Behind the Scenes: Little Women
To me, this story has a beautiful kaleidoscopic effect. When you meet these characters at a different time in your life, the images shift; relationships and moments that slipped by you previously come into focus in brilliant, moving detail. The words are the same, but you are different; therefore the story is, too. For those of us who worked on the 2005 production, we’ve all experienced this. We’ve seen and felt new things, shaped by how we’ve grown – who we’ve become – since we last visited the world of Jo and her family. It’s wondrous and exciting, to realize how our perspective shifts, how capable are brains and hearts are, of growing, increasing, transforming.
Given this, the show has something for everyone, even for those who’ve seen it before – and it’s great for families, for mixes of generations, because there’s something for all stages of life. For children who are so rich in imagination, always ready to play and make-believe; for young adults new to love, marriage and all its complications; for those of us who are caretakers, grappling with the inevitable loss of loved ones; for parents (and grandparents!) who recognize, and share, the gifts of hard-earned wisdom.
What’s more, this show is a great reminder of the potential of this holiday season. When families gather, it’s powerful: our capacity to love one another despite our faults, our ways of supporting and inspiring one another to become the best
version of ourselves. It’s a time of rest and celebration, yes, but also of transformation, and renewal.
These are the ideas that inspired the design and staging of our brand-new production. Rooted in Jo’s power to create and transform herself and the world around her, we begin simply, with the image of Jo at her writing desk, a single lantern in the darkness, the artist imagining how to fill the empty page. As she writes, people pour onto the stage, their voices, and stories emerging from the shadows, growing brighter and more distinct as Jo’s storytelling gains force. And with this, there’s the potent juxtaposition of the warm heart of the March household, and the darker realities of the Civil War battlefront.
This tension between hopefulness and despair lingers throughout, which feels so true to me – because
that’s life, isn’t it? And always, that ineffable human ability to make something out of nothing, whether that’s weaving a story seemingly out of thin air, or how capable we are of finding the plenty in the scarcity; that way we have of finding something to share and celebrate, even when it seems we have very little.
It is our stories, and our relationships, that make us rich. And it is my hope that audiences will leave the theatre thinking about this, about the countless little gifts and privileges that surround us. “What do I have to celebrate? What do I have to share?” Likely more than you think…
Julie McIsaac, Director
The Gallery Gift Shop at Chemainus Theatre Festival is one of the best shopping experiences around. This special place is known by visitors and locals as a wonderful spot to find quality artwork, gifts and more. Whether you are perusing during intermission, or shopping the wonderful boutiques of Chemainus, it is easy to find a special treasure.
In particular, Yellow Point Cranberries resides just north of Chemainus – beyond the delicious, classic cranberry sauce, there are jellies, mustard, and chutney. These make a great addition to any table the next time you are entertaining.
“Grease is the word and it is now our all-time best selling production…This is the first time we’ve sold out an entire production run – remarkable considering it’s nearly three month’s long. This likely places us in a small group of North American theatres that have experienced a complete sell-out over a continuous run of this length – 98 performances,” says Randal Huber, Chemainus Theatre’s Managing Director.
Congratulations to the hard-working cast and creative team of Grease for putting on such a successful and fantastic show! Time and time again we have heard compliments about the set, costumes and how incredible every cast member was in their performance.
If you’ve watched the hit ABC TV show Once Upon A Time, you will already be well familiar with the multi-talented leading lady of our upcoming Glorious. 
Beverly is a recording artist with music CD’s of her own, and performs her music at concert festivals. Her comedic bent is along the lines of comedy legend Carol Burnett and she has performed in a wide variety of roles on the stages of theatres across Canada. Her warmth and charisma, it can be said, is her trademark, and we are excited to see how that will inform her portrayal of Florence Foster Jenkins.
Chemainus Theatre is a constantly changing space. The stage changes, of course, to take us to different places and times through the magic of the sets, costumes, and stories. This year it has been a pub in Dublin, an historic recording studio, a convenience store in Toronto, and now a high school. The menu in the Playbill Dining Room evolves to reflect the current production and the seasonal foods sourced from farms on Vancouver Island. The walls throughout the theatre, gift shop, and lobbies are constantly changing as well. During every show, there is a new art exhibit creating a novel experience for patrons as they wander the lobby during intermission.
In 2018 Chemainus Theatre Festival executive chef Nick 
Caulford introduced a new dining experience to patrons of the Playbill Dining Room, Table d’Hotê. Still offering the traditional buffet experience with a salad bar and dessert buffet (including a chocolate fountain) the main course is a choice of four options for a plated dinner.
It takes many players to provide the world-class service of a Chemainus Theatre experience. Of course there are the actors on stage and the designers who work so hard to entertain and inspire you, but the team in the Playbill Dining Room also continues to impress visitors with friendly service and delicious food! The reviews for the Playbill Dining room from both critics and theatre-goers have been outstanding lately!