Joan Burrows’ play is GLT’s submission to Western Ontario Drama League Festival
There’s nothing more Canadian than a fall weekend at a rustic resort catching up with old friends. But what happens when the past comes back to confront you?
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Joan Burrows’ Gloria’s Guy follows a reunion between high school friends (and sweethearts) who attend a wedding together at age 40. The weekend unfolds as old questions are asked anew, including why Guy stood Gloria up at the prom, and the reasons behind his decision to return home from L.A. The answers to these questions shed a different light on how the characters understand and see each other and what this means for their future.
With a polite yet pointed Canadian sense of humour and two Kawartha Dairy scoops of drama, Guelph Little Theatre’s production leaves a warm feeling inside at its conclusion.
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Directors Marnie and Alison Jutzi, a mother-daughter duo, felt a connection to the play right off the bat, and not just because of their many summers spent in cottage country. Turning 40, Alison had great insight into the midlife tipping point that the play explores, where many of the characters find themselves looking for a new future or a fresh start. Alison’s mother, Marnie, identified more with the matriarchal figure of Jessie, the former high school teacher and meddling do-gooder, insistently helping the characters find themselves. Gloria’s Guy serves as Guelph Little Theatre’s submission to the Western Ontario Drama League’s annual festival, which began in 1932.Originally created to help cultivate culture in Ontario, the WODL adjudicates plays at a variety of venues and selects the top five to perform as part of the main festival. From there, the best production, as determined by the adjudicators, will advance on to the Theatre Ontario Festival.
Shows are judged on a variety of criteria, and can be nominated for multiple awards to highlight specific parts of a production. Guelph Little Theatre’s unique use of projected sunrises and sunsets as a technique for transitioning between scenes could stand out as an impressive technical achievement. Regardless of its festival showing, however, Gloria’s Guy reminds audiences that you’re never too old to have fun, whether that be by reducing grown men to hiding behind doors or recounting scandalous hot tub encounters. The play proudly emphasizes that it’s okay to try out new dreams, no matter what the past tells you.
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Gloria’s Guy plays at Guelph Little Theatre from Friday, Jan. 26 to Sunday, Feb. 10.
Photo by Kendra Snaith