Explore the effects of war through the lens of the people left behind with Douglas College’s latest theatre production: Waiting for the Parade by John Murrell.

Running March 11-24, Waiting for the Parade focuses on five Calgary women during the Second World War and their work efforts at home while the men they love are fighting overseas.

The drama showcases the different response to civilian life the five Calgarians have, providing a glimpse into Canadian society in the 1940s.

“The themes of this play have less to do with the realities of war itself than with the people left behind – in this particular case, the women – when soldiers go fight,” director Thrasso Petras explained. “Stories of those who are left waiting while others go to war are universal and timeless. Poets have been writing and speaking about it since Homer and The Iliad.”

Petras notes that the play also shows the contrast between how war is sold to the public versus how soldiers experience it.

Presented by the departments of Theatre and Stagecraft and Event Technology, the play stars Rachel Fournier as Catherine, Lily Gillette as Margaret, Shannon Lindsey as Janet, Pamela Carolina Martinez as Eve and Rebecca Troock as Marta.

Featuring Amanda Larder on set design, Carmen Alatorre heading costume design and Craig Alfredson on lighting design.

A free preview will be held March 10 at 2pm at Douglas College’s studio theatre, room 410, at the New Westminster Campus.

See here for more showtimes.