Virden theatre group announces musical

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This article was published 13/03/2025 (189 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Virden Theatre Productions announced its program this year, a musical set in the late 1500s that tells the story of two brothers jealous of Shakespeare who want to write their own musical.

Producer Michelle Chyzyk told the Sun that the theatre organization settled on its program in March. The newly announced musical will be auditioned for this June and practised through the fall until show dates in November.

The show, titled, “Something Rotten,” is a Broadway musical about Nick and Nigel Bottom, two brothers who are playwrights in 1590s London. They want to create a hit to stick it to their rival William Shakespeare — so they set out to create the first musical.

Virden Theatre Productions chose the show because of a few key reasons, the producer told the Sun. First, the structure of the musical allows for a large number of people in the show’s big ensembles. Second, the Renaissance-era musical differs from previous shows, allowing for variety for actors and audience members over last year’s show.

“I think it’s going to be a really fun one for our community, and we have so much talent in our area to pull it off really well,” said Chyzyk. “This show is very modern, fast paced and very funny.”

Virden Theatre Productions put on a rendition of “Freaky Friday” last year, which was staged in modern times. The show last year was focused on a mother and daughter that switched bodies and were forced to live each others’ lives.

Going into the summer, Chyzyk said there will be casting, planning, building sets for the stage and more. That comes with taking on projects from different time periods, she said.

“Every year we want to do something that’s different,” said Chyzyk. “One year we had cowboys and showgirls. One year we had the school kids of ‘Matilda.’ Our ‘Music Man’ had the vintage period costumes from that era, which was really fun. So the set looks different. The costuming looks different. The choreography is different, but this show is very modern, fast paced and very funny.”

The producer told the Sun that extra thought went into the roles in this show, and that based on her experience there’s plenty of talent in Westman to bring “Something Rotten.” And when it comes to variety, Chyzyk emphasized that the story from the age of Shakespeare brought freshness to the theatre.

“We have the personnel to make this show dazzling.”

Dean Munchinsky, a hobby actor and director in Virden who works with the theatre production organization, told the Sun that thousands of hours go into each show. Amongst everyone involved, that work is spread across various jobs like memorizing lines, choreography and creating props and sets. Everyone is a volunteer and does it for love of the art.

Munchinsky emphasized that the shows bring people together from all different areas and demographics. He said the fun part is working to solve problems that come up and build something together.

“We are very proud of the quality of performances that we do,” said Munchinsky. “We stack up against everybody.”

The 54-year-old, who owns a steel business in Virden, started acting 20 years ago and now takes every opportunity he can. Munchinsky volunteers with the theatre organization and helps direct shows and design sets.

At a coffee shop in Brandon, he told the Sun of being in town for a practice that night. The night before he reported having digitally submitted auditions for parts in other television areas. On his phone, he opened and played a recorded audition of him reciting lines as a police officer interviewing a suspect.

“Being an actor doesn’t mean that you’re famous,” he told the Sun. “Being an actor doesn’t mean you are making a bunch of money doing it.”

The Virden resident described acting as creativity and art. When asked his favourite moment, he skipped over his most recent appearance in “Mind Wave,” a Vancouver film released this year. Instead, his prized moment was playing the ‘One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest” character Randle McMurphy (a character famously played by Jack Nicholson) in an Assiniboine Theatre Company presentation.

For Chyzyk, when asked about the ‘why’ of theatre, she said it’s about community building. The experience contributes to character growth for people who overcome shyness and learn to work together, she said. And it makes for a fun watch for community members as well.

“Well, it’s fun to see your friends and neighbours doing something on the stage. It’s uplifting. It’s uplifting,” she said. “Our shows always have something that puts a spring in your step and makes you enjoy life.

“We can help the audience escape and enjoy something pretty special. Often there’s humour or there’s touching moments in a show. Our last show was called ‘Freaky Friday,’ and had some really touching moments with a mother and a daughter learning how to be in each other’s shoes, and then moments that are just full of hilarity and just the audience really enjoys those as well.”

» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com