My foray into the theatre world has been fairly typical as far as forays go. My parents, who had an appreciation for art but careers in science, put me in dance classes when I was three. My mom deemed it a good way to go for coffee one hour per week without a preschooler in tow. A win-win for everyone.
Of course, things snowballed from there, and eventually I wanted to do it all (on the days I didn’t want to cry and quit completely). My high school had a strong extra-curricular musical theatre program (hooray for art in schools!) and if you were a dancer there was usually a part for you, and thus I became a musical theatre dancer and choreographer. My future career was taking shape!
Eventually, when I could no longer stand my life without theatre (read: one year later), I left my studies at the university where my parents worked, and I went to theatre school. MUSICAL theatre school to be exact. It was here that I discovered that the scales for dancers tended to tip in favor of the Singer/Dancer combo. Without the singing, my dancing wasn’t getting me very far – singing tended to be the more important of the two in an audition setting. I struggled. Fortunately, there was some acting up my sleeve so I was able to pivot in that direction for a while.
Flash forward to 2021 and imagine my sheer delight (I know, delight in 2021? Unlikely. But TRUE!) As myself and the artistic team at Theatre Northwest sat down and discussed GLORY, which is the current show in our 2021/2022 season. Where had this play been all my life?
Set in 1933, during the depression, four women set out to prove that Hockey isn’t just for men. *A period piece, I love it. I will do anything for a good red lipstick*
A play with roles for four women. *Though our current season may lead you to believe otherwise, it is rare to see a show with more than two roles for women*
It’s written by a CANADIAN. *Insert Screaming Jonah Hill GIF here. Canadian work is incredibly important for Canadian theatres and actors to engage with and it rarely gets the publicity it deserves*
A Canadian WOMAN. *Anna gasps with delight, spilling Starbucks everywhere*
It has incredible and inspired choreography, but skips the singing. *Gets in time machine, goes back to my 20’s to audition for this gem of a play*
This play is everything a double threat like myself could want from life! Glory is based on the true story of the Preston Rivulettes. Think “A League of Their Own” but with Hockey, and Canada.
While reading this play hit me in a strangely personal way, as a performer and a *warning, scary word coming up here* feminist, it has amazing mass audience appeal. While the cast is comprised of mostly women, we also have a strong male presence represented by local Prince George actor William Kuklis. Kuklis plays Fach, the coach of the team.
The Preston Rivulettes won 26 titles during their first decade as a team. They were so successful that their existence hindered the Canadian Women’s Hockey League’s ability to expand, as new teams were not motivated to join a league with an unbeatable team.
Glory details the incredible journey of this team in a fun and entertaining way, and while I am tempted to include all the fascinating ups and downs of their journey I will save the rest for the stage. Suffice to say that on May 1, 2019 the CWHL shut down operations, citing an economically unstable business model, though the national women’s teams continue to dominate the Olympics at each opportunity.
In a fascinating and somewhat disappointing way, Glory shows us the history of women’s hockey in Canada – have we progressed since 1933? I would encourage you to buy a ticket and decide for yourself.
Anna Russell is one of three new artistic associates at Theatre NorthWest.
