Township hires roadside mower

 

It has been my great pleasure to produce professional theatre in the Seaway Valley. With this show, I will recognize and represent all things Cow Patti stands for.”

Those are the words of AnnaMarie Lea as she prepares to stage the final Cow Patti Theatre production  in the Seaway Valley at the Ramada Inn in Cornwall, this February.

For the final production, Lea has selected Marc Camoletti’s Boeing-Boeing for the last laughs of a hugely successful 11-year run that has produced 17 plays, 340 performances, 42 benefit performances, 106 actors and countless crew…and most impressively, attracted 34,000 guests.

With this upcoming show, Lea and The Ramada Hotel and Conference Centre are hoping to top $180,000 raised for various local charities through a handful of benefit shows in each of the runs. 

In addition to her Cow Patti productions in Cornwall, Lea is well known for her acting skills which she has shared and entertained us with, on the Cow Patti stage and the Upper Canada Playhouse stage in Morrisburg.

Although she returned with her family to Alberta in the summer of 2010, she was back in Cornwall last February for Cow Patti’s 10th anniversary, for which she staged Norm Foster’s My Darling Judith.

Lea told The Leader in a recent interview that her decision to make this year the final show for Cow Patti, was made so that ‘she could spend more time with her family.’

Cow Patti has successfully relaunched in Alberta, and that she suspects will keep her busy.

“We are closing the barn doors on Cow Patti in Eastern Ontario after our production of Boeing-Boeing from February 2-19,” says Lea in a press release. “We have been privileged to have produced for you for the last 11 years and are so grateful to have received such support and kindness from all of you.”

Lea promises that “first up with this production (Boeing-Boeing) will be laughter and plenty of it! This is notably one of the wittiest farces of our time and it goes without saying, we will compliment all this laughter with the Ramada’s superb buffets, which, guaranteed, will set your tummy in the mood for some great big belly laughs.”

“For the past 11 years, Cow Patti has prided itself on creating opportunity for Canadian artists and Boeing-Boeing will be no exception.”

The cast for Boeing-Boeing, which is a prequel to Don’t Dress for Dinner staged by Cow Patti in 2010, includes well known actors Garfield Andrews and Susan Greenfield, who have graced the Cow Patti Stage numerous times in the past, and Lea herself.

Joining them are actors Kate Gordon, Katie Lawson and Jamie Williams. Richard Bauer, who directed Don’t Dress for Dinner, is returning to direct Cow Patti’s last act.

In Boeing-Boeing, it’s airline stewardesses, fiancées and a romantic air traffic controller/maid, (played by Lea), and best friends Bernard and Robert who got themselves into quite a mess in, Don’t Dress for Dinner. Seems this time around, Bernard has three fiancees, who all, unfortunately, experience changes to their flight plans.

Lea says tickets sales, which kicked off before Christmas for Boeing-Boeing are ‘quite good’. The annual Cow Patti productions have become  popular Valentine’s celebrations and with Valentine’s Day this year falling on Tuesday, the celebration is stretching through the weekend of February 10-12 as well as on the 14th.

Boeing-Boeing opens on Thursday, February 2 and runs through Sunday, February 19. There is no theatre on Mondays. Dinner and brunch theatre tickets are available in addition to afternoon and evening cabaret tickets. For information or to book tickets visit www.cowpatti.com or call the Ramada at 1-877-552-9166.

If you are planning to make Cow Patti and Boeing-Boeing part of your Valentine celebration, don’t delay.

[…]

 

 New anniversary, new season, new shows, new seats! There’s a lot that’s new at the Playhouse this Season.

The Playhouse has kept its eye on the pulse of what audiences want: top-notch productions of popular and entertaining shows featuring some of the country’s best professional actors, singers, directors and designers. 

“We have an unwritten agreement with our audience to give them shows that are well-produced and shows that entertain them, make them laugh, make them tap their toes and sometimes make them think about life itself,” says artistic director, Donnie Bowes, “but always through a comic eye.”

The 30th anniversary season comes hot on the heels of last year’s record attendance of over 43,000. The Playhouse continues to be a significant contributor to the local economy and tourist trade, bringing hundreds of visitors to South Dundas.

 To celebrate its 30^th anniversary in 2013, UCP recently installed new seats for the comfort of its ever-growing audience. However, Bowes states, “The most important way we’re celebrating this landmark year is by continuing to give our audiences the shows they really want to see. ”

The 2013 season starts April 23 to May 5, with Wichita Lineman, featuring the music of Glen Campbell, a show created by Playhouse favourite Leisa Way and her band. It stars Aaron Solomon, who has wowed Playhouse audiences, along with co-stars Leisa Way and Randall Kempf. Songs range from Bobbie Gentry to The Beach Boys.

The Playhouse’s Summer Comedy Series follows with four brand new shows never before seen on the Playhouse stage.

 The hilarious Whose Wives Are They Anyway? runs June 6-30. Buddies John and David, enjoying a golfing weekend, are confronted with a boss who demands to meet their spouses: comic confusion quickly ensues. 

Next up, July 4-28, is the mad-cap comedy Murder at the Howard Johnsons. a production filled with thrills, suspense, surprises and a ton of laughs.  

The hysterical farce No Sex, Please, We’re British hits the stage August 1-25. A desperate couple sends away for some glassware and instead receives shipments of adult material they frantically try to hide. Naturally all goes hilariously wrong.

The summer series wraps up September 5-29 with the comic and touching production of The Cemetery Club.  Audiences will love Ida, Lucille and Doris, three widows who meet once a month to visit their husbands’ graves. 

The Playhouse also plans a busy fall featuring the return of Marshall Button’s wonderful creation, Lucien, October 3-6. 

Vegas Knights brings Big Band music alive when that spectacular production takes the stage by storm, October 18-23.  

The wonderful holiday family classic, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, ends the Playhouse’s 2013 season, featuring a huge and multi-talented cast.

Flex Passes for the summer series are on sale until June 6: regular priced tickets are available all year. For information, tickets and brochures contact the Box Office at 543-3713, 1-877-550-3650 or www.uppercanadaplayhouse.com.

[…]

Press Release

May is National Physiotherapy Month in Canada, and it’s the perfect time to learn about the valuable contributions physiotherapists and physiotherapy assistants make to the health and well-being of Canadians. 

Whether it’s helping an older adult to gain strength to remain living independently, or returning someone to health following an injury, physiotherapists at Winchester District Memorial Hospital (WDMH) are here to help.

At WDMH, three physiotherapists and two physiotherapist assistants provide a variety of services to inpatients and outpatients. 

For example, weekly classes for Continuing Care patients help ensure continued mobility and balance. 

Physiotherapy at the bedside can help stroke patients regain their strength. 

Outpatient programs offer services to the community such as weekly hip and knee clinics for those who have had replacement surgery. 

The overall goal is to restore, maintain and maximize strength, function, movement and overall well-being.

“Physiotherapist and physiotherapy assistants are a key part of WDMH’s health care team,” said Cholly Boland, CEO. 

“They combine in-depth knowledge about how the body works with specialized hands-on clinical skills to care for our patients.”

[…]