ARTS – WCT production of drama Vimy plays at Sagebrush Oct. 11-20

The heroism, horror and complexities of the First World War are brought to life in WCT’s production of the drama Vimy, playing Oct. 11 to 20 at Sagebrush Theatre.

This story of courage, romance, and sacrifice follows a group of Canadian soldiers convalescing in a field hospital after the grueling Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917. The soldiers battle with their memories, as a young nurse from Nova Scotia tends to their wounds both obvious and concealed in this drama from Governor General’s Award-winning playwright Vern Thiessen.

WCT artistic director James MacDonald, who also directed the premiere of Vimy in 2008, believes it is the right play to produce now, in commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the end of the First World War on Nov. 11, 2018.

“Remembrance can sometimes be an abstract concept – we play songs, lay wreaths, and mark the sobering statistics, such as the 20 million killed worldwide in just this one conflict,” he said.

“A play like Vimy allows us to personally identify with a few of the people most affected by the war, a representation of a small cross-section of the country.”

Tickets at the Kamloops Live! Box Office at 250-374-5483, 1025 Lorne Street, or kamloopslive.ca.