“I love announcing every new season,” says Rosebud Theatre’s Artistic Director Morris Ertman.
    “We live with the possibilities of these story gifts for months on end, and then finally, we get to put them all under one tree. If there is a common theme in Rosebud, it is a passionate belief that human beings are the living embodiment of grace and light. Every play in our 2012 season takes us through a story that reveals the shimmering, hopeful resilience of characters who choose to live openheartedly, and who change the world around them in the process. We’re excited to welcome people into our Rosebud valley, to feed and entertain them, and to share stories with them that will linger long after they’ve left the theatre. Come one. Come all!”
     Spring begins Rosebud Theatre’s new season with a high dose of hilarity in the comedy $38,000 For a Friendly Face, by Kristin Shepherd (March 16 - May 12).
     The new director of a suburban funeral home is in a tizzy. He doesn’t know how to create an appropriate celebration of life for a woman that nobody liked. He is aided by the well-intentioned “Last Supper Committee”, but today their menu disagreements are on the verge of leading to an all-out food fight. Join the chaos in this crazy, nutty comedy about making the most of a life, even if most of it has to be made up.
    In the summer, Canada’s favourite redhead comes to the Rosebud Opera House stage (May 25 - August 25).  Anne of Green Gables, the Musical (with book by Donald Harron, adapted from the novel by L.M. Montgomery, music by Norman Campbell) is sure to enchant theatre patrons of every age.
    The unstoppable Anne Shirley wreaks havoc on the residents of Avonlea, P.E.I. and wins their hearts in the process.
    My Name is Asher Lev by Aaron Posner is adapted from the novel by Chaim Potok. My Name is Asher Lev plays on Rosebud’s Studio Stage (July 4 - August 25).
    Asher Lev has a gift - he paints like no one else, his subject matter is both personal and arresting.  But it creates a rift between his aspirations and his Orthodox Jewish community and more troubling still, between his parents and his vocation.
 A poignant coming of age story, adapted from the popular novel, this story is as intimate as a family dinner and as vast as a young man’s dreams.  Heartbreaking, triumphant, inspiring. “Such a feeling of freshness, of something brand-new...Attention-holding and ultimately moving.” - The New York Times.     
    Autumn brings the adaptation of the bestselling book by Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie, (adapted by Jeffery Hatcher and Mitch Albom). 
    The play is based on the astonishing true story of the friendship between Mitch Albom and Morrie Schwartz. Tuesdays with Morrie sold more than 14 million copies and was translated into 41 languages. This play was described by the New York Daily News as “A touching, life-affirming, deeply emotional drama with a generous dose of humour.” Tuesdays with Morrie runs from September 7 to October 20.
    Christmas is always a special time in Rosebud and 2012 will be no exception.
    An original Christmas folk musical entitled May and Joe by Rosebud’s Morris Ertman, Heather Pattengale and Paul Zacharias will bring the Christmas spirit to Rosebud patrons. May and Joe are travelling the snowy highway in their clunker car from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay days before Christmas, and they’re expecting. Well, May is expecting. It would seem May and Joe’s story is told every year at Christmas-time, they just had no idea the story was theirs. Aided and abetted by a folk band of three wise guys, this whimsical tale reveals that the simplest Christmas miracle of all is well within our reach.
    Rosebud’s Christmas show runs from November 2 to December 22.

    The Badlands Community Facility Campaign Cabinet would like to thank the Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce (DDCC) for another payment towards their pledge of $250,000 that was received on Thursday. 
    In attendance was Jeff Hall, Campaign Cabinet Co-chair, accepting the cheque on behalf of the facility, from John Shoff, Board Vice President of the DDCC.
    As the end of the year approaches, now is the time to honour those pledge payments for a 2011 charitable receipt. Charitable donations give companies and individuals the ability to lower the taxes they pay for the year. Along with the benefit of lowering taxes, spreading a pledge over multiple years also gives individuals and companies a way to manage and support the Badlands Community Facility at a higher capacity.
    For instance, a gift of $100,000 may sound intimidating, but broken down into payments of $20,000 a year for 5 years is much more manageable. The Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce is a great example of just that, as they have broken their pledge into payments of $50,000.
    “We would like to thank the Chamber of Commerce for their continuous support of the Badlands Community Facility and for their regular payments,” said Hall. “Large donations like this, whether they come as a lump sum or are spread over a number of years, help create a strong foundation for our fundraising efforts and exemplify the community’s commitment to the project.”
    Shoff adds, “On behalf of the Drumheller & District Chamber of Commerce I am happy to present this cheque to the Badlands Community Facility.  We believe the Badlands Community Facility will open many doors for the Drumheller business community to host larger events, and bring in new business opportunities to the area.”
    For more information on the Badlands Community Facility, please contact Heather Little at 403-823-1333 or hlittle@dinosaurvalley.com.