Elaine and Norm Northmore present E-Male for second time at Thistle Theatre

Emily Stewart, Echo Correspondent

The directors of Thistle Theatre’s early spring production are familiar with the work, and were even part of the one-act play version.

Embro’s Thistle Theatre will present E-Male by Joan Veldman from March 28 to 30 and April 3 to 5 at Emrbo Town Hall. The comedy, directed by Elaine and Norm Northmore, will be set in a local diner during a blizzard and will introduce quirky characters, matchmaking, and mistaken identities.

Veldman passed away on June 20, 2023, but her sense of humour lives on through her works, including E-Male.

“In-person, she was always a great storyteller, and she brought that talent to the written work and you just spend so much time laughing,” said Elaine.

The Thistle Theatre production is the second time the Northmores engage with E-Male. Veldman wrote the play for the Western Ontario Drama League’s (WODL) Minifest, where six different theatre groups presented the same play to be critiqued. Norm directed it while Elaine acted.

"It was really interesting how six different groups would have six different takes on how to do a play,” she said. “It was a lot of fun."

When the Northmores worked on E-Male as part of WODL’s Minifest, it was a one-act play. Veldman re-wrote it as a full-length play, which will be presented at Thistle Theatre.

“The characters have so much more depth to them than what you get in a half-hour play. It's fun to explore those characters and get to know them better," she explained.

She added that the rehearsals are a ton of fun with a mix of new-to-the-stage actors and seasoned theatre performers bringing the production together.

"As an actor, it's so much easier for you when the person you're working with is a very expressive actor and they give you a lot to work with so that you respond to that. Having these seasoned actors is bringing out probably things that these new actors never thought they could do and they're just amazing. They grow by leaps and bounds at every rehearsal."

The actors are also adding their own flair to the characters that goes beyond the script.

"They're getting comfortable with their character and they're adding things to their character that sometimes we don't see, so there's been a few things they've added and we’ll go okay, we'll keep that,” said Norm.

Evening performances start at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinee performances start at 2 p.m., with doors opening half an hour prior. Tickets are $25 each and can be purchased either by calling 226-785-3353 or online by visiting www.thistle-theatre.com.