Ladysmith Little Theatre (LLT)’s new season is just around the corner, and Bill Johnston has a lot to be excited about.
Johnston, the theatre’s co-artistic director along with Alan Watt, can’t wait for a new run of five shows to start this September, but he’s just as excited about new ticket packages the theatre is offering.
To encourage more people to come to opening weekend and to make theatre more accessible, there are discounted rates for the first Thursday, Friday and Saturday of each of the five shows.
“One of the things we noticed is a lot of our audiences weren’t attending until the second or third week, and we wanted to know how are we going to get people in,” said Johnston. “We thought ‘why don’t we try the best enticement of all, which is financial?”
The Thursday Package costs $38, which is a 60-per-cent discount compared to paying for five separate shows, and purchasers commit to the first Thursday night performance of each play — except for the Christmas pantomime, which is a Friday night.
The Friday Package offers a 50-per-cent discount and costs $48. Tickets are good for the opening Friday night of each show.
A Saturday Package costs $57 and is a 40-per-cent discount. Ticket-holders commit to the first Saturday night of each show.
There is also a Six Pack available for $100, which offers six tickets for the price of five.
All of these packages, including the Six Pack, must be purchased through the LLT box office, and they will be available as of Sept. 3.
The 2014-15 season features five plays and starts Sept. 25 with Flemming, An American Thriller. Written by Sam Brobick, this play is described as a comedic spoof of film noir. The play is directed by Charles L. Harman, and it runs from Sept. 25 to Oct. 12.
Next comes Always a Bridesmaid, a “rollicking comedy” written by Jamie Wooten, Jessie Jones and Nicholas Hope. The show runs from Nov. 6-23 and is directed by Bill Johnston. This year’s Christmas pantomime will be Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, which will run Dec. 19-31 and will be directed by Alan Watt.
An improbable farce is next, with Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit running from March 5-22. This play is directed by Lesley Croghan. The final show of the season is Ravenscroft, a psychological thriller written by Don Nigro. This will run April 23-May 10 and will be directed by Gordon McInnis.
“I’m really excited about the season,” said Johnston. “They’re all really good scripts, and we’ve got really good directors. We’re nicknaming it ‘the season of fun.’”
For more information, call LLT at 250-924-0658 or visit www.ladysmiththeatre.com.