There’s a little extra Central Alberta flavour joining the Cow Patti stage this fall.

Ponoka’s Ken Robinson makes his Cow Patti acting debut in Neil Simon’s Rumors, stepping into the role of Glenn Cooper as one of ten guests caught in a dinner party that goes spectacularly off the rails.

For a production built around gossip, confusion and an increasingly tangled web of stories, Ken may actually be one of the least qualified members of the company when it comes to spreading rumours.

Asked whether he has ever started one, his answer was simple: “Never! Hate gossip.”

Has he ever heard a rumour about himself?

Not one worth remembering, apparently.

That dry sense of humour seems like a pretty good fit for a Neil Simon farce where nearly everyone spends the evening trying to figure out what happened, what everyone else knows, and what story they’re supposed to be telling.

A Local Face Under the Tin Roof

While Rumors marks Ken’s first appearance as an actor with Cow Patti, he isn’t entirely unfamiliar with the people behind the company.

When asked to name someone he has enjoyed working with on stage or screen, Ken’s answer was Cow Patti Artistic Producing Director AnnaMarie Lea.

This fall, that connection brings a Ponoka performer into a company filled with familiar Cow Patti favourites, returning artists and new faces from across Canada.

For Cow Patti, there’s something particularly fitting about having local Alberta talent in the mix during its 30th season. The company was built around bringing professional theatre to rural communities, and Rumors gives a local performer the opportunity to step onto the Tin Roof stage alongside a seasoned Canadian cast. Cow Patti Theatre

A Few Things About Ken

Ken’s questionnaire gave us a few other things worth knowing.

His dinner-party meal of choice? Whatever somebody else is cooking. He’s more than willing to help with the dishes afterward.

Ask him his favourite thing about Alberta and the answer is wonderfully straightforward: “That it’s part of Canada.”

His reading pile currently includes Maurice Druon’s The Accursed Kings series, and when the subject inevitably turns back to rumours, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours is the music that comes to mind.

And the advice he’d give his younger self feels particularly appropriate for a play built around gossip:

Don’t sweat too much about the things you hear. Most of it is made up anyway.

That may be sound advice in real life.

In Neil Simon’s Rumors?

It would probably make for a much shorter play.

See Ken in Rumors

Ken Robinson joins the Cow Patti company as Glenn Cooper when Rumors takes over the Tin Roof Event Centre from November 5 to December 13, 2026.

Come see a local face join a very talented company for one missing hostess, one injured host and one dinner party where absolutely nobody seems capable of telling the same story twice.

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Rennie Wilkinsen

Playing Sheree in
The Sweet Delilah Swim Club

Heather MacDonnell

Playing Vernadette in
The Sweet Delilah Swim Club

Susan Greenfield

Playing Dinah in
The Sweet Delilah Swim Club

Elana Post

Playing Jeri Neal in
The Sweet Delilah Swim Club

AnnaMarie Lea

Playing Lexie in
The Sweet Delilah Swim Club

Debbie Collins

Assistant Director of
The Sweet Delilah Swim Club

Louise Dean

Box Office & Front of House for
The Sweet Delilah Swim Club

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Before the lights dim. Before the curtain rises. Before the first laugh echoes through the Tin Roof. There is Louise Dean.

For nine years, Louise has been the steady presence behind Cow Patti’s box office and front of house operations. She is the voice on the phone when tickets are booked. The familiar face greeting guests at the door. The one making sure everything feels welcoming before a single line is delivered on stage.

Summer, for Louise, has always meant movement. Camping. Road trips. Windows down and miles rolling by. One childhood memory stands out in particular: a family trip to Penticton, British Columbia. It was her first time there, and the beach left a lasting impression. Sun, water, and the kind of family time that sticks with you long after the sand is gone from your shoes.

She is firmly Team Wiener Roast, with smokies over the fire taking top spot on her summer food list. Swimming, however, is not her favourite pastime. “Not well, so rather not,” she says plainly. It is that kind of straightforward honesty that makes her so easy to talk to at the theatre.

If she could spend a summer night by the ocean with anyone, she would choose her kids. No hesitation. Family remains the anchor point in everything she values.

Louise appreciates Alberta for its steadiness. No hurricanes. No tsunamis. No tropical storms. Just solid ground and big skies. That practical appreciation mirrors her personality. She is a dog person. She is not currently reading a book. She has never been on stage or screen. And she does not need to be.

Because the theatre does not run without the people who keep it organized, welcoming, and moving smoothly behind the scenes.

If she could offer her younger self one piece of advice, it would be this: stick to your plans. Do not change them for someone else. It is simple wisdom, hard-earned and grounded in experience.

Louise Dean may not take a bow at curtain call, but her work is woven into every performance. For nine seasons and counting, she has helped create the atmosphere that makes Cow Patti feel less like a venue and more like a gathering place.

And that is a role worth celebrating.

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Meet Debbie Collins, assistant director of The Sweet Delilah Swim Club, whose favourite season has always been summer. When she looks back on her best memories, they almost always involve family, friends, and food. For Debbie, those three ingredients are the foundation of both great summers and great theatre.

One childhood summer memory stands out in particular. Debbie’s family spent time at a small cabin in Northern Ontario, a place she remembers as rustic, beautiful, and almost untouched. The lake was stunning, the cabin was tiny, and none of that mattered. What mattered was being together. That sense of shared experience and closeness continues to shape how Debbie approaches both life and her work behind the scenes.

Food plays a big role in Debbie’s summer memories, too. Hot dogs top her list, and she is firmly in the wiener roast camp. If she could share a summer night by the ocean with anyone, it would be her wonderful partner, someone who clearly means the world to her. Debbie swims, not as well as she once did, she admits, but she still loves the water and the calm it brings.

Debbie has been involved in theatre for 43 years, a fact that still surprises her when she says it out loud. Over that time, she has worked in countless roles, learning how every moving piece contributes to a successful production. Her work as assistant director reflects that understanding. She supports the creative vision, helps keep rehearsals running smoothly, and ensures that everyone feels grounded and supported as the show comes together.

Her favourite thing about Alberta is simple and heartfelt: Cow Patti Theatre itself, and the wonderful friends she has made here. That sense of community is something she values deeply. Debbie is also a devoted dog lover and a reader who enjoys personal growth as much as performance. She is currently reading How to Set Boundaries (Without Feeling Like a D*ck), a title that makes her laugh and resonates with her practical wisdom.

If Debbie could give her younger self one piece of advice, it would be this: stop worrying. One day, you will laugh at all of it. It is advice rooted in experience, compassion, and perspective, qualities she brings to The Sweet Delilah Swim Club every single day.

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There are some people who build stages. And there are some people who build families. AnnaMarie Lea has done both.

In The Sweet Delilah Swim Club, AnnaMarie plays Lexie, a character who carries humour, loyalty, and strength in equal measure. Off stage, she serves as Cow Patti Theatre’s Artistic Producing Director, shaping not just performances, but the entire experience audiences return for year after year.

Summer, for AnnaMarie, has always meant one thing: adventure. When her four children were young, she and her husband Tom would load up the tent and declare, “We’re going on an Adventure in the Venture.” They camped. They created scavenger hunts that pulled in entire campsites. They performed skits using whatever props could be found in the bush. It was theatre before rehearsal schedules, joy before production meetings. It was FamiLea.

Her own childhood summers were just as formative. With five siblings and a father whose work often kept him away, summer holidays were sacred. The whole family would pile into their Shasta trailer and head to places like Dawson City, Yellowstone National Park, or Disneyland. It was the rare and treasured time when all eight of them were together. That understanding of togetherness, of gathering people intentionally, clearly shaped the theatre community she leads today.

AnnaMarie has been in the business for 40 years. Four decades of storytelling, directing, producing, and performing. She has worked alongside names like John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, and Johnny Cash. Yet for all the big credits, her favourite collaborator might just be the Alberta-born husband she proudly names as her favourite thing about this province.

She is a swimmer who believes water is both life skill and bonding ritual. She is Team Wiener Roast. She loves potato salad. She splits her summer soundtrack between “Soak Up the Sun” and “All Summer Long.” And while others may be reading novels, she is already immersed in scripts for Cow Patti’s 30th season. Neil Simon. Marc Camoletti. Jeanne and Sam Bobrick. The next chapter is always in motion.

If she could offer her younger self one piece of advice, it would be this: stretch more. Physically. Mentally. Spiritually.

That philosophy feels fitting for someone who has stretched herself for forty years to build something that invites others in.

As Lexie, and as leader, AnnaMarie Lea continues to create a place where friendship lasts decades, stories matter, and summer never really ends.

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There are some roles that feel like they’ve been waiting for the right actor to arrive. Jeri Neal in The Sweet Delilah Swim Club is one of them. And when Elana Post steps into that role, she brings 33 years of experience, heart, humour, and a quiet emotional depth that cannot be faked.

Elana’s connection to summer is rooted in work, love, and memory. As a child, she would spend one or two weeks each year at her grandparents’ property, where they ran a fruit and vegetable market. She polished apples, sorted produce, and served customers like a small-town professional. Those weeks mattered. So did the occasional trip to Port Dover, where a footlong hotdog from The Arbor and a walk along the pier felt magical. It still does.

She did not grow up with big summer vacations. There were no long road trips or fancy resorts. Instead, there was family, responsibility, and imagination. That grounding has shaped her into the kind of performer who understands that stories live in ordinary places.

As an adult, her tastes have evolved. When she was young, it was always a wiener roast. Now? A clam bake feels right. She loves a good burger, potato salad, and, when swimming, a heated pool. Cold water is not her friend. She swims for joy, not competition.

If given the chance to share a summer night by the ocean with anyone, Elana would choose Aunt Mae, a beloved family friend who has passed on. They were kindred spirits when it came to the beach, though they never shared one together. The image of listening to stories while watching the tide roll in says everything you need to know about Elana’s emotional core.

Professionally, Elana has worked with respected names like Ted Follows, Araby Lockhart, Wally Michaels, and Louise Reynolds. She speaks not of fame, but of their generosity. They carried no ego. They supported younger actors. They modelled grace.

Off stage, she is reading both Dracula and Lessons in Chemistry, a pairing that somehow makes perfect sense. She is a dog person. She loves visiting cousins and friends near Lacombe whenever she is in Alberta. And she finds comfort in music like “Shining Light of You” by The Treeline.

If she could speak to her younger self, her advice would be simple: do not sweat the small stuff. After 33 years in the business, that kind of clarity comes earned.

As Jeri Neal, Elana Post brings that same wisdom to the Cow Patti stage. Grounded. Warm. Open. Ready.

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Susan Greenfield, who is playing Dinah in The Sweet Delilah Swim Club, brings a calm confidence, deep experience, and genuine warmth to the Cow Patti stage. When she thinks about summer, her mind immediately drifts overseas to Cinque Terre in Italy. Hiking along the coastline, soaking in the sea air, and enjoying incredible Italian food made it a standout memory, one that perfectly captures her love of travel, curiosity, and connection.

Growing up, Susan’s summers were filled with family time. Her family often spent a week camping or renting a cottage, building traditions that stuck with her. She also fondly remembers her “beer commercial” era of summer stock theatre jobs in the 1980s, where long days, shared meals, and creative energy defined the season. It was an early taste of the life she would continue to build in the arts.

Susan has been in the business for an impressive 43 years. During that time, she has worked across stage and screen, building a career rooted in collaboration and storytelling. One particularly memorable experience came while working on the film Beyond the Call. Susan served as a stand-in for Cissy Spacek, while David Strathairn stood in for himself. The result was four days sitting opposite one another in a jail cell, talking, laughing, and sharing stories. Years later, David recognized Susan on another film set and joined her for a peanut butter sandwich at lunch, a moment she still treasures.

When it comes to summer pleasures, Susan keeps things simple and joyful. Gelato is her favourite warm weather treat, and she proudly chooses a wiener roast over a clam bake. She swims regularly, still doing lengths at the YMCA almost every day, valuing endurance over speed. Music also plays a big role in her summers, with “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves always lifting her spirits.

Family remains at the heart of Susan’s life. If she could share a summer night by the ocean with anyone, it would be her brothers. Her favourite thing about Alberta is equally clear: her family. Whether on stage or off, relationships are what ground her.

Susan is currently reading James, a retelling of Huckleberry Finn from Jim’s perspective, for her book club. If she could give her younger self one piece of wisdom, it would be this: trust your future self. The version of you that can handle tough moments will be there when you need them.

That wisdom, paired with decades of experience, makes Susan Greenfield a perfect fit for the role of Dinah and a joy to watch in The Sweet Delilah Swim Club.

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