Judy Lavoie directing at a Kindersley Players rehearsal.

Joan Janzen
of The Clarion

The lyrics of an old song “we’re here for a good time” are well suited to Kindersley volunteer Judy Lavoie, who loves being director for the Kindersley Players, a volunteer adult community theatre group.

This group began in the late 1980s with two one-act plays before beginning the dinner theatre productions that Kindersley residents have come to love. A dinner theatre was produced every year, usually in February, but in recent years, dinner theatres are produced every two years.

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“It’s not as time consuming as people think,” Judy says. “We do dinner theatres once every two years. We practise one or two nights a week, and closer to the play it’s a little more, three or four nights a week. We work around everybody’s schedule. It’s a nice way to spend the winter.”

Judy has had years of experience under her belt. “I’ve been with the Kindersley Players just about 28 years. I was acting and now I’ve been directing for 25 years. I found I was too nervous acting, so I’d rather be directing behind the scenes.”

Although she makes the entire process sound easy, there’s a lot of activity that goes on behind the scenes. We all know it takes a lot of time and effort to put on a production of such high calibre. The actors and prompters have to be found, costumes made, the set needs to be constructed, lighting, sound, a play selected, advertising, ticket sales, meal planning, and of course rehearsals.

Judy explained how she first became involved in volunteer theatre. “We had just moved to Kindersley in 1988, and I was looking for something to do. They were looking for actors and prompters in that year. I joined, and have been there ever since. I was on the Arts Council for about five years, and then I left that.”

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