In the deep southwest of Ontario, a Chatham-Kent couple is gearing up to showcase their cinematic offspring.
Pat and Megan Whalen of the duo Deep Southwest are screening the musical-comedy series they created and filmed for Bell Fibe TV1.
It won’t be streamed on that online platform until March 20, but the Whalens are showing it to C-K residents this Saturday at the Capitol Theatre.
And they have planned a big party.
From getting your photo taken on the red carpet, to pre-event music from the local band The Long Lots, to an afterparty at River Rock, the Whalens have you covered.
It’s the latest whirlwind effort in a hurricane of activity for the power couple of C-K entertainment.
The Whalens, who have written for and performed in productions across North America, evolved into the country duo Deep Southwest over the pandemic, bringing music and cheer to Chatham-Kent and area residents from the back of a pickup truck.
And Deep Southwest evolved into a video deal with Bell last year.
The Whalens said it was no simple task.
Megan said they were initially looking to develop a stage show after singing with each other for four years.
“We wanted to do something where we travel around and talk to other musicians,” she said. “And then Bell was looking for a show and they were willing to listen to our wonderful idea.”
That idea is centred around Deep Southwest wanting to perform at the fictitious Hawaiian Pizza Festival in Chatham-Kent.
The duo pitched their idea and waited.
And waited.
“It took months and months and months,” Megan said. “When they decided we were serious, they were willing to bet on us.”
That decision came down last July and it left the Whalens scrambling. They wanted filming for the five-episode effort to be done before the snow arrived.
“This piece is a love letter to Chatham, and we wanted to show all its beauty,” Megan said. “We had to act fast and get everything shot into November.”
Chatham-Kent blooms in late summer and fall, but degrades to grey over the winter months.
That tight time crunch was a challenge. Despite their experience in the entertainment business, and the support of local video producer Ben Srokosz, getting everything done was a gruelling task.
“There’s no way we could have foreseen how much work this was going to be. Had we known, we might have been overwhelmed,” Pat said.
But now armed with the knowledge of what it takes, and thankful for the close support from Srokosz, they say they are better prepared for the future.
But are they prepared for the release party? Megan said they can’t wait for Saturday night.
“We are absolutely thrilled we can finally share it with everyone involved. The reaction from participants and the community has been huge,” she said. “Hundreds of people have come out and supported us.”
Pat agreed.
“We went out to make a TV show and we got so much support, it was breathtaking,” he said. “Now, it’s just tick, tick, tick until this baby is born. We’re so excited to have the party for people to see what we’ve done and just to enjoy it and laugh. We’re making sure this is a night out for Chatham, to represent and celebrate.”
Tickets are $20 and are available at cktickets.com.
