Doris & Ivy in the Home

Perhaps a second chance at life and love begins at 70(ish)? Retired prison guard Doris Mooney has just moved into Paradise Village, a retirement home in Canmore, Alberta. She quickly befriends Ivy Hoffbauer, a former world champion skier who's taken aback by Doris's cheerful brashness. Rounding out the trio is dapper Arthur Beech who has designs on Ivy. Love, gossip, and sex behind the compost heap. This is Norm Foster at his hilarious best, a riotous tale of love and friendship after a certain age, shattering your notion of what senior living should be!
Opens July 13th for seven performances, including two matinees.

Recommended for ages 13 and up. This play includes sexual references and mature humour and imagery.

CREDITS

Playwright

Director

Norm Foster

Norm Foster is one of Canada’s most prolific and beloved playwrights, known for his witty, heartwarming, and often humorous works. Born in Newmarket, Ontario, Foster began his career in radio broadcasting before turning to playwriting in the early 1980s. His plays, such as *The Melville Boys*, *Old Love*, and *The Ladies Foursome*, explore themes of friendship, love, and human relationships, often blending comedy with moments of poignant reflection. With over 60 plays to his name, Foster’s accessible storytelling and relatable characters have made him a favorite among Canadian theatergoers, earning him numerous accolades and widespread productions across North America.

Doris and Ivy in the Home is staged by arrangement with Pam Winter, GGA, www.ggagency.ca and was first produced by Upper Canada Playhouse in Morrisburg, ON in June 2022.

Myrna MacBrien

Myrna is a seasoned actor and director with over twenty-five years of experience spanning both amateur and professional stages. As an actor, director, and producer, she is recognized for her storytelling, team-minded leadership, and commitment to creating character-driven work. Her years with the Highlands Summer Festival reflect a deep passion for theatre as both an art form and a vital community experience.
Most recently, Myrna appeared as Gingy in her own theatre company’s Toronto production of Love, Loss, and What I Wore by Delia and Nora Ephron, having played the role previously at Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts. As a director, she has helmed recent Toronto productions of Norm Foster’s Doris and Ivy in the Home and Willy Russell’s Shirley Valentine. Myrna’s producing credits also include Kingfisher Days by Susan Coyne, in which she also starred in Hamilton On.

Her longstanding involvement with the Festival includes performances in Annie, The Goodbye Girl, The Last Resort, Looking, Fallen Angels, and The Ladies Foursome, the latter of which she also directed. She has also directed notable Festival productions such as The Dining Room, The Importance of Being Earnest, Shirley Valentine, and last summer’s Drinking Habits. Myrna is honoured to return to the Festival and to work alongside its dedicated artists, volunteers, and loyal supporters. She extends her sincere thanks to Melissa and Douglas, and to the Board for the opportunity to once again contribute to this vibrant, community-minded theatre.

Special heartfelt thanks goes to her brave and beautiful cast, the behind the scenes teams such as set design, building, painting, tech, light design, all volunteers, and backstage crew. Myrna wants to thank her wonderful stage manager for keeping us all organized, and uplifted every step of the way.
Myrna invites you to enjoy another fabulous HSF season—and believes wholeheartedly that you are never too old to get lost in the magic of theatre.

Love to the family, and cheers to friends who become family.