PORT DOVER A sweeping romantic comedy will kick off Lighthouse Festival Theatre’s 2022 season.
Sugar Road, written by Krista Da Silva and directed by Derek Ritschel, tells the story of Sugar Road Amusement Park owner Hannah Taylor and rising country music star Jesse Emberly.
Taylor reconnects with Emberly, who returns to Sugar Road to perform at the aptly named Spurs and Hearts Music Festival. The reunion comes 12 years after the two enjoyed a romantic night at the amusement park prior to Emberly’s rise to fame.
“Sugar Road is an unapologetically romantic comedy,” said Ritschel. “It has a strong message – which I think will mean a lot moving out of the pandemic – which is that it’s never too late to fall in love, it’s never too late at taking a shot at changing things and going for your dream job and creating the life that you want.”
Sugar Road premieres on May 18 at the Port Dover theatre, where it will run until June 4. The production then heads to Roselawn Theater in Port Colborne for performances, June 8-19.
The cast includes Elana Post as Taylor, Jeffrey Wetsch as Emberly, Sarah Quick as Caroline Dawn and Brad Rudy as Ray Bishop.
The production’s score features past and present country music.
Ritschel said the artists are ecstatic to return to the stage to perform.
Lighthouse Festival will continue with a mask policy to protect the audience and the artists.
“We have a mask mandate until June 5,” said Ritschel. “After that, we will assess what’s going on in the world, show by show, as a way to protect our technicians, audience and performers so the show can go on. A mask does not mean you can’t laugh your head off.”
Besides a couple of fundraising campaigns, the theater has been receiving donations at a steady pace. Ritschel said the best way to support Lighthouse Festival is to put on a mask, come in with a smile and purchase a ticket.
“We’re hopeful that once people start coming back to the theater and realize how wonderful of a place it really is, they’ll consider helping Lighthouse Festival make it through this tail end of COVID-19 because we are not out of the woods yet. We’re close but we’re not quite through it yet.”
Six other productions will be featured this theater season: Buying the Farm, Halfway There, Meet My Sister, Peter Pan – A Young Company Production, The Real Sherlock Holmes, and Glory Days!
Tickets for Sugar Road can be purchased at www.lighthousetheatre.com.