Camp fires now excluded from fire ban

While a few parcels of land have been purchased in the newly expanded Morrisburg industrial park, the first sign of a new business appeared last week. Jay and Jill Buckland have announced plans to build […]

Local talent is taking centre stage at St. Joseph’s Secondary School in Cornwall.

Several area cast members are among the 40 featured in the production the two hour musical, Little Shop of Horrors. 

William Wallace, a grade 12 student at St. Joe’s, plays Mr. Mushnik, the miserable owner of a failing downtown New York flower shop.

“Opening night was great,” said Wallace. “The cast is really energetic.”

Opening night took place in the school auditorium, located along Cumberland Street in Cornwall April 17, at 8 p.m. and another public performance  took place April 18.

With two shows in the books, these student actors are looking forward to the final two public shows which will take place April 24 and 25 at the Cornwall school. She show is about two hours long.

“This is such a funny show. We have a really great cast,” said Wallace, who is from Morrisburg. “We have really pulled together and become great friends.” The group met with The Leader Monday after school to talk about the musical and to encourage the local community to come to one of the two remaining shows.

Maiko Button, of Long Sault, who plays Audrey, is a grade 12 students at St. Joe’s.  Audrey is one of Mr. Mushnik’s two shop assistants, along with Seymour Krelborn.

“This show is maybe not as well known, but it’s a really great show, It is fast-paced and witty,” said Button. It is directed by Mr. Gilles Levac, who all of the actors agree, does a fantasic job.

Seymour is played by Brett Weegar of Morrisburg, a grade 12 student at St. Joe’s. “This character was made for me,” said Weegar. “Ya, awkward around women, and kind of dorky,” the ladies of the cast chime in quickly.

“This is a really great show,” says Weegar. “We have a really good teacher. The amount of effort he puts into this is astounding. Actually, we put a lot of work into it too.”

Kamryn Frank, another grade 12 student at St. Joe’s is the voice of Audrey II, the villanous carnivorous plant. Frank, who is quite a vocal talent according to those who attended Friday’s show, says that she “loves that she actually gets to use her rock voice.”

She said that St. Joe’s puts on an awesome, full production musical. “We work on it from October until now. For only $10 a ticket it’s a great night out,” says Frank. The puppeteer for the Audrey II plant is Alexandra Lauzon, of the Long Sault area. Her fellow cast members agreee that she does a great job.

Three St. Joe’s grade nines from Morrisburg are part of the ensemble that sings and dances throughout the show.

“We make the show lively,” says Mallory Trizisky. 

“It’s a really fun show. I love the music,” says Abby Trizisky.

“Mainly, people don’t know how much work everyone puts into this,” says Jaxon Weegar. “For a school show, this show is really awesome.” Tickets are available at the St. Joseph’s school office or at the door.   

[…]

Why it’s positively criminal how funny the upcoming Iroquois-Matilda Lions pro-duction of Monday Always Leads to Murder is!

Some of the characters die laughing.

Following in a tradition that dates back nearly 30 years, the Iroquois Lions (and friends) are taking to the stage at Upper Canada Playhouse this month with their latest theatrical offering, Pat Cook’s Monday Always Leads to Murder. 

These highly anticipated plays, which are presented every two years, are one of the major fund raisers for the Iroquois-Matilda Lions. 

Lions clubs have long been noted for their support of charitable organizations and works in South Dundas. The community often turns to area Lions for financial and volunteer support. 

Funds raised  by the productions at the Playhouse are invested right back into the South Dundas community. 

Ticket holders for the 2012 production can look forward to an evening of laugh-out-loud comedy and to ensuring that the Iroquois-Matilda Lions can continue to be a strong presence in the South Dundas community. 

The show’s volunteer cast has been in rehearsals since early February. As opening night gets closer, the production is transferring April 4 to the Playhouse.  Rehearsals  have been held at St. John’s Anglican Church, Iroquois, and the Iroquois United Church. 

The cast is having a lot of fun with the play, which is set in the seedy New York office of one Harry Monday, private eye. The year is 1939: Prohibition has lately been repealed, Humphrey Bogart is big at the box office, Al Capone is big in Chicago and women (at least where Harry is concerned) are still “stacked.”

Harry will certainly have his hands full coping with dames, would-be actors, cops, burglars, mysterious Egyptian professors and bodies that just keep popping up at the most inconvenient times when he takes on the sinister Barnstable case. 

The fantastic set for the show has been designed by John Thompson of the Playhouse and constructed by a crew under the leadership of Lion Jim Locke.  Sean Free, technical director of the Playhouse, is operating sound and lights for the show. Wendy Gibb is directing.

Tickets are $20 each for the evening shows, April 26-28, and for the Saturday matinee: they are going very quickly. Contact any Iroquois Matilda Lion, Mustard’s Variety or Upper Canada Playhouse for tickets to Monday Always Leads to Murder.  

[…]