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Blackhorse Village Players prepare for production of ‘Old Wives Tales’ 

March 12, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

Marriage – what is it good for?

Pre-wedding jitters, settling into married life, and the end of an era are all explored in the Blackhorse Village Players’ production of Old Wives Tales, now on stage at the Mount Wolfe Rd., and Highway 9 location.

Written by Kevin Riordan, produced by Amanda Tessier and Jacquie Moore, and directed by Jo-Anne Pulfer, this play examines married life over the years for two women.

It is the 1980s in the back room of a church, when a young woman, played by Lauren Tiersma, wearing her wedding dress and only minutes away from being married, suddenly announces she wants to cancel the wedding.

Through tears and uncertainty, the young woman states she is not sure the man she is about to marry is really the right man for her.

In the role of her mother, Melanie Burgess tries to convince her daughter that nothing is perfect and that she is just experiencing the same pre-wedding concerns everyone has.

Jacob Furmanov takes on three roles in the production: priest, waiter, and lawyer. As the priest, he visits the back room to find out why the bride has not yet arrived, as several hundred guests are waiting for the wedding to start.

The young woman finally agrees to go through with the wedding.

Fourteen years later, the two women meet in a restaurant and discuss married life. The young woman has now settled into the routine of marriage and seems happy, though there are bumps and surprises along the way.

Fast-forward to the 2010s, and the women meet at a lawyer’s office where the mother, now much older, wants to make her final arrangements.

The daughter learns many things about her mother as they discuss her mother’s wishes when it comes to distributing her estate after her death.

Old Wives Tales is a journey through several decades of two lives that are different but connected.

Many people are involved in putting this production together. the team consists of Stage Manager, Julie Kovach; Production Assistant and Sound Tech, Norah Ruffalo; Assistant Stage Manager, Braidan Green; Set Design, Cheryl Phillips and Jo-Anne Pulfer; Set Builders, Cheryl Phillips, Conor Phillips and Tim McEchern; Set Painters, Jo-Anne Pulfer and Laurie Laing; Props, Norah Ruffalo and Jo-Anne Pulfer with the company; Costumes, Jo-Anne Pulfer and Amanda Tessier; Hair and Makeup, the company; Lighting Designers, John Sellens and Rob Mather; Light Tech, Julie Kovach; Sound Design, Myles Stromm and Jo-Anne Pulfer.

Director Jo-Anne Pulfer would like to make a special mention of teenage volunteer Norah Ruffalo, who joined the theatre in Grade 9 and has been doing a terrific job since. She plans to continue with the theatre until she graduates.

Old Wives Tale is on the Blackhorse Village Players stage through to March 22, 2026.

For ticket information, visit the theatre website at www.blackhorsetheatre.ca

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