Charlie Gallant and James MacDonald run through a scene Tuesday for 'The woman in black' (image credit - CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

THE WOMAN IN BLACK

Western Canada Theatre’s season set to debut with a rare ghost story

Sep 24, 2024 | 7:00 PM

KAMLOOOPS — The Western Canada Theatre (WCT) season is set to begin next month with a play perfect for the spookiest month of the year.

The Woman in Black was originally an English novel and is one of the longest running performances in London’s West End. It will be performed at the Sagebrush Theatre from October 10 to 20.

The two-actor show brings WCT’s artistic director James MacDonald back onto the stage, along with Charlie Gallant, who makes his Western Canada Theatre debut.

“I was supposed to do a show here at WCT before the pandemic, but then the pandemic happened so this is actually my first time on stage here. And to be with James on stage is pretty fantastic. He has a great capacity. I think he’s perfect for the role. One of the saving graces that the character does have, that James is playing, is that he is allowed to look at his script every now and then as he plays a character that isn’t a fully confident performer in his own right — so maybe that bodes well for James to get back on the stage,” joked Gallant.

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“Haunted by his past, an attorney hires an actor to tell his story to relieve himself of the nightmares that have plagued him for decades. As the two relive the tale, the boundaries between story and reality blur, as do the boundaries between this world and the next,” is how WCT describes the show.

The production is being directed by Kamloops’ own Kim Collier, who was one of the main reasons Gallant was interested in the role. The story also provides a rare chance for theatre actors to enter the spooky, mystery-laden genre.

“It’s a ghost story. I’m super excited to be part of a show that can give an audience all the thrills of a horror movie, but hopefully with a bottom that has a real heart to it, and that there is a real palpable feeling of relationship on stage and grief and all of those things mixed in to create something that is a really heightened experience,” said Gallant.