An Acting Lesson With Jack Wetherall

Notes by Carol Beauchamp, Executive Director

• Jack’s workshop started with centering the actor and connecting to the breath and gut as the core of our being. 
• We were taken through a number of exercises to release tension, in the body and relax the mind.  One solid tension releasing exercise, an oldie but goody is standing with knees slightly flexed, shoulder-width apart, and dropping the upper body from the waist as you exhale, so that your hands and head are dangling, and releasing all the tension from the neck, shoulders, arms.  When well-relaxed, slowly begin to stand, one vertebrae at a time, as you slowly inhale.  Head is last to be in an upright position.
• Another exercise to connect breath, movement and mind, was done in a circle by throwing and catching a volleyball—listening, watching, speaking and working with the prop.  Speaking as you exhale from the diaphragm.  This was a good exercise in  concentration, as well as connecting the breath to voice and movement.
• Lying on our backs on the floor, relaxing the body fully, and centering our breathing in the lower diaphragm, and then adding sound on the exhalation, and then dialogue – this removes stress from the throat, and connects the dialogue to the gut and the core of the actor.
• On all fours we did some basic yoga stretches, which Jack highly recommends, together with dance and other physical activity to ensure that you do not as an actor limit your performance range due to your physical limitations.  The yoga stretches were extended into free-flowing movement on all fours and then adding sound and dialogue to experiment with the different levels of sound and vocalization that can be achieved through relaxation and movement.  Again remembering to stay connected with the core.
• Another exercise – not for the faint of heart (literally) – the participants stood in a circle facing inwards.  Each participant was given a word of dialogue which could not be said until the person before passed the ball and their word – the trick was, each person had to hold the sound/note while they ran round the outside of the circle before delivering.  This was a great exercise, as listening, and breathing, anticipating the lung capacity we need to deliver a speech is very important.  I think each of the participants was surprised by how much capacity they had.
• These exercises were fun, energizing, and really helped the participants to make the mind, body, breath connection, and emphasized the importance of listening and breathing with the rhythm of the text.
• We explored space on stage – with regards to how to the actor can use and define space to clarify character and emphasize and add interest and creativity to their speech and movement.  As opposed to all monologues being delivered downstage centre, choose different parts of the stage to begin or move to – what is around you – where is the speech taking place and to whom, how can you incorporate all that to enhance your delivery, the audiences understanding and make it come alive.
• Another thing that was emphasised  was to be ready – always have a couple of monologues prepared and ready even if you are not attending an audition – the actor that is prepared and ready will often be hired – you never know when an opportunity will present itself.
• The latter part of the workshop was taken to discuss the importance of text analysis – to fully explore and understand the meaning of each word the playwright has chosen, and to understand the intent behind each word.  Again, a full analysis and understanding of the text can drastically change the meaning and the motivation for the delivery for the actor/character.
• We spent considerable time analyzing a page of text from Romeo & Juliet – how the rhyming couplets, and quatrains that Romeo and Juliet formed in the piece of text analyzed, are a reflection of their lovemaking on a physical, emotional and spiritual level.  The text, when analyzed fully illuminates for the actors greater depths of physical and emotional creativity when developing and performing the characters for these roles.  It is particularly important to analyze text in the time that a play was written, as meanings change over time – this is something that Annette alluded to in her workshop, to ensure that you keep the integrity of the piece by understanding dramaturgically the intent of the play – the director’s role.  This is the actor’s dramaturgical homework.
• This was a fun workshop that challenged the participants to think, move and thoroughly engage in study of the script when doing their character analysis –when in doubt as to your motivation – return to the script!

Do You See What I See?: A Workshop By Annette Procunier

Notes by Carol Beauchamp, Executive Director

• Adjudication has moved from judgment to interpretation and education for participant groups and audiences alike.
• Dramaturgy is the understanding of scripts: genre, structure, theme, conventions and all the components therein.
• Theatrics are the elements of the theatre: acting, directing, stage managing, and designing – all the elements used to bring the play to the stage.  The importance is the relationship between dramaturgy and theatrics – what do each of the elements do to enhance our understanding of the play?
• It is the adjudicator’s role to access the quality of the production NOT the quality of the play.

IS THE ACTING BELIEVABLE AND TECHNICALLY SKILFUL WITH EFFECTIVE TIMING?

• Vocal production, movement, quality of acting – is it consistent?  Is the use of language good? In other words are the actors technically skilful?

ARE THE CHARACTERS WELL INTERPRETED?

• Is the character suitable to the play and suitable to the intent of the play?  Is the character carrying the arc of the play/the contextual line?  Is the character believable and appropriate?  Is the character well-rounded as opposed to one- or two-dimensional?
• Annette’s personal style of directing is to block the play at the very beginning of the process – she spends approximately six minutes to block a page of dialogue and then spends a great deal of time exploring the characterization.

DOES THE COMPANY DISPLAY ENSEMBLE WORK?

• Listening – are the actors really listening and attending to the moment, or are they just waiting to say their line.  If as an actor portraying a character, you don’t have something to react to, then don’t respond.  How well-integrated are the elements of sound, light, props as part of the ensemble of the show – do they help to move the action and create the mood? Is it a truthful unit?  For example, a family, are the characters portrayed appropriate, and working together to create a truthful unit.  The sound plot helps us to feel the underlying mood of the production.  Annette encourages directors to use a sound plot throughout a show to move the plot and action.

IS THE MATERIAL APPROPRIATE FOR THE COMPANY?

• For example, do you have enough males to perform a play, are the ages of your actors appropriate to the play?  What are your space, budget and technical limitations?  All this should be considered when selecting a play for performance.

IS THE CONCEPT APPROPRIATE FOR THE MATERIAL, AND IS IT REALIZED BY THE COMPANY?

• Is there a clear vision for how the play should unfold?  Do you understand the play?  Are you going to do the play in the time the play was written, or can it be place in a different time?  Sometimes updating a show won’t work.  Don’t leave the audience with questions.  Technologically, our times are moving very quickly, this has to be kept in mind when doing a show e.g. 80’s, 90’s, 2000 – there has been, and continues to be a very rapid shift in the technological paradigm.  Not only the concept, but the realization of the concept through the theatrical elements of sound, lighting, acting, costumes, directing, props and set design must be fully integrated.

HAS THE STRUCTURE OF THE PRODUCTION BEEN CONTROLLED?

• Scene structure – has each beat been defined and explored?  Are the characters fully realized?  Has the rhythm of the play and the moments of the play been realized?  Does the narrative and the story ideas evolve naturally for us?  The building of the climactic moments is there tension and dramatic conflict? Have we got the emphasis in the right part of the play?

ARE THE MOVEMENTS AND STAGE PICTURES EFFECTIVE?

• Is the production interesting to watch?  As directors, we don’t have to move people around to create interesting visual pictures.  Is it multi-dimensional?  Are people standing, sitting, front and back of the stage?  Are the things they are doing natural to the characters?  Centre Stage is the Hot Spot, Stage Left is Cold, and Stage Right is Warm. 

IS THE PRODUCTION WELL-PACED?

• One of the fundamental downfalls is poor pacing.  Pacing and rhythm are extremely important.  The variety in the pacing and rhythm has to be appropriate to what is being said.

DO THE TECHNICAL ELEMENTS SUPPORT THE OVERALL PRODUCTION?

• We don’t need a complex set if it does not enhance the overall action or enhance the production of the play.  We need to create the environment with a less is more attitude and do it well.  Use the visual elements in a more imaginative way.  Fewer box sets and more suggestive staging is often an appropriate choice.

HOW EFFECTIVE WAS THE TOTAL IMPACT?

• There may be a number of individual elements within a production that work extremely well, but they may not necessarily contribute to the overall impact of the production.  How entertained are we, did the overall impact of the production give us a great experience, even if some of the individual elements may not have worked as well in isolation.

Public adjudications should be more focused on enlightening the audience.

Peterborough Theatre Guild Wins Elsie Award For Outstanding Festival Production

Congratulations to Peterborough Theatre Guild, whose production of The Mouse House by Robert Ainsworth was awarded the Elsie as Outstanding Production at Theatre Ontario Festival 2012 in Sault Ste. Marie.  This world-premiere production received seven awards at the Festival Brunch on May 20; it was the third time Peterborough Theatre Guild has received the Elsie since 2006.

Read the full list of Theatre Ontario Festival 2012 Award Winners and Nominees on the Theatre Ontario website and check out the transcript of the Theatre Ontario Festival Awards Brunch Live-Blog

Adjudication of The December Man / L'homme de decembre

Compiled by Carol Beauchamp, Executive Director & Anne Mooney, Community Theatre Coordinator

Highlights from the detailed adjudication by Annette Procunier of The Curtain Club’s presentation of The December Man / L’homme de décembre at Theatre Ontario Festival 2012.

• Annette – lighting plot very good – worked extremely well.  When we look at setting, costumes, etc. that is in the script, often it is just a recitation of the performing company.  The playwright expects the play to be produced.  You don’t have to be stuck to every word – this production did this very well with a semi naturalistic set. 
• Placing of furniture – given the detail put into creating a wonderful environment – the placing of the furniture limits the working space by putting the sofa in the middle of the stage – it doesn’t allow for as much upstage/downstage work.  Think carefully about utilizing the furniture in a small performance space  - the choice of the furniture was good – colours, style etc – right chair for father etc, however, having sofa centre stage limits the movement, even although this might be somewhat realistic in terms of the room.
• Good subtle lighting to indicate the television.
• Lively and fun discussion – another set detail was the iron grate outside the window – but it was really tree branches – much laughter – the crew said if that added to the ambience then that’s what it was!
• Costumes: liked all the technical aspects of the play – the costumes paid great attention to detail.  Liked the style of Catherine – reflected well each stage of her journey.  The cross on her costume was really good.  Benoit could have had a slightly more distressed work clothes – there was a story behind this.  Liked the logo on the work shirt.  All the costumes reflected who he was, and the life style he was living.  The costumes captured the young man with little style sense – just a kid.
• Kathleen knitting – was lovely – might have introduced a little more knitting in the latter scenes (earlier part of the action) as the knitting was always there.  There is always a chance to use a convention throughout a production.
• The drinking by Benoit was well handled.  During the early time line, the odd beer was very good.  As the drinking progressed the heavier, more aggressive and angry drinking was very well handled. 
• Attention to detail around physical characteristics was terrific.  Nice balance between the actors at the beginning of the play.  The reflection of the love and nature of their relationship was well handled. Annette like the sense of the uncontrollable visceral responses. Question – are the responses bigger than the characters would have used in their regular life, is the shouting an abnormal response for these characters?  Being quiet is also a response to anger.  This is something that could be explored perhaps banging of pots and pans etc.  It is hard theatrically to watch a lot of shouting and fighting.  With these extremely fine actors, explore using smaller and less aggressive ways of showing anger. 
• Only child – they captured the essence of Jean being an only child. 
• Jean - difficult role being the only child with so much pressure of being the first child to graduate from university in their family.  The breaking of the boy may well have come anyway, perhaps not to suicide though.  Jean created a great sense of the torment without making the character crazy.  Annette felt that he captured that very well  A difficult role, very much liked the genuineness.
• Like the discomfort of Benoit in comforting Kathleen.  This was very nice.  Nice sexuality shown in the earlier part of their relationship.  The revelation of their personal and private relationship was very nice.  We really sensed the difficulty of how Benoit would respond to comforting both Kathleen and Jean.  Like how he told stories of his childhood to comfort his son.  Benoit’s ability to bring these stories to life was very good.  His trying to be engaged with his son’s life, Annette appreciated how he handled this.  There was a little bit of a problem with Benoit’s projection at times.  However, the softness of emotion was very good.  Pacing of the first scene was good.  Scenes 2 and 3 could have been quicker.
• Model of building – like what the model looked like – modern, was evocative and its position on stage and the creation of the fourth character was very good.  The running gag about the church was also very good.  The first model could have been more trashed and more obvious that it had been mended by Kathleen. 
• Christmas tree was great because it was so awful.  Annette- hope it’s not yours – it was.  Much laughter.
• Difficult emotional play for us to watch but we were compelled to watch it.  Annette was engaged instantly by Kathleen and continued to be by her throughout the production.  This was a balanced production from all the performers.
• Brian J. Moore liked what Annette had said about the heartbeats in the public adjudication.  Annette said this was a good choice, however, tended to intrude and could have become softer as we moved toward the earlier stages in the story or perhaps the choice of an irregular heartbeat.  This was a good choice considering the playwright stated no music in the production.

Read more about Theatre Ontario Festival 2012 on the Theatre Ontario Website

Adjudication of Picasso at the Lapin Agile

Compiled by Carol Beauchamp, Executive Director

Highlights from the detailed adjudication by Annette Procunier of Guelph Little Theatre’s presentation of Picasso At The Lapin Agile at Theatre Ontario Festival 2012.

• Gerry Butts (Director) described their theatre space and the challenge of fitting their set into a proscenium that was 30 feet narrower here than they were in originally.
• Why this play?  He loved the quirkiness of it.  Gerry has a science degree and friends who helped him understand the physics.
• Annette: The characters in this play are truthful but each has a quirkiness.  This cast mined the quirkiness but did not fall into the trap of being too slapstick.  The actions and reactions of the actors were truthful and the actors found the “heart” of these characters.
• Annette felt the confined space enhanced the production.  It was a workable space and the “regulars” looked like they belonged there.  Freddy and Germaine’s underlying action around the bar showed their comfort in the space.
• An inherent challenge for the space is the Picture that is so much a part of the play.  Some of the entrances were difficult because of the placement of the door.  The performers needed to be more conscious of their movement through the door.
• It was helpful that the bar had a step up/another level so that the actors were always seen.  The back of the bar: lots of variety in the bottles used, visually good
• A successful lighting plot – not obtrusive and were could see well.
• The ladies costumes were strong showing great attention to detail and were easy to move in.  The men were good and achieved the overall effect even when more modern pieces had to be used.  Excellent men's shoes – leather soles.
• The music was well-chosen and set the mood. 
• The breakaway wall and start were really well done.
• There are a lot of characters on stage – the most of any play this week.  The stage was well used and good stage pictures were created in what was essentially a “gabby” play.
• The actors handled the transitions from different kinds of conversations very well – big speeches versus daily speech.
• Einstein’s hair worked well.
• All the actors created very specific characters.  There are opportunities to explore the characterization – don’t allow it to get too big between Picasso and Einstein.  There tended to be a bit of sameness – loud, could be more subtle.
• Created specific characters and had the audience interested.
• The Countess, Suzanne and “The Woman” had more difficult parts as they are not part of the normal action of the bar – Countess’s exchange with Einstein was truthful, Suzanne set up Picasso for the audience, she could explore her relationship with Picasso some more.
• There was a good sense of the relationship between the bartender and Germaine, they created a good environment on the stage.
• The comic moments were well timed and discussion ensued around techniques to aid with diction.
• There was also some lively discussion between the cast and Annette about some of Steve Martin’s writing – what exactly did he mean by some of the lines he wrote.
• Picasso and Einstein had grounded performances and mirrored each other well. 
• Elvis – the actor chose to portray the softness of the young Elvis, though there were opportunities for him to swagger more and try to use the guitar differently.  Note to actors – don’t let the props overwhelm you.
• Great attention was paid to the comic moments in the play, e.g. Was Germaine’s reaction to Elvis’s country boy.
• There was lively discussion about Gerry’s choice to have actors speak so directly to the audience, effectively taking themselves out of the action of the play. 
• The characterization of Sagot and Schmendiman were very good.  Gerry spoke about his process – the characters are iconic e.g. Sagot is crassness, Einstein is science and this informed his direction.  However, the characters e.g. Schmendiman delivered the crassness with such truthfulness that it was funny.
• For the audience, we know the play is not real but we accept the truthfulness of the play which comes from the consistency of the performances.  This company approached the complexity of the play with real integrity and overcame the difficulties of the script with truthfulness.

Read more about Theatre Ontario Festival 2012 on the Theatre Ontario website

ONstage Tonight At Festival: The Curtain Club

The final show at Theatre Ontario Festival always travels from the region that hosted the previous year’s Festival.  In 2012, the final show at Festival isn’t just from last year’s host region—it’s last year’s host theatre as The Curtain Club from Richmond Hill takes the stage, representing the Association of Community Theatres of Central Ontario (ACT-CO).

The Curtain Club was founded in 1954; Cicely Thomson, one of the theatre’s co-founders was also a founding member of Theatre Ontario.  They moved into their current building in 1972, the home for last year’s adjudications, workshops, and parties.  The Curtain Club traveled as ACT-CO’s representative to Theatre Ontario Festival for four consecutive years from 2003 to 2006, winning the Elsie Award for Outstanding Festival Production in 2004 at our last Festival in Sault Ste. Marie (for the original play Staff Room, later chosen as one of the scripts in the Grassroots anthology) and then again in 2005 in Belleville (for Marvin’s Room.)

The Curtain Club’s production of Colleen Murphy’s The December Man / L’homme de décembre was the first community theatre production of this Governor General’s Literary Award winner (published by our neighbours at Playwrights Canada Press).  In the aftermath of the 1989 Montreal Massacre, Benoît and Kathleen do everything they can to help their beloved son cope with his guilt and rage, but Jean’s young life becomes unglued.  This searing drama on courage, heroism and despair explores the long private shadow that public violence casts.

The Curtain Club won three awards in the Drama Category at the 2011-2012 ACT-CO Festival for this production: Best Production, Best Performance by a Male in a Leading Role (Rob Goodale) and Best Performance by a Female in a Leading Role (Lise Boily).

Read more about Theatre Ontario Festival 2012 on the Theatre Ontario website

The Blank Stage – Playmaking: A Workshop by Daniel Brooks

Compiled by Anne Mooney, Community Theatre Coordinator

Playwright-in-Person has been part of Theatre Ontario Festival for over fifteen years, sponsored by Playwrights Canada Press.  Our Playwright-in-Person for 2012 was Daniel Brooks.

• Daniel Brooks, a self-described “professional schmuck” and “theatre creator” began the afternoon with a play reading where he presented pieces from three plays – House and Here Lies Henry both by Daniel MacIvor and directed by Daniel Brooks, and The Good Life written by Daniel Brooks
• After the readings, the workshop became a QandA discussing the many different aspects of the playwriting process and the innumerable ways that plays can be written
• A key point of the discussion was how writing for the theatre is a form of improvisation.  There is a performance aspect to writing.  Every time he writes a play, he does it in a different way, suiting the writing to the purpose
• He also is a strong believer in the collaborative nature of writing for the theatre.  He believes that having writers hear their work uses different parts of their brains and will inform their writing
• Daniel gets his inspiration for writing by watching people; an example he used was watching the body language of people at a city council meeting: have a source for your inspiration
• "Actors witness.”
• About the process of writing he said: just write.  Put it down on paper and don’t self-censor, play with it.  Get others to work/read the work for you and then PLAY.  The point is to WORK.
• He also is a strong believer in Set Designers, feeling that good set designers are almost dramaturges and just one stroke short of being directors.  Set designers are vital to the play creation process and must be fully involved—space is not separate from anything else in the process.
• Two final thoughts for the captive audience were, when he gets stuck he always remembers “what we’re doing is making it up as we go along” and “theatre is a social art form.”

Read more about Theatre Ontario Festival 2012 on the Theatre Ontario website

ONstage Tonight At Festival: Guelph Little Theatre

The oldest of this week’s four community theatres takes the stage as Guelph Little Theatre—just one year removed from celebrating their 75th season—presents the only international play of Theatre Ontario Festival 2012.

Guelph Little Theatre first opened its doors in 1935 at the Guelph City Hall auditorium.  Today, their Morris Street theatre has been described as a hidden gem in the City of Guelph.  Guelph Little Theatre shares the distinction of being one of the participants in our first Theatre Ontario Festival in 1973, returning on numerous occasions—most recently in 2003 in Oshawa where they won the Elsie for Outstanding Production for their production of Cosi.  This year, they present Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile.

Once banned for its questionable behaviour and adult themes, this gem is not only witty, and full of puns, pratfalls and zingers but some real thought-provoking dialogue that not only contains an adequate dose of realism, but suggests a seductive romp through a history of intrigue, invention and merriment, regardless of the century's faults. The year is 1904 and the Lapin Agile was a real bohemian bar where the artistic clientele of the time would often meet. Although the story itself is totally fictional, the place, would have seen similar heated philosophical debates between cocky young men like Picasso and Einstein trying to outdo one another in regard to their ideals, principles and general feelings about art, time, science, beauty and the world in general.

At the 2012 Western Ontario Drama League Festival in Sarnia, Guelph Little Theatre was awarded the D. Park Jamieson Memorial Award for Best Production in Festival, as well as Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Rob Gray), Best Coordinated Production, Best Visual Production, Outstanding Ensemble Work, and an Adjudicator’s Award for “clever detail in a cameo performance” (Sally Nelson).

Read more about Theatre Ontario Festival 2012 on the Theatre Ontario website

Adjudication of The Mouse House

Compiled by Anne Mooney, Community Theatre Coordinator

Highlights from the detailed adjudication by Annette Procunier of Peterborough Theatre Guild’s presentation of The Mouse House at Theatre Ontario Festival 2012.

• At the adjudication, Robert Ainsworth, writer/director told the story of the birthing of the play.  After having a panic attack on a plane due to the confinement of the space, he began to think in terms of being trapped and the exploration of that theme became the play.
• Annette spoke about the technical aspects of the play first.  She felt the play was beautifully produced with incredible attention to detail.  The crew created a believable cottage environment.  She felt that the set did not need the upstairs bedroom – the audience kept waiting for things to happen up there and it was not used after the first scene.
• There were good moments of expectation when things were happening (can’t tell you what, would spoil the moment)
• The Bobby character is an awkward character to play.  The character sets up the situation and then disappears from the play.  The actor was truthful in her part and Annette suggested that there were opportunities for the actor to explore the character’s hard edge versus her softer side.  She was energetic and poised.
• Carson, the lead character, had a good sense of the room – it was a comfortable space but also held some not so good memories. 
• The lighting was extremely well coordinated and the audience could see whether the scene was at night or in daylight.  Annette suggested that more attention could be played to outside the cottage.  In this kind of play, what the audience imagines outside is very important.
• The clothing reflected who the people were. 
• These characters were interesting characters to pursue and were well-developed by these actors.  They were rooted and grounded and as the audience we felt we were in an established situation and not walking into a play.  Annette spoke to each actor about how they could tweak their characters technically.
• Of particular note was a discussion about the development of the character of Troy as a tough street kid.  Note to actors – in rehearsals start by being over the top, play with your role.  It is easier for a director to pull the actor back to where the character needs to be rather than drawing the character out.  The director’s job is to say to the actor - that’s it – that’s where the character should be.
• The fight choreography is the most difficult to stage in a play and this company did it very well. 
• When it came to the dialogue in the play it was obvious to Annette that the actors and director took time and care with the monologues.  The performers had great attention to detail, they were well-matched on stage and skilled as actors.  They talked to each other and their characters were established from the beginning.  They also took the time to allow the physicality of the moments to tell the story.  They created a level of consistency throughout the play. 
• It was noted that this is the only play with an intermission this week and these actors were able to sustain their energy through the intermission.
• There was an interesting discussion of the ending of the play (again I can’t give too many specifics, don’t want to ruin the plot) about creating more menace and tension rather than being too comic.  It was obvious that this company had explored what happened to characters after the play had ended.
• There was also a technical discussion of the blackouts used in the play.  The blackouts were good and quick but suggestions about brownouts as a way to move the story along were made. 
• Note to everyone, this company used an infrared system to see the actors in the dark.  Let’s investigate.
• Annette said that speaks to the attention to detail by the company.  The stage management and technical crews of our shows need as much time as the actors to rehearse the show.

Adjudication of The Attic, The Pearls And Three Fine Girls

Compiled by Carol Beauchamp, Executive Director

Highlights from the detailed adjudication by Annette Procunier of Gore Bay Theatre’s presentation of The Attic, The Pearls And Three Fine Girls at Theatre Ontario Festival 2012.

• Set: Representational walls were a successful choice for this play, they created working spaces for the actors, and a particularly good choice for a traveling set; the use of lighting effects helped to enhance the creation of spaces successfully
• 1st Entrance: The actors entered in a black-out and used flashlights.  This was a good choice to create a sense of entering the attic and also the excitement of young children. (The original script called for the entrance to me made through a trap door).  Annette suggested using an upstage entrance for the “attic” entrances – creates a definitive space helping to define the “attic” scenes for the audience by creating this convention.  It also encourages a great use of the overall space.
• The pieces around the stage did not necessarily enlighten the audience – everything should give us a sense of time and space.  Suggest putting props into specific spaces e.g. living room, attic.  This further engages the whole space.  Would also suggest exploring what things are, and why they are there (particularly Jelly’s boxes, being distinct from attic “junk”).
• The transitions between scenes were good – the convention of the music and lighting helped with these transitions.  Would suggest the actresses keep the emotion of one scene a little longer during the transition – take the moment – allow the audience to gradually join you in the next scene.
• The music plot was lovely – 4 original tracks were in this plot – the choices were good and enhanced what we saw on stage.
• Always aim to enlighten the playwright’s intention – it is about the script – choices need to be dramaturgically sound and connected to the script – we need to respect that.  Let the play be the play.  Pace coupled with the - rhythm – it is the director’s responsibility to create a believable situation by controlling the pace and the rhythm of the play.
• Characters – the casting choices for this play were good – the look and feel worked, with good contrasts in physicality this was reflected particularly well between Jelly and the two older sisters Jayne and JoJo, as the two older women are more closely aligned.
• The inherent challenge in the writing of this play is that the children are the first to enter – this creates a difficulty in engaging with the audience – adult women portraying children – we were not always sure what age the children were.  The actors need to make very specific vocal and physical choices to define the age of the children they are playing.  How are they different?  What age are they in relation to each other?  How do the choices for the children inform the choices for the adults they become?
• Vocal energy needs to match the physical energy, particularly at the beginning of the play.  The first entrance on stage is the most important.  Need more focus on the vocal choices, and more focus on the individual intentions of each character, so the audience knows what to watch?  Whose scene is it?  What is their intention?  Good surprise of Jelly.
• Specifics of the clothes – why are you wearing what you are wearing e.g. Jelly’s bra – we need to understand who Jelly is trying to be – who each child is trying to be when they are dressing up – this will help the audience to understand.
• There was good physical awareness and strong use of bodies by each of the actresses on stage – all were very good at this. 
• Arguments were believable – particularly towards the latter half of the play. 
• Shared memories – there is an opportunity to further explore the sudden realization of a shared memory when the sisters are adults – particularly between JoJo and Jayne.  The audience needs to see the beginning of the recognition of these memories.
• The cast created an environment where the audience cared about them and entered into their world.
• Within the fast pace of the play, consideration should be given to the rhythm – there were beautifully times exchanges between JoJo and Jayne whilst ignoring Jelly.
• Watch how the children interact – they all have different ways of behaving as children and adults – they need to keep their own specific character identity – be careful not to meld the character to become a group.
• Good job in creating momentum within each scene.
• There are complexities of the script with respect to the boxes.  If its Jelly’s image and idea, one essential question is to ask – whose story are we telling?  Annette’s conclusion is that this is Jelly’s story – she is the central character.  The boxes are part of this – the boxes could grow into something for the art installations that Jelly is preparing for in Germany – an artistic creation could develop as Jelly’s confidence and character develops.
• The Boxes on stage right are indistinct – there is an opportunity to have something grown and develop out of this – this would give us an opportunity to understand another truth.  Perhaps connect the significance of the pears further to the boxes at the conclusion of the play.
• Go back to the script and review every reference to the boxes – your roles as creative artists is to go beyond the italics and further create.
• As directors it is important to look for some recurring image that we can take throughout the play and throughout each character.  This can balance the relentless argument of the play.   We can become engaged in the installation and creation of the artwork of the boxes.
• Last third of the play:  money is an underlying theme in this part of the play – explore the unsaid stuff.  Don’t let the intensity of the argument mask what you want the audience to know.  Break down the narrative components – what are the issues that are important to each character and each scene.  Why did the writer choose the words used?  When working on a script that builds emotional intensity – particularly one that has vague wording, it behooves the actors to fully understand the scene and what is left unsaid.
• Dancing between Jayne and JoJo very successful during the funeral party scene.  The Tam O’Shanter Scene less successful.
• JoJo putting on the bridal dress was very good – a good sense of creating the decay that JoJo is going through – the threatening aspect of the cake knife captured the essence of the moment really well.
• The fighting scenes as children were a little restrained – you  need to give yourself permission to go for it – don’t hold back – training and practice help with this.
• Arcing in the play – each time a new character comes in they create an arc that builds.
• There is a difference between acting technique and the character.  The character needs to do something, therefore the actor needs to it e.g. the character is going to hit someone or something – the actor needs to hit – cannot hold back.

ONstage Tonight at Festival: Peterborough Theatre Guild

At last year’s Festival, we celebrated playwriting that premiered at Ontario’s community theatres.  One year later, Peterborough Theatre Guild takes the stage at Festival with a world premiere production.

Peterborough Theatre Guild began in 1965, purchasing and renovating an old church that had been gutted by a fire.  They have hosted our Theatre Ontario Festival three times—in 1980, 1993 and most recently in 2001.  Peterborough Theatre Guild has represented the Eastern Ontario Drama League (EODL) many times at Festival—most recently in Kanata in 2009 with Twelfth Night—and winning the Elsie Award for Outstanding Production twice: at the 2006 Festival in Sarnia for Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me, and again at the 2008 Festival in North Bay for Proof.

This year, they’re presenting The Mouse House—an original work written and directed by Robert Ainsworth.  The play is a suspenseful drama set in a secluded cottage where an author, struggling with writer’s block and his own demons, tries to retreat from the outside world to finish his book—until he receives an intrusion.

Winner of EODL’s Leslie M. Frost Award for Best Production at the 2012 EODL Festival in Ottawa, it also won awards for Best Director (Robert Ainsworth), Best Production of a Canadian Play, Best Actor in a Major Role (shared by Jack Roe and Matthew Finlan), Acting Excellence, Male—Supporting (Terry Novak), Best Use of Speech (The cast), Outstanding Contribution by a Student (Finlan again), Best Cameo Performance (Cheryl Lyon), Best Visual Presentation, and Set Design (Carolyn Boyer).

Read more about Theatre Ontario Festival 2012 on the Theatre Ontario website.

Festival 2012 Kicks Off in Sault Ste. Marie

By Carol Beauchamp, Executive Director & Anne Mooney, Community Theatre Coordinator

The Opening Gala on Tuesday, May 15 at the Grand Gardens was the local kick-off to the 2012 Theatre Ontario Festival and a celebration of the arts in the Sault—what a terrific way to showcase the wide range of talent both in and from Sault Ste. Marie!

To begin the evening Tiana Nori—Sault native and television host—introduced us to 14-year-old Victoria Jones, a violinist who recently won the Young Artists Competition by the Sault Symphony.  What a talent!  Then came a video of Sault natives living out of Town (including Tanya Kim) who could not make the week bringing good wishes to all the casts and crews at the Festival, and big hellos to all their friends here in the north.

Local barbershop quartet Solid Ground kicked off a short set with the classic “Here Comes the Sun.”  I’m sure with this wonderful song they have gifted us with great weather this week.  Their last song was a tribute to the tremendous spirit of the north, and of theatre in general, “I Get By with a Little Help from my Friends.”  The Musical Comedy Guild of Sault Ste. Marie entertained us with selections from their 50th Anniversary Review.

Jack Wetherall, honorary Chair of the Festival gave an impassioned speech about the value of community theatre.  His theme: at its best, all theatre is community theatre.  He received a heartfelt and very long standing ovation at the end.

After Jack, we were treated to the vocal stylings of Will Gartshore.  Will presented us with numbers from his “All the King’s Men—Broken Ballads with a Stiff Upper Lip” cabaret.  This cabaret included stories and a photo slide-show of his childhood—what a brave man to include a picture of himself at age 5 in a Spiderman T-shirt.  He was ably accompanied by local artists Anthony Aceti on piano and Ashley Smith on violin.

Kudos to Sandra Forsell and her team for planning such an outstanding evening – great food, great friendships, great show.

On Wednesday night, the celebration continued at the Mayor’s Reception.  City of Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Debbie Amaroso welcomed participants in Theatre Ontario Festival to a special reception held in the Hamilton Room of City Hall, overlooking a bay of beautiful Lake Superior.  Festival organizers, participants and local dignitaries shared a warm intimate reception with the refreshments provided compliments of the Mayor.

Mayor Amaroso gave a very warm welcome to everyone from the four regions of festival attending, and made a special presentation to Carol Beauchamp, Theatre Ontario Executive Director, of a framed copy of the Proclamation that was made at Council declaring this week Theatre Ontario Festival week in Sault Ste Marie.  Carol then made a speech thanking the city for their generous partnership, the other wonderful sponsors, and welcomed the regional representatives from QUONTA, EODL, WODL and ACT-CO, as well as the participants from the companies of  Gore Bay Theatre, Peterborough Theatre Guild, Guelph Little Theatre and The Curtain Club.

ONStage Tonight At Festival: Gore Bay Theatre

Gore Bay Theatre is a community group located on Manitoulin Island in a small town of 850.  They are busiest during the summer season, catering to a tourist audience and presenting two to three plays in repertory.  Over the past six years, Gore Bay has produced 19 plays including five children’s plays and two major musicals—the Fall production of The Sound Of Music played to over 700 people, or approximately 80% of the population of Gore Bay.  This is their third appearance at Festival as the QUONTA representative—in 2007, they presented Norm Foster’s Kiss The Moon, Kiss The Sun at the Festival in Newmarket, and two years later they traveled to Kanata to present John Mighton’s Half Life.

That trend of presenting Canadian-written plays at Festival continues this year with The Attic, The Pearls & Three Fine Girls, created collectively by Jennifer Brewin, Leah Cherniak, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Alisa Palmer and Martha Ross.  This show “captures the essence of family and sisterhood in an infinitely humourous and poignant script,” said Walter Maskel, Director of the production.  Their father’s death forces the Fine sisters to confront their childhood and re-define their future together, just as it forces all of us to acknowledge the fragility of family.  At QUONTA Festival 2012 in Elliot Lake, in addition to Best Production, the show was awarded Best Director (Walter Maskel) and Best Visual Presentation (Walter Maskel, Tim Lafonde, Bill Viertelhausen & Dave Edwards.)

Walter will also be one of the four recipients of the Michael Spence Award for Contribution to Community Theatre at Sunday’s award brunch.

A Proclamation

WHEREAS theatre has endured, without interruption, since the beginning of human history; and

WHEREAS theatre communicates our stories and our cultures from one generation to another through time; and

WHEREAS theatre continues to move us to laughter, to tears, to amuse, to entertain, to educate and to enlighten, to join us in a communal gasp, a sigh, a smile, a grimace, a tingle or a yawn; and

WHEREAS theatre can transport us to far off lands, to the battlefields of emperors and kings, to modern living rooms, and bedrooms; and

WHEREAS theatre will this week, over the course of four nights transport us to a cafe in Paris, to a deserted cottage in the Canadian bush, to a moment in history in the city of Montreal, and into the inner sanctum of a family home; and

WHEREAS Sault Ste. Marie is naturally gifted in all of the arts, blessed with an exceptionally strong and vital community theatre; and

WHEREAS Theatre Ontario, joins the City of Sault Ste. Marie in a synchronicity  of birthdays celebrated with award winning theatre from across the province:

NOW THEREFORE, I, Mayor Debbie Amaroso, do hereby proclaim the week of May 14th to May 20th, 2012 as Theatre Ontario Festival Week in the City of Sault Ste. Marie and call upon citizens to celebrate, promote, take pride and take part in this week long event hosted by Theatre SMC, the QUONTA Drama Region and Theatre Ontario.

May the festivities begin!

Signed,
Debbie Amaroso
MAYOR, City of Sault Ste. Marie

Grassroots and Homegrown

By Anne Mooney, Community Theatre Coordinator

I find the art of the playwright fascinating.  A playwright must find a moment, bring it to life with dialogue and then let it go—let someone else take over and make the work live for an audience.  A playwright takes something so personal—their thoughts and their words—and then opens them up to the world.  Amazing!

We have all experienced the work of the “great” playwrights – the Shakespeares, the Shaws, the Rodgers And Hammersteins whose work has become classic.  We read it, study it in school, perform it and watch it.  In our community theatres, we try to find the formula that will create great theatre for our audiences.  We often choose the classics, the standards, the tried-and-true works—perhaps because they are safe or they have the value of recognition for our audiences.  Our audiences know Neil Simon, Norm Foster and Oscar Wilde.   But many community theatre groups have new, usually local playwrights and have given them a shot.  Imagine Stratford, Ontario if the producers at the Globe Theatre over four hundred years ago hadn’t given Shakespeare his first shot as a writer.  Who knows what future classic Canadian playwright is just waiting for a big break?

We can thank Playwrights Canada Press for recognizing the value of Canadian playwrights.  They have published three volumes of plays which were selected by Theatre Ontario, plays chosen for their appeal to community theatres.  The first, Seven Short Plays from Theatre Ontario is out of print.  You can still purchase copies of the second volume entitled Ontario Playwrights.  Last year saw the publication of five full-length plays written by homegrown, Ontario playwrights – Grassroots.  These plays were originally produced by community theatre groups in Ontario.  Work from Grassroots has been showcased around the province.  Joan Burrows’ Staff Room has been produced by The Curtain Club; Theatre Guelph; Kanata Theatre; Belleville Theatre Guild and at two high schools in the GTA.  Another play of hers, Willow Quartet was recently produced by The Curtain Club and an Equity Co-op in Toronto.  Michael Grant’s Hamish was performed in Kincardine; his most recent play Bear Bare Bones had its world premiere in Elmira in February.  And Kristin Shepherd’s play, $38,000 for a Friendly Face, which first premiered in North Bay, has had a three-week-run in Alberta.

This year at Theatre Ontario Festival 2012 we are in for a treat.  Not only are there going to be four nights of fabulous theatre, one of the plays is a new work having its world premiere this year.  The Mouse House by Robert Ainsworth was performed at Peterborough Theatre Guild, and entered into the Eastern Ontario Drama League Festival in Ottawa in April, winning the right to represent the region at Theatre Ontario Festival.  It is wonderful to see new work at this level of competition.

Where can you find these wonderful new works?  Right now, the ACT-CO region is running a web page to publicize the work of new playwrights whose work premiered at community theatres.  The page is called Homegrown and can be accessed through their website at www.actco.ca (Click on Shows and then click on Homegrown Plays).  The page lists the name of the play and playwright, first community theatre production information, and a short synopsis of the play.  Contact information will also be included so that individuals can contact the playwrights directly.  While the site is still in its early stages, ACT-CO hopes this webpage will be the first place community theatre groups go in search of plays to present in coming years.

Celebrating Community Theatre at Theatre Ontario Festival

The City of Sault Ste. Marie is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2012—and Theatre Ontario is excited to be returning for a celebration of community theatre at Theatre Ontario Festival 2012 from May 16 to 20.

The annual Theatre Ontario Festival is a showcase of outstanding community theatre productions chosen from regional festivals, bringing together theatre lovers from across the province.  This year’s Festival line-up features three plays written by Canadians.  The Festival opens with Gore Bay Theatre’s presentation of the Canadian classic The Attic, The Pearls And Three Fine Girls by Jennifer Brewin, Leah Cherniak, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Alisa Palmer & Martha Ross.  On Thursday is Peterborough Theatre Guild’s world premiere production of The Mouse House by Robert Ainsworth.  On Friday, Guelph Little Theatre takes the stage with their production of Steve Martin’s Picasso At The Lapin Agile.  On Saturday, The Curtain Club from Richmond Hill presents the Governor General’s Award winner The December Man / L’homme de décembre by Colleen Murphy.  Find out how to order tickets for all four shows on the Theatre SMC website.

Theatre Ontario Festival is also an educational experience.  After each performance, adjudicator Annette G. Procunier will give a public adjudication of the production.  Annette had adjudicated around the world, and this will be her first time adjudicating in her home province.  The following morning, there will be a detailed adjudication for the members of the company; all adjudications are open to Festival attendees.  Annette will also be leading an Adjudicator’s Workshop “Do You See What I See?”

But the educational opportunities don’t stop there.  Festival Honorary Chair Jack Wetherall will lead a workshop entitled “An Acting Lesson.”  This year’s Playwright-in-Person is Daniel Brooks who will be reading from his work, and then leading a workshop “The Blank Stage—Playmaking.”

Finally, Theatre Ontario Festival is a celebration of community theatre.  This year’s celebrations begin on May 14 when the City Council of Sault Ste. Marie will be proclaiming the official launch of Theatre Week.  On the evening of May 15, the Opening Gala “Growing Together” will give the Sault arts community an opportunity to come together to kick-off the celebration.  The Festival officially opens on May 16 with the Mayor’s Reception prior to the opening night performance.  There is also parties after each show where the participating groups are celebrated for their accomplishments.  Finally, on Sunday, May 20, Annette will present the Theatre Ontario Festival Awards, including the Elsie Award for Outstanding Festival Production.  As in past years, Theatre Ontario will be live-blogging the awards as they are announced.

All of your Festival 2012 event information can be found on the Festival page of the Theatre SMC website.  We look forward to seeing you in the Sault!

Welcome Peterborough Theatre Guild and The Curtain Club to Theatre Ontario Festival 2012

We are pleased to welcome the final two community theatre companies who have been chosen to participate in Theatre Ontario Festival 2012 in Sault Ste. Marie.

From the Eastern Ontario Drama League (EODL), Peterborough Theatre Guild will present The Mouse House written and directed by Robert Ainsworth—a world premiere just one year after we celebrated community theatre playwriting at Festival with the launch of Grassroots: Original Plays from Ontario Community Theatres.  Peterborough Theatre Guild last appeared at Theatre Ontario Festival in 2009 when they presented Twelfth Night, and won the Elsie Award for Outstanding Festival Production recently in 2006 (Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me) and 2008 (Proof).  They will perform on Thursday, May 17.

Representing the Association of Community Theatres—Central Ontario (ACT-CO) is The Curtain Club from Richmond Hill who will present Colleen Murphy’s The December Man / L’homme de décembre on Saturday, May 19.  The Curtain Club represented ACT-CO at Festival for four years in a row from 2003 through 2006, winning the Elsie Award in 2004 (Staff Room) and 2005 (Marvin’s Room); and were the co-hosts of Theatre Ontario Festival 2011.

The annual Theatre Ontario Festival is a showcase of outstanding community theatre productions chosen from regional festivals, bringing together theatre lovers from across the province.  It is also an educational experience featuring adjudications, workshops, networking, and play readings by Canadian writers, and a celebration of community theatre, with awards recognizing outstanding achievements, and with lots of parties!

Theatre Ontario Festival 2012 will be held in Sault Ste. Marie from May 16 to May 20, co-hosted with Theatre SMC and QUONTA, the northeastern regional community theatre association.  For more information about Theatre Ontario Festival 2012, please visit the Theatre Ontario website.

Congratulations to the 2012 Michael Spence Award Recipients for Contribution to Community Theatre

Theatre Ontario is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2012 Michael Spence Awards for Contribution to Community Theatre.  These awards are presented by Theatre Ontario on the recommendation of the regional community theatre associations to honour individuals for sustained contribution, generosity of spirit, and legendary commitment to community theatre in Ontario.

The 2012 Michael Spence Award recipients are Lawrie Bonanno of Burlington, Walter Maskel of Gore Bay, Margaret Shearman of Merrickville, and Jo-anne Spitzer of Aurora.

Lawrence "Lawrie" Bonanno has been a passionate member of the amateur theatre community since his arrival in Canada in the 1950s.  He has been an active member of Theatre Burlington serving in many capacities—especially in technical areas.  He has served many years on the Boards of Theatre Burlington and the Western Ontario Drama League (WODL) and is a past President and Life Member of both organizations.  He was recently on the planning committee for the new Burlington Performing Arts Centre and has constructed WODL’s Festival Awards for many years.

Walter Maskel has acted, designed, directed or produced over 130 productions in northern Ontario.  The former Head of Performing Arts at Sudbury Secondary School and an arts consultant with the Ontario Ministry of Education, he has been a strong advocate for, and participant in, theatre across northern Ontario.  His productions have been honoured at both QUONTA and Theatre Ontario Festival, and have travelled to international festivals with productions from England, the U.S., Ireland, Italy, and Russia. Many of Walter’s former students are now working as arts educators, or in professional and community theatre.

Margaret Shearman has worked in community theatre almost her entire life, starting her career as a young teenager in her native England.  She was first involved with the East York Theatre Guild, co-founded the Camp Petawawa Players, and has acted, directed and produced for Kemptville Players, Ottawa Little Theatre, and her local theatre group Theatre Night In Merrickville.  She stage-managed the first Eastern Ontario Drama League (EODL) One-Act Festival, created the EODL website, served as newsletter editor, and helped develop an evaluation system for choosing EODL Festival groups.  She is also a past President of EODL.

Jo-anne Spitzer first joined Theatre Aurora in 1971, and is now a Life Member, has been an actor and producer, and served as President, VP Operations, Marketing And Communications Director and Box Office Manager.  She served for over ten years on the Board of the Association of Community Theatres of Central Ontario and has been active in Theatre Ontario Festivals held in Richmond Hill and Newmarket where her phenomenal networking skills have helped increase the profile and awareness of theatre, and raised funds for various projects.  She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the York Region Arts Council.

The Michael Spence Awards for Contribution to Community Theatre will be presented at Theatre Ontario Festival 2012 on May 20 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Read more about the Michael Spence Awards for Contribution to Community Theatres

Welcome Gore Bay Theatre and Guelph Little Theatre to Festival 2012

We are pleased to welcome the first two community theatre companies who have been chosen to participate in Theatre Ontario Festival 2012 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Representing QUONTA—the northeastern Ontario community theatre association—will be Gore Bay Theatre, presenting The Attic, The Pearls And Three Fine Girls by Jennifer Brewin, Leah Cherniak, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Alisa Palmer & Martha Ross.  Gore Bay Theatre last participated in our Festival in 2009 in Ottawa, with their presentation of Half Life.  Gore Bay opens the Festival on Wednesday, May 16.

From the Western Ontario Drama League, Guelph Little Theatre brings their production of Picasso At The Lapin Agile by Steve Martin.  They will perform on Friday, May 18.  This is Guelph’s first time at Festival since their production of Cosi won the Elsie Award as Outstanding Festival Production at Festival 2003 in Oshawa.

Productions representing the Association of Community Theatres—Central Ontario and Eastern Ontario Drama League will be announced after the weekend of April 14/15.

For more information about Theatre Ontario Festival 2012, please visit the Theatre Ontario website

Book Your Tickets for Theatre Ontario Festival 2012

Theatre Ontario is pleased to announce that tickets for the 2012 Festival in Sault Ste. Marie are now on sale.  Tickets can be ordered from the Theatre SMC website, your online Festival destination.  Festival 2012 runs from May 16 to May 20.

We’re pleased to announce that Jack Wetherall will be our Honourary Chair for Festival 2012.  Jack has been a theatre artist for over forty years, beginning with performances in Sault Theatre Workshop’s The Boyfriend and Look Homeward Angel.  After graduating from York University’s Glendon College he went directly to the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.  His career has spanned Broadway, television, the Metropolitan Opera, and dozens of regional theatres across North America.  He has also taught acting and directing for many years at NYU, Princeton, Williamstown, UCLA, Chicago’s Center Theatre and his own studio in New York City.  He presently teaches at the Stella Adler Acting Conservatory, and divides his time between New York and Sault Ste. Marie.  “I believe community is the source from which all theatre springs,” said Jack.  “How wonderful to be part of an event that celebrates community theatre and for me to reconnect with the rogues and rascals that set me on this journey I am still on.”

We’re also pleased to have Tianna Nori as our Event Emcee.  Tianna is a graduate of St. Mary’s College where she was an active member of Theatre SMC. She is currently pursuing a budding career in Toronto, hosting the TV series Last Bride Standing, and a recent starring role in the film Clean Break.  For more information on Tianna Nori, you can visit her website www.tiannanori.com.  Tianna will be a visible and vocal presence throughout the Festival.  "I am really excited about the opportunity to participate in Theatre Ontario Festival 2012," said Tianna, "especially since it is taking place in the Sault this year which gives me the chance to go back home where my passion for acting was born while working with Theatre SMC and Sault Theatre Workshop."

The annual Theatre Ontario Festival is:

• a showcase of outstanding community theatre productions chosen from regional festivals, bringing together theatre lovers from across the province
• an educational experience featuring adjudications, workshops, networking, and play readings by Canadian writers
• a celebration of community theatre, with awards recognizing outstanding achievements, and with lots of parties!

Visit the Theatre Ontario website for more information about the Theatre Ontario Festival