The Pilgrim's Progress is "progressing" to Steinbach in the form of a theatrical performance.
"Are you sure that's going to translate into an exciting, fun, stage show?"
That's what Laura Turner, a founder of Looking Glass Theatre imagines some are asking. But, she says her co-founder, Marc A. Moir, has adapted it into something moving, and full of adventure, action, and comedy.
All this, she says, while staying true to the book.
"Our main character, Christian, goes on a journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City, making his pilgrimage and changing into a different person along the way," she says, adding all the names will be kept the same.
Turner says the audience will be able to go home and decide for themselves whether Christian went on an actual journey, or if it was an inner journey in which he met different versions of himself.
She hopes other questions will be prompted through the production as well, though they won't be discussed after the show.
"We're a theatre company, we're not a church," she says, "But at the same time, many of us are Christians and we all live out here, and appreciate the beauty that is in the Christian story and in the Christian struggle."
The cast itself is small, with just four people. There are about 70 characters though, so wile one person plays Christian, the other three are morphing between the other dozens of characters.
Turner is taking on about 40 roles herself.
To keep everything on the straight and narrow, she says she uses charts to map out accents, voice types, and their physicality.
"We've got great accents to use, one point we're like Scottish, or another point we're Irish," she says.
The group will be performing at the Steinbach Arts Council 7:30 p.m. on April 2, 3, 4 and 5. Turner says doors open at 7 p.m., and tickets will be available for purchase there — if any are left.
"Right now there are, so there is availability. It'll say on our website whether we're sold out or not," she says.
There will also be food and drink available for purchase.
Find the details and tickets lookingglasstheatre.ca/pilgrims.
Written with files from Corny Rempel
