students pay $15.
As an adjunct to their more serious productions, many of the same gang is involved in the Cambrian Players Improv Group, affectionately known as C-PIG. They pop up in different venues all over town from September through till June. Please check their Facebook page for times and locations.
