REGINA – As the holiday season rolls around, so too does the upcoming Theatre Saskatchewan production of A Very Die Hard Christmas. The play is set to open to audiences on Dec. 11 and runs until Dec. 13 at the Regina Performing Arts Centre, where the performers are trying to spark continuing interest in the arts.

Avery Lockert, who plays the titular character of John McClane adapted from the film series, had exciting things to say about what he hoped people would take away from the production.

“Honestly, just as a whole, [having] fun,” said Lockert. “I mean, it’s an excuse to help sway the age old debate of if this a Christmas movie.

“I feel it is, it’s a Christmas movie. But I ultimately want people to have a lot of fun with this. Because the actors, as a whole, we’re having a blast.”

Lockert continued, stating how much the role of McClane meant to him.

“It’s kind of like fulfilling a childhood fantasy in a way,” said Lockert. “It’s a lot of fun as a whole, you get to be cheesy and, at the exact same point, serious as well. It’s kind of a fine line and balance.”

Director of the production, Jennifer Lyn Squires, also talked about what she hopes the audience takes away.

“I hope that people, especially major Die Hard fans, would sort of be like ‘Oh yeah, this is [Die Hard],’ ” said Squires. “That things can be funny, even though they’re revering the original source. I don’t think [the show] is particularly offensive to major fans, I think it’s more poking fun at Die Hard and the whole ‘Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?’ controversy.”

Taylor Balfour, op-ed editor for The Carillon and avid theatre fan, commented more on how she thought A Very Die Hard Christmas was beneficial for Regina’s creative community.

“So, I’ve lived in Regina for pretty much my entire life and I’ve found that living in a smaller city, a smaller town,” said Balfour. “Sometimes the arts can be kind of buried under a lot of other things, so I find that productions like this are really, really important to have in the city.

“I think in order to keep the arts alive we need really passionate people putting on these performances, putting on these productions that they’re passionate about and that they’re excited about, but more than anything, we need people to go and support these productions if we want more of them.”

Tickets for A Very Die Hard Christmas cost $35 and are available on the Regina Performing Arts Centre website.