A local theatre troupe is returning to Longview for a festive production.
The Erratic Players, Foothills County's newest theatre troupe, will be performing A Sundance Carol at the Twin Cities Hotel & Saloon starting Nov. 28.
A Sundance Carol is a Christmas show based loosely off Charles Dickens' classic story A Christmas Carol, with a Western twist. Rather than Ebenezer Scrooge and three Christmas spirits, the play follows Harry Longabaugh, an infamous outlaw better known as the Sundance Kid.
"He lived here in Alberta for a period of time before he got really, really infamous as the outlaw that he becomes," said director Katie Fournell.
In the play, Longabaugh, played by Okotoks community staple Logan Coutts, is visited by three ghosts that guide him through history to make sure it happens the way that it should.
"Should he stay in Alberta? Should he go to Wyoming? It unfolds from there, about what history actually means, and we do touch on some very real history," said Fournell.
On top of learning more about the area's history — including that the Sundance Kid worked at the historic Bar U Ranch located just outside Longview in the early 1890s — audience members will be treated to musical numbers and plenty of laughs.
"The characters will regularly have dance breaks, but it's a comedy, so these are really ridiculous and fun to watch," said Fournell.
The production is entirely local: the cast is comprised of four Okotoks performers, with Fournell also serving as producer and stage manager on top of directing the play.
"We're a group of theatre artists who are looking to make art in the Foothills that's both original and fun, but also focuses on making sure that our performers, directors and playwrights are getting paid for their work," she said.
Unlike fellow Foothills troupe the Dewdney Players, the Erratic Players are a "semi-professional" troupe, meaning some proceeds from the production will go toward them.
"I think it's really good for the audience to know that their ticket sales are directly paying artists," said Fournell.
The price of admission also includes a three-course meal for audience members to enjoy with the show.
A Sundance Carol runs from Nov. 28 to Jan. 4 at the Twin Cities Hotel & Saloon and shows are expected to sell out, as the troupe's previous production Murder at Twin Cities did.
Fournell added that she hopes to make shows like A Sundance Carol, "a historical Christmas-y twist to a Western piece of history that we have here in Alberta," a wintertime tradition in Longview.
"When we sold out that show Murder at Twin Cities, we doubled the population of Longview during the winter months, which is usually a very quiet time for tourism in Longview and struggle for a lot of the tourist locations," she said. "We have people coming in from all over Alberta just to see this show. It's a really big draw."
Learn more about the Erratic Players on Facebook, and find tickets for A Sundance Carol on Showpass.
Fournell's involvement with theatre in the Foothills continues with the Dewdney Players' latest production, Noises Off, which she directs.
