Love and Barbed Wire

Thank you so much to Common Ground 7 for hosting their new works festival at The Pumphouse Theatre in November 2023!
Opening night for Love and Barbed Wire was Sold Out!
Thank you to Troy, Dylan, Tia, Sabrina and all of those at Pumphouse for making this such a great event.

Quick Synopsis:
Love and Barbed Wire revolves around a couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in their home in the early 1960’s.
As per their own tradition, they reminisce, confront and ultimately celebrate their time together by reading aloud a selection of their letters to one another from when they were newlyweds and then separated by World War One.
Love and Barbed Wire honours the dedication and sacrifices made by so many during this time, and the capacity for change and gratitude within us all.

Love and barbed wire production slide show 2023

Bringing Love and Barbed Wire to Life is Our Wonderful Cast

Elder Lillian - Jill Howell-Fellows Jill has been involved in community theatre in Calgary for 15 years. She is passionate about the art of storytelling through theatre and music. Select stage credits include The Wedding Singer (Angie) and Catch Me If You Can (Carol Strong) with Front Row Centre Players, It’s A Wonderful Life (Annie/Mrs. Hatch) with Morpheus Theatre. When she is not rehearsing or performing you can find her caring for her patients as a Registered Nurse at the Rockyview Hospital. Jill is delighted to be part of the Love and Barbed Wire cast.

Younger Lillian - Jess Parker is an actress, singer, writer, and filmmaker from Calgary Alberta. She attended Vancouver Acting school as part of their Acting for Film, Television, and Voice Over program, and has experience in stage, screen, and voiceover both working behind the scenes and as a performer. She is just coming off a recent 9 month run of Mamma Mio which toured throughout Canada, and is very excited to be a part of the wonderful cast presenting you Love and Barbed Wire!

Elder Tom - Brad Leavitt has appeared in live theatre in Canada for over 40 years. As a lead or behind the scenes with his own set-building company, he has performed in musicals such as Guys and Dolls in 1978 through to Fiddler On The Roof - coming to Calgary in 2024. A personal favourite is Blood Brothers from 1986, playing a lead role in the Canadian premiere of the show.

Younger Tom - Joshua R. Read is a Calgary-based multifaceted entertainer performing in operas, theatre, concerts, and on the screen. He is very excited to be portraying the role of Young Tom in the world premiere of "Love and Barbed Wire." Previous credits include; "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" and "Follies: In Concert", both with Front Row Centre. This December, Joshua will host a Christmas concert livestream on his YouTube channel (@joshua.r.read.bass.baritone)! Instagram: @joshua.r.read / YouTube: @joshua.r.read.bass.baritone

Co-writer and Director - Nicolas Corbeil has a passion for creative arts. While he has dabbled in play and short-story writing, Love and Barbed Wire is Nicolas’ first musical. He has had the pleasure of co-writing it with Peter Willis during 2023. He trained in improvisation with the University of Calgary Improv Club but is still learning about the complex world of theatre production. Staging the musical for Common Ground 7 has offered Nicolas his first directing experience.

Co-writer and Composer - Peter Willis is thrilled bring his first musical Love and Barbed Wire to life with co-writer Nicolas Corbeil, Stage Manager Lauren MacDonald, Props Master Tami Hutchinson, Costume Assistants Denise and Luna Willis, and of course our wonderful cast; Jill, Jess, Brad and Josh. This has been a dream since about 1983! www.peterwillis.ca