Racy Comedy With A Huge Honeyed Heart

Love and laughter take centre stage in a raucously funny courtship comedy with a huge, honeyed heart! With spring finally here, the bees are buzzing, the birds are singing and romance is in the air as the racy new comedy The Birds & The Bees hits three Drayton Entertainment stages, running May 23 to June 10 at the Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge (formerly Dunfield Theatre Cambridge), July 25 to Aug 11 at the Drayton Festival Theatre and August 15 to September 1 at Huron Country Playhouse in Grand Bend.

Set in two adjoining bedrooms on a modern Canadian farm, the play tackles love, lust, science, family dynamics ... and the artificial insemination of turkeys. It may be the last-ever Turkey Days Festival, but for Gail, Earl, Sarah and Ben ... it's just the beginning.

38-year-old Sarah has left her husband and moved back home to live with her mother Gail until she sorts out her life. Despite the fact that she's a divorcée of twenty years herself, Gail isn't exactly providing the compassion that Sarah needs. An avid beekeeper, Gail has other things on her mind - like wondering why her honeybees are dropping dead all of a sudden. Then there's Gail's neighbour Earl, a farm tenant (and ladies' man) who keeps dropping in unannounced, and Ben, an eager 23-year-old Master's student intent on studying the collapsing bee colonies, who's about to get a big lesson in pollination.

"The Birds & The Bees is a hilarious new comedy about mothers and daughters, and the ups and downs of love," says Alex Mustakas, Artistic Director of Drayton Entertainment. "Audiences are bound to laugh as they see the mating game play out between two couples at different stages in their lives - it's funny, touching and very relatable."

Veteran director Marti Maraden takes the lead on this sticky sweet comedy about the birds, the bees and everything in between. Maraden's renowned career includes 18 seasons at the Stratford Festival, eight years as the Artistic Director of English Theatre for the National Arts Centre, and numerous Drayton Entertainment productions, including last season's smash hit production of Death of a Salesman, starring George Wendt. Maraden is joined by Set Designer Samantha Burson, Costume Designer Rebecca Wolsley, and Lighting Designer Davida Tkach.

Fresh from her hilarious turn as the title role in The Drowsy Chaperone, Gabrielle Jones is Gail, a long-divorced woman who copes with her loneliness by keeping herself busy with bees. A staple in Canadian theatre, Jones has appeared in productions all across North America including six seasons with the Stratford Festival, 12 seasons with the Shaw Festival, national tours of Mamma Mia! and LES MISERABLES, and several productions for Drayton Entertainment.

Stacy Smith is Sarah, Gail's thirty-something daughter, a turkey farmer who has left her husband of eleven years to come back to live with her mother just until she figures out what to do about her messy marital situation. Smith has worked extensively in television and film, and appeared in stage productions nationwide including The Ladies Foursome and Run For Your Wife for Drayton Entertainment.

Terry Barna is Earl, Gail's frisky neighbour who is a little too forthcoming with details about his boisterous sex life. After a series of failed relationships, he's taken the "no strings attached" approach, which affronts Gail's prim sensibilities about mature relationships. In addition to his work on the Canadian sitcom Meet The Family, Barna has appeared in several Drayton Entertainment productions including The Odd Couple, The Love List, Bedtime Stories and more.

Thomas Duplessie is Ben, an enthusiastic, young master's student who visits Gail's farm to study her declining bee population. He gets more than he bargained for when he falls into a sticky situation with Gail's daughter Sarah. Duplessie won hearts with his charismatic portrayal of Eugene in Brighton Beach Memoirs in 2016; he also appeared alongside George Wendt in Death of a Salesman.

The Birds & The Bees is written by Canadian actor and playwright Mark Crawford. It premiered in 2016 at the Blyth Festival, and has been produced at many theatres across Canada.

Regular performance tickets are $46 for adults; $27 for youth under 20 years of age. Tickets for select Discount Dates and groups of 20 or more are $37. HST is applicable to all ticket prices.

The Birds & The Bees runs May 23 to June 10 at the Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge (formerly Dunfield Theatre Cambridge), July 25 to Aug 11 at the Drayton Festival Theatre and August 15 to September 1 at Huron Country Playhouse in Grand Bend.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.draytonentertainment.com or by calling the Box Office at (519) 621-8000 or toll free at 1-855-drayton (372-9866).

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