When the curtain rises next week at Buhler Hall, it will mark more than just opening night for a local production. For Cottonwood Community Drama, it’s a sign the show—and the organization behind it—will go on.
The group’s upcoming production of The Carpenter runs April 16-18 in Gretna, following an unexpected change after the closure of Mennonite Collegiate Institute, which had long supported the theatre company.
“We had already chosen our show and selected our cast,” said Charles Klippenstein, technical director and set builder, who has been involved with Cottonwood since 2009. “It was a show we thought was really powerful, and didn’t want to miss the opportunity to perform it.”
Rather than cancel the production, the group made the decision to continue independently—a move that required quickly adapting to new realities, including securing funding and organizing operations without institutional backing.
“A lot of it has been figuring out how to work as an independent organization,” Klippenstein said. “We’re drumming up our own support now, and the community has responded really well. That’s been encouraging.”
The production will be staged at Buhler Hall, a venue Klippenstein describes as well worth the visit for audiences who may not have attended a performance there before.
On stage, audiences can expect a character-driven story with a meaningful message. The play features a smaller cast but explores themes that resonate broadly, including how people treat one another and the impact of compassion.
“It’s a story where you can see reflections of yourself in the characters,” Klippenstein said. “It challenges how we treat people and asks what might happen if we led with respect and value from the start.”
For first-time director Holly Gilson, the production is both a creative opportunity and a personal milestone.
“I had never directed before,” she said. “But when I read the script I was immediately drawn to it. It’s such a beautiful story.”
Gilson describes The Carpenter as a story centred on acceptance, openness, and rethinking long-held assumptions.
“It’s about welcoming outsiders and choosing to prioritize loving people over following rigid rules,” she said. “There’s a humble character at the centre who lives out those values, and it ends up transforming the people around him.”
She added that the story feels particularly relevant, even though it was selected before many of today’s current challenges came into focus.
“As we’ve worked through rehearsals, we’ve realized how much it speaks to the moment we’re in,” she said.
The production also reflects a wide range of local talent, with cast members spanning multiple age groups—something both Gilson and Klippenstein see as a strength of community theatre.
Beyond the stage, the continuation of Cottonwood Community Drama carries deeper significance for those involved.
For Gilson, who joined the group in 2024 after years away from theatre while raising her family, the experience has been transformative.
“I was looking for a place where I felt like I belonged,” she said. “Theatre people are a bit different—creative, vulnerable—and it can be hard to find that kind of community. But I found it here.”
When news broke that MCI would close, Gilson said she felt a strong pull to help keep the group alive.
“It felt important to protect that space,” she said. “If even one other person can find that same sense of belonging, it’s worth it.”
Looking ahead, both Gilson and Klippenstein hope to build Cottonwood into a sustainable, independent organization with expanded opportunities for the community. Future goals include growing a volunteer base, developing a board, and potentially offering programming such as theatre workshops or youth training.
For now, though, the immediate focus remains on bringing The Carpenter to the stage and inviting the community to be part of this next chapter.
Tickets for the April 16-18 performances are available online at cottonwooddrama.squarespace.com.
