The Book Club will be on May 1, and 3 at Good Shepard Lutheran Church
Octavia Choir is well known in our community for its annual jukebox musical performances, which are written and performed by the choir and combine choral singing with a play that strings together all the songs into a comedic and fun event. In addition, proceeds from the event support Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen, so it’s really an event to see.
“It’s a play intertwined with music and laughter,” said Octavia Choir’s Co-Chair Debbie Kelly.
Irene Way wrote this year’s play, which combines traditional playwriting with the musical component.
“We do it for fun, and we’re training our vocals to present beautiful music. We build the play around the music,” said Way.
This year, the group has chosen to name their jukebox musical The Book Club, and it follows a book club where, instead of talking about a book they are reading, this week, the group’s host introduces a story of her own. As she reads, the boundaries between the reader and story dissolve, and we get to see the story of Laura, who has just moved to a prairie town by the Red River. Laura faces her fear of growing old alone and has a series of chance encounters on a mysteriously busy riverside bench as she rediscovers herself.
Way explained that she was inspired by her book club that meets up at Gaynor Family Regional Library monthly. She is friends with the members of the book club and knows that they are a group of strong, wise, amazing people, each with a story of courage and resilience that brought them to where they are now. Though the play isn’t based on any person’s story specifically, Way wanted to incorporate the idea of people’s past and future stories into the play.
“When I saw the songs were all love songs, I thought, ‘Well, okay, that’s got to be broadened quite a bit.’ So (we include) love of family, love of country, love of friends, love of fun, love of animals, and love of nature connecting the songs to these women and their stories and what brought them where they are today,” explained Way.
The play is put on by Octavia Choir, and in addition to Kelly and Way adding their talents Conductor Carrie Schellenberg-Wilson, Director Debbie Kostyk and Accompanist Sheldon Joyal have brought their talents to this production.
Attendees can expect a variety of music at this musical with genres that everyone will recognize.
“There’s everything from barbershop to modern pop, and anything in between. Most of the songs that we do sing, people will be familiar with, and as we go through the dialogue of the play, there are little clues as far as what the next song might be. We always use a key line of the song to move us into the song. It’s interesting to watch people’s reactions,” said Kelly.
They didn’t want to give it all away, but ‘What the world needs now is Love’, ‘Hooked on a Feeling’, and ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy’ are likely to make an appearance.
This musical is something that the whole family can enjoy. There might be some wine drinking in the play, seeing as it’s based around a book club, but the content is appropriate for all viewers.
The musical takes place on May 1 at 7 p.m. and again on May 3 at 2 p.m. at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 106 Sawchuk Drive, in Selkirk. Annual attendees will notice that they’ve expanded the show with two performances to choose from this year.
“Last year we did one performance, and we were sold out with people asking for tickets at the door, and we had to actually turn people away. So, this year we’re doing two performances. The first on May 1 and one on the 3rd. Anybody who may work in Selkirk and wants to take the show in before they go home on Friday (can attend the evening performance) and the Sunday afternoon is a great option, especially for families to come,” said Kelly.
Tickets can be purchased for $15 from any choir member, at the door, by calling 204-481-1155 or by emailing octavialadieschoir@gmail.com. It is recommended that you get your tickets early if possible, as this is a very well-attended event.
In addition to the play, there will be a 50/50 draw, and proceeds from both the musical and the draw will go to Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen in Selkirk.
They chose the soup kitchen because of the impact that it has on our community.
“I think the soup kitchen is more than just people going to have a meal. It’s for the community. It does a lot of outreach support, and it serves all kinds of people for all kinds of things (beyond just food). That’s why we chose to support it, because they do so much good in the community,” said Kelly.
If you’d like to watch a musical that’s going to be fun and support a great cause, mark Octavia Choir’s Jukebox Musical in your calendar.
“It’s a nice couple of hours. Get out to see something light-hearted, fun, and get away from the chaos of the world that’s going on right now. Totally just immerse yourself in something different,” said Kelly.
Also, if you’re someone who’d be interested in learning more about Octavia Choir or participating, this is their end of year performance, but follow their Facebook page at www.facebook.com to keep up with everything that they’re up to and when sign ups will be open again.
