By TERRY PUGH
Nine years after graduating from Martensville High School (MHS), Matthew Letkeman is bringing his passion for live theatre back to the stage at his alma mater.
He and his colleagues with Dapper Duck Entertainment have been hard at work over the past six weeks with rehearsals for ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, the classic 1946 Christmas-themed motion picture that’s tugged at the heartstrings of generations of movie-goers since it was first released eight decades ago.
The play runs November 26-29 and December 3-6 at the MHS Theatre. Tickets are available online at dapperduckentertainment.com.
“It’s one of my favourite movies,” said Letkeman. “I remember watching it with my dad when I was in high school. I was reluctant because I thought, ‘it’s an old black and white movie, it’ll be boring.’ But he convinced me to watch it, and it really changed my perspective on how I look at life. George Bailey became a hero of mine, and I’ve always wanted to do this story on stage.”
He’s now getting the opportunity to do just that. Letkeman himself is portraying the character of George Bailey, who was immortalized in the 1946 movie by the legendary Jimmy Stewart. The female lead character, Mary Hatch Bailey (Donna Reed in the movie version), is handled by Kassidy Guy of Saskatoon. The stage production is directed by veteran Saskatoon-based director Gareth Nicol.
“Jimmy Stewart really defined the character,” said Letkeman. “And nobody can replicate that. But, we want to stick closely to the source material. The script for the play is very similar to the movie. So what I’m aiming for in the character is 20% Jimmy Stewart and the rest is my own flavour.”
Letkeman caught the acting bug during his teen years, performing in two MHS drama club productions. After graduation, he went on to become a professional actor in Saskatoon, Toronto and Vancouver. He recently moved back to his home town, where he’s re-igniting interest in community-based theatre.
Letkeman said he wanted to produce a play in Martensville that had broad audience appeal and would also attract a wide range of actors, including MHS students. He and his colleagues founded a community theatre company called Dapper Duck Entertainment, reached out to the City of Martensville and the MHS administration, and pitched the proposal of staging a production at the school facility. The response was positive and it wasn’t long before a call for auditions resulted in a flood of prospective thespians, including 50 MHS students, trying out for various roles.
Eventually, about 40 people were chosen to be in the cast. Another 20 people make up the backstage production crew.
“It’s a unique mixture,” said Letkeman. “We have professional actors who’ve worked with Persephone and other theatre groups in Saskatoon, as well as community members and students. Our oldest actor is 70 years young, and our youngest is 14 years old. Rehearsals started at the end of September, and they’re going great. Everyone’s enjoying the experience. The really cool thing is seeing the professional actors working with the students, mentoring them and helping them learn.”
The connection to the larger community is key to sparking students’ interest in drama, said Letkeman.
“The high school no longer has a drama program,” he explained. “Which is unfortunate, particularly since the school has one of the finest professional live theatre stages in the region, and it hasn’t been used for a drama production for several years.”
‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, directed by George Capra, makes regular TV appearances every Christmas, and is now regarded as one of the greatest films of all time.
Based on a 1943 short story by Philip Van Doren Stern called ‘The Greatest Gift’, it revolves around George Bailey, a man who has given up his personal dreams to help others in his community. George’s intended suicide on Christmas Eve brings about the intervention of his guardian angel, Clarence. Clarence shows George all the lives he touched and what the world would be like if he had not existed.
Letkeman said the play, set in the 1940s, will resonate with those familiar with the movie, and also with those who’ve never seen it.
“There are enough unique points in the show that it will give you a fresh perspective,” he said.
Letkeman is hopeful this production will be the first of many. His goal is to have community theatre catch on in Martensville and area.