Heather MacDonnell, who is playing Vernadette in The Sweet Delilah Swim Club, has fond memories of summertime. Her favourite summer memory centres around camping with her family in a trailer her dad built himself, six kids unleashed into nature for days filled with swimming, exploring, campfires, and late-night giggles in the trailer while their parents sat by the fire outside.
As a child, Heather’s favourite summer vacations were spent on bicycles, riding all day with friends through Winnipeg to Assiniboine Park, outdoor pools, and sandy playgrounds where toes dragged in the sand and dreams of the future were shared between bursts of laughter. That sense of independence and imagination has stayed with her, shaping both her life and her work in theatre.
When it comes to summer food, Heather does not hesitate. Lobster is the clear winner. She is also firmly Team Wiener Roast and admits that if she could share a summer night by the ocean with anyone, it would be her three grandsons. A fire on the beach, hot dogs, sticky marshmallows, and stargazing together would be pure magic. Becoming a grandmother has given Heather a new lens on joy, connection, and legacy.
Heather has been involved in theatre since high school in 1976 and began working professionally after earning her Theatre Arts degree in 1984. With roughly 35 years of experience across community theatre, children’s theatre, concert production, and venue management, she describes her journey simply as “quite a ride.” Along the way, she even directed a performance for Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to Yellowknife, an experience she still recalls with awe and pride.
It was also in Yellowknife, NWT, where Heather last worked with AnnaMarie Lea more than 30 years ago. The two have not seen each other since 1995 and are both thrilled to be rekindling their friendship, both on and off the stage, through The Sweet Delilah Swim Club.
These days, Heather is reading Wilderness Mother by Deanna Barnhardt Kawatski, alongside her script as she happily dusts off the cobwebs and settles back into rehearsal mode. She is a dog lover through and through and holds Alberta close to her heart. She studied there, built lifelong friendships there, and appreciates the slower pace and breathing room of small-town life.
If Heather could give her younger self one piece of wisdom, it would be this: you are beautiful and vibrant, and nothing can truly hold you back. Do the things you carry in your heart, and give yourself, and others, a little more grace along the way. It is a message that resonates deeply in The Sweet Delilah Swim Club and in Heather’s portrayal of Vernadette.