The New Canadian Curling Club sweeps laughter into the North Thompson Okanagan later this month. The comedy takes to the stage Kamloops’s Sagebrush Theatre stage January 23 to February 1 and for one performance at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre on Tuesday, February 4.
The comedy, written by Mark Crawford, lands right on the button. The inspiring and hilarious story about burning rocks, bonspiel beers, and underdog athletes becoming champions.
A small town organizes a Learn-to-Curl class to welcome newcomers but when its organizer slips on the ice and breaks her hip, the rink’s icemaker and former champion curler, Stuart MacPhail (Guy Bannerman), is forced to step in as head coach. Trouble is, Stuart has some strong opinions about immigrants. And the four people who turn up for the classes are there for reasons other than to learn to curl.
Mike Chang (Richard Lam) is a medical resident from China; Jamaican-born Charmaine Bailey (Jenni Burke) has lived in Canada for 27 years; Anoopjeet Singh (Richard Young) emigrated with his family from India more than seven years ago; and Fatima Al-Sayed (Parmida Vand) is a recent Syrian refugee. Their reasons for taking the class range from love and relationships to hopes to further their career ambitions.
