CCH production of ‘Mamma Mia!’ supporting youth advocacy centre

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on March 14, 2025.

Herald photo by Alejandra Pulido-Guzman Katy Sawa (Rosie) and Chaelan Villacin (Tanya), point at Katie Hartman (Donna) during a media call of their newest production of Mamma Mia! Thursday at the CCH's Eggplant Theatre.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com

Catholic Central High School Drama students are ready to entertain audiences with their latest production, Mamma Mia!, from tonight until March 22 at the Knights of Columbus Eggplant Theatre.

The musical, which features the unforgettable hits of ABBA, will transport audiences to a sun-soaked Greek island with a unique set design. The “in-the-round” format of the production brings the action closer to the audience, creating a truly immersive theatre experience.

And during three special sing-along shows that will take place March 15, 19 and 22, the immersive experience gets kicked up a notch by encouraging the audience to join in and sing with the actors for a good cause, as $5 of each ticket sold for those three shows will be donated to the Chinook Child and Youth Advocacy Centre.

Cheryl Patterson, Manager of the Chinook Child and Youth Advocacy Centre, says they are excited to partner with CCH as it is a great opportunity for them to raise money for the centre while engaging youth in the community.

“It’s a great initiative to involve students and youth in doing some of that fundraising and getting that advocacy about child abuse out into the public and discuss among schools,” says Patterson.

She says they particularly value partnerships in schools because that’s where the youth are, they can connect with them one-on-one and support each other on what a community response to child abuse looks like.

Jessica Ens, producer of Mamma Mia, says thanks to ties with alumni who work at the Chinook Sexual Assault Centre, they were able to create the partnership.

“We were looking at the themes of female empowerment, relationships and family relationships, so we wanted to do something to give back to the community and that was in perfect alliance with the theme of the show and with how we could some fundraising for something in the community,” says Ens.

The “in-the-round” setting is a rare undertaking in school productions but it’s a unique experience for everyone involved.

“We play to all sides of the theatre, to give you that sense of an intimate setting. It is also a unique experience for students because they have to learn how to perform in the 360-degree capacity as well, and it amplifies their acting experience further,” says Ens.

Braden Dalton, director of Fine Arts program at CCH, says the Mamma Mia show has been in the works since last October.

“We are a high school production, but we like to be as professional as we can. We’re not the size of the Yates Theater or a gymnasium, but we like to think that what we do here is pretty important for our kids and pretty good for our community.”

Dalton says they had two preview shows and the reviews were great, with some saying that they will be listening to ABBA music the rest of the week because they got the songs from the show stuck in their heads.

Grade 12 student Katie Hartman, who plays Donna Sheridan, says she’s excited to perform in front of an audience.

“It’s really fun to finally see strangers’ faces instead of our staff and students that we have met before,” says Hartman. “It’s a different experience from previews and dress rehearsals.”

Her co-star, Grade 11 student Katy Sawa, who plays Tanya Chesham-Leigh, is looking forward to the show because Mamma Mia is something “different from the norm.”

“To do something that is completely different from Disney or anything that is related to a cartoon, it’s really fun to do something else and that it’s on Broadway,” says Sawa.

When talking about the fact that some of the money will be donated to the Chinook Child and Youth Advocacy Centre, Hartman says it feels good to be able to contribute while doing something they all love.

“It feels really good to be able to help out a charity through things that we enjoy doing, because everyone in the show enjoys the process and I really appreciate that all of our hard work is going to a charity organization.”

Tickets are available for purchase through Catholic Central’s website at https://cch.holyspirit.ab.ca/

And for more information, on the Chinook Child and Youth Advocacy Centre, visit http://www.csacleth.ca