The Roxy Theatre is hoping to spread some holiday spirit this week with the Owen Sound Little Theatre presentation of The Christmas Tree.
It’s a locally-made film adaptation of the Norm Foster play of the same name.
The idea to produce the play as a movie was conceived during COVID-19 lockdowns.
OSLT Executive Director Marcia Cunningham explains, “I applied for an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant to create a movie, and [our] group of volunteers searched to determine what would be a great play to turn into a movie, and came up with Norm Foster’s [The] Christmas Tree.”
According to the play’s author, The Christmas Tree is a story about a man and woman who meet at a Christmas tree lot on Christmas Eve, but there’s only one tree left.
They share their stories to figure out who’s more deserving of the tree while seeming unmoved by one another’s predicament.
The movie was filmed in Owen Sound, most recognizably at the Grey Gallery Gardens.
It stars a few familiar faces as well.
Cunningham says that film director Christopher McGruer took the reigns on the project, “He cast Cameron Donsberger, who recently played the Beast in Beauty and the Beast, [and] Sam Colwell-Castles as the female lead in the film.”
Colwell-Castles was previously on stage in the OSLT production of A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, and Donsberger isn’t the only Beauty and the Beast actor in the movie — Peter Leonard, who played Belle’s father Maurice, also makes an appearance in the film.
There will be two in-person showings of the film at the Roxy.
The first is on Friday, December 9th at 7:30 pm, complete with a film premiere gala.
There will also be a matinee screening on Saturday, December 10th at 1 pm.
Plus, if anyone wants to see the film, but can’t make it to the theatre for either screening, as of 3 pm on December 10th, you can pay for on-demand access through the Roxy’s website and can then stream the film until December 31st.
“I suspect some people will come to see it in person, and then maybe want to watch it again over the Christmas holidays and so purchase an on-demand ticket to then watch again from home, so we’re hoping that will happen as well,” adds Cunningham.
In fact, the ability to stream the movie on-demand also led to the option of what’s called a Cozy Christmas Theatre Experience that’s aimed at Grey-Bruce seniors and adults living with disabilities, who can’t make it to the theatre.
For a $30 donation, to the Home & Community Support Services of Grey Bruce, HCSS will provide area seniors with a viewing of The Christmas Tree along with cozy holiday treats.