There’s a Christmas goose on the loose and Sherlock Holmes plans to solve the mystery. It’s happening on stage at Brookfield Hall in the Burnaby Village Museum as part of Heritage Christmas.
Who will help Holmes solve the case? None other than Watson, but this Watson is played by Langley actress Karissa Ketter as her brother Jeremy helps out off stage as the show’s stage manager.
“Our play is kind of set up so I’m the God-daughter to Sherlock,” Karissa said. “He’s teaching me his ways.”
The performance season is the sixth Ketter has done at the Burnaby museum and is almost the only live-theatre acting the 13-year-old does in addition to her on-screen performances.
“I’ve been doing theatre since [2009],” she said. “I’ve been acting on film, TV, and in commercials since I was seven or six I think.”
Her brother, who is two years older, spent time at the museum each year Karissa was in the holiday show.
“Three years ago he was just hanging around backstage,” she said. “He saw how much I enjoyed being there, but didn’t want to be on stage.”
It was natural for Jeremy to assume stage manager duties. Much like his sister, it’s the only involvement in live theatre he has taken on.
The show runs at 2:30, 4, and 6:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays until Dec. 13 in the heritage space. While it isn’t a huge stage, Karissa enjoys the proximity she has to the audience.
“I like the relationship you can have with the audience,” she said. “I can totally go off of them. If they laugh, I can play it up. It just builds your emotions.”
Between shows she enjoys the surroundings the museum offers.
“I love Burnaby Village Museum, it’s such a beautiful space,” Karissa said.
The other aspect Karissa enjoys about performing at the museum is the period piece nature of each year’s performance.
“I love it. Since it’s a museum, they do period pieces every year,” she noted.
Admission to the performances is free. For more information email fortetheatresociety@gmail.com.