Vernon theatre putting on first live shows in 20 months

Photo: Contributed

For the first time almost two years, the curtain will rise again at Vernon's Powerhouse Theatre.

The last time the theatre staged a live show was March 2020, as COVID restrictions shuttered the local venue for the past 20 months.

Bob Oldfield, Powerhouse Theatre board president, says two one-act plays, Gift from the Sea and Change of Heart, will be presented Oct. 20-31 with matinees Oct. 24 and 31.

Both plays were penned by local playwrights.

Change of Heart was written by Michael Poirier, who has also written numerous Vernon Winter Carnival shows and other productions.

The play tells the heartwarming story of two sisters forced to re-examine their relationship as they face the unknown.

“Mike is a prolific writer. He kindly donated one of his shows for us to use,” says Oldfield.

Gift from the Sea is a story based on a Celtic legend where seals transform into women who dance through the night. It was written by Cara Nunn, who also sits on the Powerhouse board of directors.

“She is a very creative lady and has written several shows,” says Oldfield. “This is an opportunity for her to have her work done on the Powerhouse stage.”

COVID measures will be in place for the shows, such as masks, passports and social distancing.

The theatre can hold just over 200 people, but only 100 tickets are being sold to keep in line with mandates from the province.

“We can't have a full house yet,” says Oldfield, adding the smaller productions were selected for the restarting of the theatre to keep costs down.

“We are also not sure about people's appetite for coming out to live theatre yet, so we are being a little low key and doing these two one-act shows.”

Tickets are available at ticketseller.ca or by calling 250-549-7469.