After 3 years of development, the latest play from the Cape Breton Playwright Wesley J. Colford is having its world premiere at Downtown Sydney’s Highland Arts Theatre where Colford serves as Artistic and Executive Director of the venue. Aside from writing the Dora Award-nominated musical Heart of Steel, Colford is responsible for other popular shows like Dream, The Wakowski Brothers, and Kitchen Party.

The new show, titled The Beloved, is a comedic-drama set in 17th century England. It follows a young boy named David as he navigates the country manor he's newly assigned to, and the tangled web of sexual dalliances that the eccentric staff hopscotch through daily. Reverberating through the walls is a sermon he internalized as a child - that of “The Beloved”, a select group of chosen ones meant to be God’s favourites.

“This is a play that has been in my head for nearly 16 years. It took a pandemic to finally write the first draft and I've been working on it for three years since." shared Colford. “It’s a very personal story for me, but one that I think Cape Breton is ready to see. It's sexy, it’s funny, it’s meaningful. The team is amazing, including some of my favourite actors on the Island and off. I don’t know if I’ve read or seen anything like it before, so I hope it will bring a similar ‘new’ experience to the audiences that join us.”

The show is directed by Jeannette Lambermont-Morey, a seasoned director who has directed multiple shows at the world famous Stratford Festival in Ontario, and features a cast of local actors and others from across the country.

The Beloved starts its run on May 17th and will run until May 21st. A web-stream of the play will take place exclusively on the theatre’s YouTube channel on June 22nd at 7:30PM, AST. 

Tickets are on sale now with the theatre’s Pay-What-You-Choose ticket system, with free tickets available to those in need.

Tickets can all be booked online at www.highlandartstheatre.com, by phone at (902) 565-3637, or in person at the 

HAT's box office at 40 Bentinck Street in Downtown Sydney between noon and 6:00PM, Monday to Friday. 

Production Media Reference:

Wesley J. Colford
Phone: (902) 565-5970
Email: [email protected]

Highland Arts Theatre

40 Bentinck Street, Sydney, NS B1P 1G2

902.565.3637

[email protected]