Lyric Theatre hosting world premiere of play by Swift Current playwright
The title of the play is a reference to an old song as well as a 1950s slang word for an attractive young woman. It also pays homage to Lockman’s grandmothers, who both loved to sing, and her one grandmother sang a song called Rubber Dolly.
“I was thinking how could I incorporate that into the play, but it just didn’t really quite work,” she said. “When I was looking into 1950s slang and jargon, the term for pretty girl was dolly. One of the sisters call her older sister dolly all the time and if you’re splitting town or leaving the farm, the old adage is burn rubber. So I thought if I paired it together I can have a little wink to my grandmother, but add the comma and writes it Burn Rubber, Dolly! So that’s how it morphed into the play title.”
She appreciated the opportunity to be present during some of the rehearsals. It is very different to hear the words performed on stage compared to just reading a script.
“So attending the first rehearsal, I just sat in the background and listened and I was immediately drawn in,” she recalled. “They just bring such a magic to the words on the pages.
It’s just so well cast. I can’t say that enough. Gordon has done a wonderful job casting the play. It’s just such a treat for me to just see the remarkable job that they’re doing.”
The roles of the two sisters, Lily and Rose are played by Amy Couzens and Lyla McQueen Shah. Zac Oliver will be playing the role of Bo, a farm hand. Damien Oman performs the role of Billy, a rowdy character from town who adds to the conflict in the story.
McCall is directing the play and performing the role of John Sutton, the obstinate patriarch of the family. He is an experienced theatre veteran who has directed over 350 plays in Canada and other countries as well as performing in up to 80 roles on the professional stage.
“Our job is to present the play that Wendy wrote,” he said. “It’s our interpretation, but I’m very adherent to the notion that this is the playwright’s story, not ours. We are the vessels through which it is told. And so we do our utmost to do it accurately to what Wendy has envisioned and of course, it gets amplified by our input.”
Four of the original cast members from 2020 are performing in this production. McQueen Shah is the only new member of the group.
“She’s new to the play, but not the company,” McCall said. “We all know her quite well. We actually have to rediscover a lot of things along the way. So we’re all on the same page.”
The process of starting again with the production and reviewing the details with input from Lockman will result in an even better outcome for audiences to enjoy.
“Because we’ve had this three-year hiatus, the play itself is in really good shape,” he said. “We’ve had very minor changes in the script from Wendy as she observes it on it’s feet, and those changes are things like changing a word. That’s how detailed and fine the process is for a good writer and a good creative team. It’s very subtle fine tuning of the piece and it’s been a great process. We’re all very uplifted and really feel honoured to do this play. It’s a Saskatchewan play and it’s a really good one.”
Burn Rubber, Dolly! has an audience advisory for adult content, violence and profanity, but there is no nudity. There will be seven performances from April 6 to 16. Tickets are available at Swift Current Pharmasave and online at the Lyric Theatre website (www.lyrictheatre.ca).