Johnny Wideman (second from the left) plays an ex-offender returning home in the play Forgiven/Forgotten. Photo by James Croker

New comedy takes marriage to task

Counselling centre commissions theatre troupe to promote marital health

By Craig Macartney and ChristianWeek Senior Correspondent | March 13, 2014

KITCHENER, ON—An original play touring Ontario next month will take aim at issues common to many marriages.

Theatre of the Beat will premiere its hour-and-a-half long comedy A Bicycle Built for Two May 3 in Kitchener, Ontario, before launching a province-wide tour. Joining the actors for post-play discussion are marriage counsellors from Shalom Counselling, which commissioned the play. The troupe’s members, based in based in Stoufville, Ontario, all come from Mennonite church backgrounds and either work or study in fields related to peace, justice or community development, according to an article published by The Mennonite Brethren Herald in April, 2013.

“Marriage is wonderful and rewarding, but it is challenging and you have to work at it,” says Wanda Wagler-Martin, executive director of Shalom Counselling. “For the last 10 years, couple relationship issues have been the second most frequent reason people come for counselling. We decided it was time to do some health promotion and education.”

Wagler-Martin emphasizes that even the best marriages have challenges. Through the play, the actors aim to inspire viewers to believe in the value of long term relationships and continually work to improve their marriages. They also hope to educate the audience about marital health and encourage them to seek help if needed.

“There are things people sometimes don’t learn about marriage until they get in real difficulty and come for counselling. A lot of people in relationships live under the assumption that it’s better to ignore issues or avoid dealing with them, as opposed to facing the risk of conflict.”

Johnny Wideman, artistic director for Theatre of the Beat, hopes the play’s lighthearted humour will help viewers move past any discomfort or social taboos around acknowledging the struggle. He hopes couples will be encouraged to discuss their relationship and any challenges, before it’s too late.

The script follows the story of three couples: excited fiancées, a divorced couple and empty-nest parents trying to reconnect after years of simply going through life. In keeping with its previous productions, Theatre of the Beat is also planning a “second act” audience discussion.

“We’re pretty excited about the ‘second act’ because we’ll be touring with marriage counsellors from Shalom Counselling,” says Wideman. “There can be shame around issues of marital discord, but hopefully exploring marriage on stage will get people talking about things they wouldn’t normally feel comfortable discussing.”