The theatre at the Cochrane RancheHouse was built to sell cows – but instead of bartering bovines, it will bolster the town’s art scene with the first season of live performances set to take the stage.
“The theatre was meant to be a cattle show – but it didn’t work out,” said artistic director Daunia Del Ben. “I thought, ‘Okay, we have to do something with it.”
Del Ben’s company, Teatro dell’Eco, partnered with the Town of Cochrane’s Recreation, Culture and Arts division last year to create an environmentally-themed play aimed at spreading the word about this spring’s upcoming recycling program. Dreaming Alberta runs for two nights at the RancheHouse Theatre on April 12 and 13.
The show sparked an initiative to expand the theatre production into a springtime of live performances – and after months of planning, Del Ben and the town unveiled the 2017 lineup last week.
The season kicks off Feb. 25 with an evening of music by Edmonton’s Vaughan String Quartet – considered one of the most vibrant young groups of its kind in Canada.
The long-running and respected Cochrane Vision Theatre will take over the stage from April 7 to 9, offering up the satirical Screwtape, an adaptation of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe author C.S. Lewis’s classic novel The Screwtape Letters.
Dreaming Alberta is the third play in the series, with Grindstone Comedy Theatre rounding out the series with a high energy improvisational romp.
“We wanted to offer different styles of performances,” said Del Ben, who has a master’s degree in drama from the University of Alberta and has run her theatre company for more than 10 years. “This is a little bit of everything: we have the musical, the classical music – comedy and a more serious play. This is what we were working on for many months.”
Del Ben said she wants Cochranites to be able to experience high-quality arts programming without having to travel to Calgary.
“Cochrane is growing … It’s the right time to really have a good season. That’s why we decided to put our energies together and put together a vibrant program,” she said, adding eventually she would love to see the Cochrane RancheHouse Theatre transformed into a full performing arts centre.
“The first step is to create a program. We need support from people to improve and in order to be better.”
