Hilda’s Yard rakes in five WODL nominations for SMCP

By Emily Stewart

St. Marys Community Players’ (SMCP) take on Norm Foster’s Hilda’s Yard has earned five Western Ontario Drama League (WODL) nominations.

The SMCP production, staged last fall, received nominations for outstanding production of a Canadian play, outstanding production out-of-festival, outstanding production out-of-festival preshow, intermission and musical selections for Vanni Azzano, outstanding performance in a major role for Edie Pedersen as Hilda Fluck, and outstanding performance in a supporting role for Derek Roberts as Beverly Woytowich.

“We are so pleased by this. It was an incredible production for the entire company of SMCP. Everyone felt committed,” said Greg George, marketing and communications for SMCP. “It was a great show both with the company but also, the audience loved it. They were, I would say, the perfect demographic for the show about a family in the 1950s.”

SMCP’s production of Hilda’s Yard is also one of the few in the community theatre group’s history that has cast members outside of St. Marys who performed, including Roberts of north London, Edie Pedersen from just outside of Lucan, and Alex Pedersen of Strathroy.

“We were extremely happy to be extending our reach beyond St. Marys itself; so very happy to be extending the St. Marys Community Players brand across southwestern Ontario,” George said.

He also said there’s more interest in SMCP from the wider community with an increase of local businesses within 50 kilometres of St. Marys looking to advertise. The next SMCP production, Boeing Boeing, is already 80 per-cent sold out with opening night on April 23.

“We are so grateful for our audience, which seems to be growing. The last three productions have seen significant support from our audiences,” George said.

The WODL Awards will run on the weekend of May 14-17.

More information about SMCP and its upcoming shows can be found online by visiting www.stmaryscommunityplayers.ca.