AROUND TOWN: Opening night at Tempting Providence
A table, four chairs, four actors and a tablecloth were all it took to portray an entire community and one woman’s amazing story to 350 people at the opening night of Tempting Providence at Gateway Theatre last Friday.
“We’re asking people to use their imaginations,” said Deidre Gillard-Rowlings, the actress who played Myra Bennett.
“It’s a suggestion … everyone sees a different boat, everyone sees a different sleigh,” she said.
Tempting Providence tells the story of Myra Bennett, a nurse who came to Newfoundland in 1921.
“She’s an exemplary human being,” Gillard-Rowlings said.
“I read it and I cried,” she said.
“It’s not only about Myra, it’s also about people from that coast.”
Gillard-Rowlings has traveled around the world playing Myra Bennett for past ten years.
The play is perfect for Gateway because community is a major theme.
“There is a really strong sense of community here in Richmond,” Gillard-Rowlings said.
That sense of community was evident at the opening night reception following the show, which was catered by Anna’s Cake House and the Sheraton, Marriott and Hilton Vancouver Airport hotels.
The audience gathered together and stayed late to eat, chat and meet the actors.
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