You cheddar believe it: Hawkins Cheezie musical debuts in Canmore

From left: Maxwell Vesely, Hailey Balaz, Jorja Polischuk and Graham Mothersill rehearse for "The Cheezie Musical" at the Carter-Ryan Theatre in Canmore on Tuesday (June 23). (Leah Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter)

CANMORE – Inside every carnival-like striped package of Hawkins Cheezies is an orange, cheese-dusted symbol of national pride.

The story of the enduring Canadian snack has been brought to life in Carter-Ryan Theatre’s latest original production, The Cheezie Musical: The Unofficial Underdog Story of the Snack that United a Nation, that debuted June 25 and runs until Aug. 15.

“It’s a snapshot of life, but it’s life within this one little beacon of orange salty snack that appears and connects us all,” said Bridget Ryan, director and creator of the musical.

“It’s my love letter to Canada.”

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Inside the 51-seat micro theatre, the story starts in 1957 Belleville, Ontario, where comedic moments, musical numbers and a small business success story unravels inside the breakroom of the Hawkins Cheezie factory.

“They’re kind of like the OG of small business. They decided to do one thing and really, really well and became this iconic sort of industry,” said Ryan, who did a deep dive into the history of the family-owned business to create both the book and lyrics for the brand-new musical.

From jazz to rap, dance numbers and everything in between, a cast of four imagines life in the factory where an authentic set, including 1940 lockers from the Lafarge plant, an old First Aid kit from the Canmore mines and a functional 1936 fire extinguisher, takes audiences back in time after the nation just emerged from the grasp of the Second World War and a snack that would later become iconic was about to enter the picture.

“Pretty much everything on this set is authentic,” said Ryan, noting she and set designer Jason Carter sourced several items from locals around Canmore and Banff. “These are a piece of history; our community’s history.”

With pieces of the true story of the Hawkins Cheezie weaved throughout the laugh-packed musical, one of the show’s tunes, The No Plan Plan, is an ode to the business’s lack of marketing, says Ryan.

“Hawkins Cheezies does not do any advertising. There’s no signs, there’s nothing at all. It’s just purely word of mouth,” said Maxwell Vesely, who plays Ron, the factory manager. “I never thought of it, but looking back, I was like, ‘yeah, of course, I’ve never seen a sign that was like Hawkins Cheezies.’ They’re just always on the end of grocery stores hidden somewhere in there.”

“It’s silly at times, but also, it’s very heartfelt at others. I think it covers a wide range of the weird sort of intersectionality that is being Canadian in an American-led world.”

Created around the same time as the “hotly competitive” Cheeto south of the border, Cheezies are also at the heart of many fond memories for the cast and crew.

“My grandfather, Frank, used to use it as fish bait … and it was very, very successful,” Vesely said with a laugh.

“I just remember at every family function or outdoor barbecue, the Hawkins Cheezie was always there,” added Jorja Polischuk, who plays Jen, the factory’s newest recruit.

Under the musical direction of Morgan McKee, Graham Mothersill plays the factory mechanic, Gord, while Hailey Balaz takes on the role of Cheryl, the company’s longest female employee.

Through the story of tradition, family, innovation, Ryan says she hopes audiences also see the story as a celebration of Canadian identity.

“Especially in Canmore because there’s so many tourists here, I love doing decidedly Canadian things. I feel like it’s my job, my mission in the summers,” she said, noting last year’s production presented the classic Anne of Green Gables.

“We’re also equally at this time of sort of, like what’s happening? There’s a bit of stress [and] you realize that Canada just needs to invest in Canada and that’s what Hawkins Cheezies decided to do. They don’t ship anywhere else in the world. It’s just the Canadian market that they serve.”

“They really started serving each other first and then it grew from there and it became tradition. This show celebrates that.”

For tickets and showtimes, visit: carter-ryan.com.

The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. This position covers Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation and Kananaskis Country.