Family duos, musical hijinks and small-town humour collide in Pine Tree Players’ production of Bob’s Your Elf.
Bob is a grumpy, surly elf who’s banished by the Big Guy to the small town of Thithelville to learn a much-needed lesson in teamwork. It’s there that Bob meets the lovesick librarian, the power-mad stage manager and the goofy amateur actors who are attempting to stage their own Christmas mash-up of a pageant. With such a plot, what could possibly go wrong, with Pine Tree Players’ upcoming production of Bob’s Your Elf?
A lot, as it turns out.
Mix a Santa in blue, with four not-so-wise men, a choir that doubles as a barbershop quartet singing Jingle Bells, two parents acting alongside their offspring, and a few Wizard of Oz costumes and you have the makings of a wonderful farce.
“I’ve always loved Norm Foster’s work,” says director Pam Belanger, explaining why this play was selected. “It fits the bill — I was looking for something that would make people laugh, connect with the community . . . something that would give our cast a chance to have fun while telling a story with real soul.”
Loaded with physical, chaotic comedy, this snappy “play captures that mix of good intentions, human imperfection and holiday spirit perfectly,” adds Belanger. “Anyone who needs a dose of holiday cheer and wants something musical, colourful, festive and fun will love Bob’s Your Elf.”
Director Pam Belanger and musical director Larissa Schumacher lead a rehearsal with the elves on October 29, 2025 at the Miners’ Union Hall.
Staging such a production, however, is not all fun and games. Designing a portable set (the play is also being performed at The Pomeroy in Kananaskis on Dec. 18-21) presented unique challenges. “Both stages are different sizes,” explains set designer Liv Witkowski, “plus, we had to make sure what we built was small enough to transport to Kananaskis. In the end, I decided to make only some portions travel to the new location so that we didn’t have to rebuild the entire set.”
Besides the adorable elf costumes, costume designer Maxine Bennett loves the “silliness of the blue Santa suit,” and feels lucky that some of the Wizard of Oz costumes that were used this past summer were the perfect fit for this production.
L-R: Musical director Larissa Schumacher works with the choir of elves – Stella McDonald, Emma Mulheran, Dyllan Parney, and Craig Lindsay.
What would a Christmas production be without a few jolly tunes? Musical director Larissa Schumacher says the six choir members are joined by the entire cast for two of the eight songs in the play. “One of the challenges was finding singers who could act, had a great stage presence and energy,” she says. “The talent we found in the Bow Valley was incredible.”
One of the production’s most heart-warming touches are its parent-child duos. Both Courtney Michele and Brian McDonald share the stage with their 14-year-old daughters.
Longtime Pine Tree actor, McDonald, who plays Gordon Ford in the play, sings a quartet with his daughter Stella (Dewey Dink). “Music has been a big part of both our lives,” he says. “It’s really nice to sing together — and to see how she’s been able to build an interesting character without any dialogue by adding her own entertaining ideas. I am so proud.”
Michele knows exactly how McDonald feels, when she sees her daughter Dyllan onstage, playing the role of Billie.
It’s very special to share a mutual goal that we are both excited about. I love how funny and random her improv moments are. And to see her confidence grow with her acting and singing abilities is so satisfying.
As Belanger reminds us, few other Canadian playwrights capture small-town humour and heart better than Norm Foster. Bob’s Your Elf is a tender and quirky look at a holiday that offers a little something for everyone — and does it get any more Canadian than that?
Showtimes: November 19-22 & 27-29, 2025 @ 7:30 p.m.| November 23 @ 2:00 p.m.
Where: Miners’ Union Hall | Canmore
Purchase tickets here
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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.
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