Regina youths bring Water for Elephants to Regina stage in Canadian premiere

A giant elephant puppet and a cast of more than 40 young performers at the University of Regina are coming together for the Canadian premiere of a popular stage production.

Do It With Class Young People’s Theatre opens its production of Water of Elephants at the Riddell Centre on Thursday, marking what artistic director Rob Ursan said is the first Canadian production of the musical.

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“It’s a memory play about a man who goes to the circus and then starts to relive his life when he was young and a vet for a travelling circus during the dirty ‘30s,” Ursan told The Greg Morgan Morning Show.

“It’s a pretty remarkable story about how people ended up having to exist in such harsh conditions, but there was always this joy of being part of the circus.”

Listen to Rob Ursan’s interview on The Greg Morgan Morning Show:

That mix of hardship and spectacle sits at the heart of the production, which is performed by children and teens aged nine to 18. Ursan said the company is made up of three groups: junior, intermediate and senior performers, with each taking on different roles in bringing the circus world to life on the stage.

“We’ve got over 40 kids in the company,” he said. “The junior company, the youngest ones, are all being the clown troop from the circus. The intermediate ends up being in control of many animal puppets and things that we’re using, and the seniors are taking on all the major roles.”

Cast members rehearse a scene from Water for Elephants, with the director guiding performers playing circus roles during a practice session. (Jennelle Hubick/Submitted)

That scale is reflected in one of the production’s biggest visual elements: the elephant itself.

“It’s actually the size of a real, live Indian elephant,” Ursan said with a laugh. “The top of the head is at nine feet. It’s quite wide. There will be an elephant in the room, and this one we will want to talk about, for sure.”

The show also carries a deeper local connection. Ursan said one of the lead roles in the Broadway production was played by Paul Nolan, a former Do It With Class performer who has since built a major theatre career.

“Paul Nolan has been doing Broadway shows now for about 10, 12 years, and that was his ninth Brodaway lead role,” Ursan explained.

He added that the company has helped start the careers of several successful performers over the past three decades, including actor Tatiana Maslany.

“We’ve had some remarkable people pass through our doors over the course of the last 30-odd years,” Ursan said. “They’ve been on Broadway, they’ve been at Stratford and Shaw festivals.”

He said he’s been impressed by the work he’s seen from the young cast and crew in Regina.

“It’s going to be an incredible production,” Ursan said. “I’m incredibly proud of the young people. The music is not easy, and they’ve really taken to it.”

Performances are set for Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m at the Riddell Centre. Tickets can be found online.