Sask. theatre group giving back to Saltcoats through performance series

WATCH: A Saltcoats drama club puts on a play for the community each year. Sierra D’Souza Butts has more on this year’s production.

The Laketown Players are performing another original play in Saltcoats, Sask. called “Flanagan’s Peacock” beginning Feb. 6.

Every year, the group performs a play for the community, while raising funds to support local projects.

Writer and director Stephen Farquharson shared why this year’s production is unique.

“My daughter wrote a short story for a university class called ‘The Flanagan Farm Peacock’ and it was a really good story,” Farquharson said.

“I enjoyed it and thought it would make a terrific play. She gave me permission and I adapted it into a play for our group.”

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Without giving away any spoilers, Farquharson provided some details about the play’s storyline.

“There’s a couple of con artists that come to a small town,” he explained.

“They are fooling all of the citizenry of Ballinlough - which means the Laketown in Irish – but there is a peacock that acts like a guard dog for one of the farmers nearby. The peacock senses something is wrong with these folks.”

The theatre group has been going strong for almost 20 years. Through their various productions, they have raised $300,000 – donating their profits to initiatives such as the town hall, regional park, Saltcoats Fire Department, the historic cemetery revitalization project, as well as the school.

“[Laketown Players] helps so many different projects in Saltcoats over the years,” voiced Grant Bjornerud, who has been part of the group for four years.

“It’s been fantastic, and this is my hometown so it’s always nice to come back home and help with that.”

Another cast member said she decided to join the club because of her background in theatre.

“I got personally connected to this one because Stephen, who’s our playwright and director, he was my drama teacher in high school,” Christa Schmelinsky explained. “I came out to Saltcoats and tried it out, I absolutely loved it and had to come back for a second time.”

From the small town of roughly 500 people, about 100 volunteers from the area come together to put on the weekend production.

“Everybody here loves what they’re doing, and you can see everyone’s quite passionate about what they’re doing and they’re happy to be here. It’s a really positive environment,” Schmelinsky added.

Although three out of four shows have already sold out, Laketown Players say tickets are still available for their Sunday, Feb. 9th performance.