Belleville Theatre Guild

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Press Release

November 19th, 2009

The Belleville Theatre Guild
256 Pinnacle Street, Belleville
(613) 967-1442

Photo Left to Right: Marvin Tucker, Nadia Douglas-Najem, Amanda Bain, Rachel Allen, Matty Bly, Moira Nikander Forrester

Belleville: The setting is San Francisco in the early 1900s. It is the story of an extended immigrant family of Scandinavian descent. Mama is a sweet, yet capable and strong-willed matriarch who manages to educate her family and see one of her daughters begin her career as a writer.

The play is called I Remember Mama and it is being performed at the Pinnacle Playhouse from November 26 to December 12. Written by John van Druten, it is a heartwarming study of American family life and it contains a great deal of comedy and a touch of sorrow from a bygone era.

Mama, with the help of her husband and Uncle Chris, brings up the children in their modest San Francisco home. Her sisters and uncle furnish a rich background for a great deal of comedy and a little incidental tragedy, while the doings of the children manage to keep everyone in pleasant turmoil.

The cast of twenty, some playing multiple roles, is led by Moira Nikander Forrester as Mama. She is joined on stage by Marvin Tucker in the role of her husband and Dan Douglas as Uncle Chris. There are many newcomers to the Playhouse stage, but audience members will see some faces that they recognize from previous productions.

The set designed by Steve Forrester is meant to illustrate a series of vignettes relating to fond memories of Mama and she is the inspiration for the author-daughter's stories. There is the main kitchen area which fades out into other acting areas on the fringe of the stage representing at different times, a hospital waiting room, the uncle's ranch, an ice cream shop, the aunt's boarding house, etc. with lighting defining the space.

Director Christine Jensen-Reid is a first-time director, although she has appeared in several productions at the BTG. This experience reminds her deeply of her Scandinavian grandparents. Her Danish grandmother and her Norwegian grandfather were great influences on her life and she relates wholeheartedly to the strong characters in the extended family.

Don't miss this endearing and heartwarming play at the Pinnacle Playhouse, 256 Pinnacle Street. The show runs for three weeks from November 26 to December 12. Don't forget that two Sunday matinees are now being offered. Tickets are just $18.00 and are available by calling 613-967-1442 or visit by visiting www.bellevilletheatreguild.ca

Submitted by Debra Tosh