The Yellow Point Drama Group (YPDG) is kicking off its 60th season with a story about friendship and the lies we tell to protect those we love.
The Drawer Boy, written by Michael Healey, is a compelling three-man drama set in 1972 on the farm of long-time friends Morgan and Angus. Their lives are disrupted when a young actor from Toronto named Miles comes to interview the two bachelors to research rural life for a play.
According to director Brian March, the telling of their life stories transforms Morgan and Angus, awakening long-lost memories of their service in the war.
The award-winning play is based on the real-life experiences of the actors who researched Theatre Passe Murraille’s 1972 alternative production The Farm Show. March said he first saw the production on stage in Toronto in the late 1990s.
“I was completely taken by the play,” he said. “It’s just a beautiful story about friendship and how we try to protect our friends from the truth sometimes, for their own good.”
Starring in the roles of the aging farmer friends are YPDG veterans Ted Girard and Barrie Baker. In the role of Miles is David Sinclair, a relative newcomer who was last seen in the drama group’s production of 1949.
“It’s a tight cast; you need strong characters and they’re certainly capable of it,” March said.
The Drawer Boy runs Oct. 4-20 at the Cedar Hall at 2388 Cedar Rd.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for youth, and they are $10 for the preview show on Oct. 4. The play will run over three weekends on Oct. 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20, with doors opening at 7 p.m. and the show following at 8 p.m.
A three-course dinner will be offered prior to the Oct. 13 showing, and the doors for that will open at 6 p.m. The cost is $30.
For the first time in a long while, there will also be a matinee performance on Oct. 20. There will be a special ticket price of $12 for seniors who attend the showing. Doors open at 1 p.m.
“We’re aiming to get some seniors’ groups in,” March said.
To celebrate the 60th season of the drama group, there will be a special gala night held in February, which will honour long-standing members. Stay tuned to the Chronicle for more details as they become available.