When springtime arrives in聽Victoria, thoughts of sunshine, cherry blossoms and the tweeting of birds instead of Twitter addicts often spring to mind.
So you had to wonder why a small crowd of theatre lovers who gathered at the Roxy one spring afternoon last week were feeling as blue as the sky above.
They were marking the launch of Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre鈥檚 ninth season, and to celebrate its survival in the face of economic adversity.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a miracle when any arts organization survives, and this is a miracle for us,鈥� said artistic director Brian Richmond, standing beside a bouquet of blue balloons onstage.
鈥淲e are so grateful to our creditors who have given us this second life, to be able to push that reset button. It鈥檚 why this season is going to happen.鈥�
He was referring to a proposal recently accepted by unsecured creditors that would see the theatre repay a reduced amount of debt over three years, pulling it back from the brink of bankruptcy.
Returning to its origins as a summer theatre company, Blue Bridge will continue to fulfil its mandate to stage professional productions of classic plays, Richmond pledged.
The season opens April 25 with Harold Pinter鈥檚 The Caretaker, starring Paul Fauteaux and directed by Jacob Richmond, his co-star in the theatre鈥檚 production of True West.
Next up is Born Yesterday, director Janet Munsil鈥檚 fresh take on Garson Kanin鈥檚 1940s political comedy that Richmond says today鈥檚 generation of Washington-watchers should be able to relate to.
鈥淚t鈥檚 weird how every play written in 20th-century America seems to have a special resonance in the Trump-election era,鈥� Richmond noted.
Blue Bridge alumnus Kassianni Austin will play showgirl Billie Dawn opposite Jacob Richmond as her sleazy sugar-daddy Harry Brock.
Austin, eight months pregnant with her second child, has grown accustomed to the family joke about starring in Born Yesterday, which opens May 30.
鈥淚t won鈥檛 be born yesterday, but born seven weeks ago, I think,鈥� laughed Austin, who credits support from her husband and two sets of grandparents who live here with enabling her to do it.
鈥淏alancing a newborn and doing a show will be a new challenge.鈥�
Richmond promised to put a compellng new spin on Thornton Wilder鈥檚 1930s classic Our Town when he helms the 20th century American theatre classic that opens July 4.
鈥淚鈥檝e directed a few plays in my life and I don鈥檛 get terrified very often, but I have to say [this] terrifies me,鈥� said Richmond, whose huge cast will be headlined by Gary Farmer as the Stage Manager.
The First Nations actor, activist and musician who co-starred with Johnny Depp in Jim Jarmusch鈥檚 Dead Man made his Blue Bridge debut playing Lenny in Of Mice and Men five years ago.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a beautiful play,鈥� Richmond said. 鈥淚t takes a lot to do a play about ordinary, everyday things and that is what Our Town is all about.鈥�
The season鈥檚 final production (Aug. 1-13) is Red, Hot Cole, a Cole Porter revue conceived and directed by Darcy Evans, with musical direction by Brad L鈥橢cuyer.
The show will star Kholby Wardell, fresh from doing Ride the Cyclone off-Broadway, and Sara-Jeanne Hosie, last seen together in Blue Bridge鈥檚 Little Shop of Horrors, as well as Jennifer Gillis and Jacob Woike.
He also announced some special-event fundraisers, including Mike Demers鈥檚 May 13 Roy Orbison tribute, and Zachary Stevenson鈥檚 Buddy Holly and Hank Williams tribute on June 30.
Actors in the house included Blue Bridge stalwarts Wes Tritter (My Fair Lady) and Brian Linds, whose Blue Bridge shows include Of Mice and Men and Waiting for Godot.
鈥淎s an actor, Blue Bridge gives you a chance to play iconic roles in famous plays,鈥� said Linds. 鈥淒oing Waiting for Godot is like the top of the mountain for an actor.鈥�
Community support and the company鈥檚 tenacity and spirit of collaboration is what keeps the theatre alive, said Richmond.
鈥淥ne thing I鈥檝e learned is that you just have to stick with things. You can鈥檛 give up,鈥� says Richmond.
His answer when someone asks how Blue Bridge is doing: 鈥淲ell, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We鈥檙e just not sure whether it鈥檚 the light of an oncoming train, or the sun.鈥�
