Sometimes at Pine Tree Players — when you’re not quite off book or up all night sewing costumes — it can feel like every day is “theatre day”. Officially, however, March 27 marks World Theatre Day, and to make theatre even more accessible, Pine Tree Players is offering a three-day, 20% discount off its upcoming production, The Importance of Being Earnest.
We think Willem Dafoe, this year’s champion and speaker for World Theatre Day, would approve.
Pine Tree Players’ first ever production, The Bad Children, in July 1978.
Now artistic director of The Venice Theatre Biennale, Dafoe’s message — to be read on Friday to tens of thousands of spectators around the globe — likens the role of theatre to a catalyst, one that challenges “how we think and encourages us to imagine what we aspire to.”
L-R: Maxine Bennett, Austin Schelstraete, Candise McMullin, and Craig Lindsay in Little Shop of Horrors, April 2024.
In referring to the “elephant in the room” (new technologies), Dafoe says, “some technology can serve us well but the problem of not knowing who’s on the other end of the circle of communication runs deep and contributes to a crisis of truth and reality. While the internet can raise questions, it very seldom captures a sense of wonder that theatre creates. A wonder based in attention, engagement and a spontaneous community of those present in a circle of action and response.”
To all theatre patrons who have supported Pine Tree Players over the years, we salute you with a few numbers that help tell our story:
176
Productions have been staged, since PTP began in 1978.
49
Number of cast and crew in PTP’s biggest production ever, Young Frankenstein.
1
1 cast member (plus 4 crew) in PTP’s smallest production, The Ballad of Georges Boivin.
1,037
Total number of actors who have performed with PTP.
107
Children who’ve starred in a PTP show, since 2018 (15 on average per year).
19
Live audio and/or relaxed performances, since 2021.
60
Comedies
10
Musicals
5
Mysteries
As Dafoe reminds us, today’s challenge for theatre makers is to “connect peoples, communities, cultures and above all to question where we are going. Through storytelling, aesthetics, language, movement, scenography — theatre as a total art form can make us see what was, what is and what our world could be.”
Don’t forget to take a peek at Oscar Wilde’s world in The Importance of Being Earnest and buy your discounted tickets today. Consider it our gift to you on World Theatre Day.
Showtimes: April 15-18 & 23-25, 2025 @ 7:30 p.m.| April 19 @ 2:00 p.m.
Where: Miners’ Union Hall | Canmore
The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is packed with razor-sharp wit, mistaken identities, and delightfully absurd romance.
When two charming bachelors invent alter egos to escape social obligations, their double lives collide in a whirlwind of love, lies, and cucumber sandwiches. Featuring some of theatre’s most unforgettable characters, including the formidable Lady Bracknell, this timeless classic skewers Victorian society with elegance and hilarity.
Don’t miss Pine Tree Players’ fast-paced, laugh-out-loud production of one of theatre’s most celebrated comedies.
Deb Cummings
About the Author: Deb Cummings is a retired journalist (mostly) who is terrified to sit in the front row of any theatre for fear of being called up on stage. She does, however, have aspirations to be a doo- wop girl (although she can’t sing) and spends a surprising amount of time watching plays or reading books that normalize the mortifying experience of being human.
Theatre Smarts — World Theatre Day
Each year, on March 27, a world-renowned figure is invited to craft a message on the theme of theatre and a culture of peace. This year’s message comes from acclaimed actor and theatre maker Willem Dafoe, emphasizing theatre as a vital, "living encounter" that fosters connection, questions our direction, and resists being reduced to mere entertainment or commercial distraction in a divided world.
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