The local production of Mamma Mia has set a record. After selling out every performance, the play has been named the highest attended play in Grande Prairie history. More than 5,400 people bought tickets and Director Rory Tarant says those numbers show that people in Grande Prairie want to see a show of this calibre.
“The record-breaking performance shows that there’s a huge demand for local live theatre and I think that it also shows that there is such an incredible mix of talent within our city from the music, from the acting, from the set building, any facet of production. We have such incredible talent and we can put on some stellar top quality shows.”
The story about a mother, a daughter and her three possible dads was put on by Grande Prairie Live Theatre and Grande Prairie Regional College. Leading up to opening night, Tarant said Mamma Mia was the fastest selling show GPLT has ever put on and an extra show was added to keep up with demand.
“We sold out before opening night. We decided to ask the cast if they would be willing to do another one and we found one date that worked. We probably could have had another two or three shows but when you’re dealing with volunteers with busy lives that have their own work weeks we did what we could.”
Altogether, 45 actors and dancers along with 120 volunteers, practiced for a year leading up to curtain which Tarant says paid off.
“We’ve been hearing good things all around. It certainly helped to be in the middle of a deep freeze, coming and getting to escape, coming to a Mediterranean setting and being on the beach and seeing a little bit of Greece. That certainly helped. We had a wonderful cast, incredible vocalists that came out, incredible actors so that certainly helped and then having a live band I think was another big draw.”
Tarant says the play selection committee is currently in the process of deciding what plays will be performed in the city next year.
