By Emily R. Zarevich, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The stakes have never been higher for a small town curling tournament. A washed-up, unemployed cad is pinning all of his hopes for success on winning the big game. His lonely, introverted brother is hoping to reconnect with his estranged ex-wife, with whom he’s still madly in love. And a single hairdresser on the prowl has her eye on the curling team’s hot new stud. Everyone’s after something besides a shiny new trophy to put on a shelf.
On Friday, April 17, 2026, Theatre Burlington welcomed theatre fans and sports fans alike to the opening night of Hurry Hard, a clever comedy in two acts by the renowned Canadian playwright Kristen Da Silva. The show was sold out, and the venue was packed like an arena. The audience turned up to see the hard work of director Jerrold Karch and producer Julie Donoahue, as well as a cast so committed to their roles that they underwent training at the nearby Burlington Curling Club to get their curling techniques right.
The story takes place in a small Canadian town where everyone knows each other’s business, everyone grew up together, and everyone’s holding on to a grudge. Middle-aged Terry (played by Woodrow Dixon) blows every last dime of his limited funds on a state-of-the-art curling broom, in the slim hopes of reclaiming his lost teenage glory as an athlete. His selfish, irresponsible, and casually sexist personality is due for a character maturation arc that Da Silva duly delivers with a healthy dose of humility and humiliation. Dixon’s performance succeeds at making Terry both insufferable and relatable.
Terry’s long-suffering brother Bill (played by Michael Anania) is less concerned about winning a curling game and is more focused on winning back the heart of the woman who divorced him, Sandy. Once upon a time, they courted over curling, and when Terry insists that Bill invite the skilled Sandy to join their team, there is a chance of a spark rekindling. Bill gets his own character growth in the form of a long-delayed confidence boost, which Anania enacts with believable raw emotion.
Sandy (Jennifer Vince) is a hardcore, ambitious career woman, throwing herself headlong into a catering business in the daytime and intense curling practice at night. At the heart of it all, she’s also desperately lonely and may regret some of her life choices, including the loss of her relationship with Bill. Her best friend, Darlene, played by Andrea Montgomery, takes on the role of crass confidante, armed with all the teasing and sex jokes Da Silva’s script can devise. Darlene is terrible at curling, but her talents lie elsewhere, mostly in the salon. As driven women in sports and business, there is a lot of pressure for these two female characters to constantly prove themselves and their right to exist in public spaces. Hurry Hard makes this theme one of the sociopolitical angles, with a message being that a community thrives better when there is equality between the sexes.
Both women, who are also gifted with the right to feel lust as much as the men, are flustered by the newest addition to Terry’s team, the handsome hunk Johnny (played by Braden Worton). Johnny’s character is well-meaning but dim. However, time will prove that he’s capable of much more than looking pretty, and behind the six-pack and pecs is a massive heart.
Da Silva’s script plus Karch’s direction produces an entertainment experience not unlike being part of the live audience of a popular TV sitcom being filmed. The characters recite their snappy one-liners, crack mean jokes at each other’s expense, and pause for the audience to provide the laugh track. Watching Hurry Hard is not unlike watching an episode of Friends or The Big Bang Theory, where the cast is thrown into wacky hijinks with romantic subplots added in to keep the audience extra invested. The result is ticklishly funny and lighthearted, though at times the dialogue feels somewhat unnatural; real-life conversations aren’t often so quick-witted. Every character is called upon to be a comedian and execute precise comedic timing.
As a place where the cast of Hurry Hard can squabble and flirt and complain about Sandy’s inedible baked goods, set designer Michelle Spanik assembled a convincing curling club lounge that looks exactly as it should: cozy, but underfunded and on the verge of collapse. It’s even stated by the characters that the building is scheduled to be demolished. During the opening night performance, a sign accidentally fell down, and one of the ceiling lights flickered out, but these mishaps actually added rather than subtracted from the set’s “barely hanging on” atmosphere.
Spanik’s endearing details, such as the crooked team photos on the wall and the bulky winter coats on hooks — all recognizably and distinctly Canadian — really make the set feel like a home away from home. This curling club lounge is a place where people in a tightly-knit community have bonded and made memories for years. But time moves forward, as people do. It can’t last forever.
Hurry Hard is already proving to be a major crowd pleaser. Today’s matinee show for Saturday, April 18, 2026, at 2 p.m. also sold out, and there are only a handful of seats available for the 8 p.m. evening performance. Showings of Theatre Burlington’s Hurry Hard will continue until Saturday, May 2, 2026. It should also be noted that the 2 p.m. performance on May 2 is also already sold out. It’s advisable to snap up the remaining tickets fast before the last curling rock is shot. After Hurry Hard wraps up, Theatre Burlington will proudly present its annual Short Play Festival, starting on May 29, 2026. Keep checking the Theatre Burlington site for updates.
