Kindersley Players are up to some spooky stuff
By Joan Janzen
Want to be be spooked for Halloween? The Kindersley Players are busy creating a spooky Shocktober Haunted House at the Kindersley Centre located at Hwy 7, 608 - 12th Avenue East. Each night from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 28th to 30th, visitors aged 12 years and older, can purchase a $10 ticket, and see the scary antics that are going on.
On the day of Halloween, children five years and older will be able to tour a kid’s version of the haunted house from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Tickets at the door cost $2.00.
The Kindersley Players group is up to their scary business for the first time since 2018. Now they are busy bringing out all their props and costumes, explained Judy Lavoie, a member of Kindersley Players, who oversees the project.
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“We have two trailers full of props and costumes; the walls are in one trailer and the props in another,” Judy explained. It takes a lot of work to make this event happen. Kindersley Players consists of a core group of three or four people, but they are joined by 30 volunteers who begin working in September until the end of October, when they spend three nights a week setting up, decorating and constructing.
“It’s a lot of work for just four days,” Judy said. “But people want to get out and start doing stuff. A lot of volunteer hours are involved, but it’s only for a short period of time.”
The group begins by walking through the three adjoining spaces located in the centre of the mall, and decides where to put up walls. After the walls are in place, construction and decorating begins.
“We did a little run through the other night and worked on some lighting and sound,” Judy said. Adam Naismith, a local teacher who has experience working in theatre, is helping with the sound effects and lighting. “We’re very lucky to have him.” Judy said. However, there won’t be any actors or sound effects during the kids version of the haunted house, and the lights will be kept on.
About twenty people from the group of volunteers will also be participating as actors in the haunted house. A few of those actors are high school students.
All the proceeds from the event will be going towards the purchase of a stage theatre projector. “All of our funds will be going towards this for the next little while,” Judy explained. “We’re trying to turn the Norman Ritchie Centre into kind of a community theatre, and the building is really coming together. It’s the only live theatre building in town.”
Kindersley Players are hoping to get a good crowd, and attract visitors from all the surrounding areas. Judy recalls the event attracted 700 visitors when it was previously held at the Norman Ritchie Centre, but she has no idea how many people to expect in 2022.