Entertainment

A construction delay has ended up being something very positive for the Upper Canada Playhouse.

Upon losing their rehearsal hall space with the sale of the Eastern Star building in Morrisburg, early this year, Playhouse officials looked at all the options and decided that they would build a new addition to the existing Playhouse to have their own rehearsal hall space on site.

Donnie Bowes, artistic director of Upper Canada Playhouse recently spoke with The Leader about the upcoming construction project.

“We had expected to start construction on the rehearsal hall March 1st of this year,” he said. He explained that once the permitting and approval process was completed, the start date had to be pushed back further than originally anticipated. 

At that point, it was decided that it was better to wait until  fall (September) to start the project. Not only is that a better time for contractors who are already busy this time of year, it would also be outside of the playhouse’s peak season.

With the delay, Bowes decided to check out funding avenues for the construction project, as the playhouse is an important part of the community, both culturally and economically.

That effort was very worthwhile. 

At opening night of the first show of the 2015 season at the Upper Canada Playhouse, local MP Guy Lauzon announced that the government will provide $97,500 for the expansion project.

“It’s a great financial boost, and affirmation that what we have built here at the Upper Canada Playhouse is appreciated, as a cultural attraction,” said Bowes.

“Upper Canada Playhouse takes pride in making a significant cultural and economic impact on our local communities by producing professional live theatre for the past three decades. By investing in the growth of our theatre through the addition of a rehearsal facility, the Department of Canadian Heritage supports the impact we’ve been striving to have in our community,” said Bowes.

“The construction of additional space for artistic performances benefits both the artists and the general public,” said MP Lauzon. “I am pleased that our government supports the Upper Canada Playhouse, a group that gives so much to its community.”

The funding is through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, which supports the improvement, renovation and construction for arts and heritage facilities. It is also designed to increase access for Canadians to performing, visual and media arts.

A 29’x51’ addition is planned for the building. Construction is expected to take 2-3 months. The new addition will impact a portion of the existing mural that adorns the building, with a section being covered by the addition. It will only result in the loss of a few staff parking spaces.

About 10 feet of needed storage space will be added to the building as part of the project.

With the rehearsal hall delay, Bowes has had to find spaces for the actors to rehearse upcoming shows for this season and for the children’s summer camps to take place. 

“It has actually provided the playhouse with the opportunity to get out into the community more,” said Bowes.

Their rehearsal hall this year will be at the McIntosh Inn, and summer camps will be taking place at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Morrisburg. 

[…]

 “Been to one of these weddings?” laughed a woman in the audience during the intermission of Stag and Doe at Upper Canada Playhouse. “I had one of these weddings!”

Playwright Mark Crawford’s bright new comedy, running at UCP until July 5, certainly has, as director Donnie Bowes put it, “a finger on the pulse of the small town.” His play clearly strikes chords with members of the audience as it follows a calamitous (and riotous) day and night in the lives of two very different bridal parties. According to Bowes the show seems to be drawing many new, young play-goers to the theatre. They seem to find the characters on stage both familiar…and very real.

Rob and Mandy, Bonnie and Brad, all planning to be married, under normal circumstances would never cross wedding paths. 

Rob (Parris Greaves) and Mandy (Jody Osmond) have 250 guests invited to their ‘perfect’ day: French cuisine planned for a dinner served sit-down: a beautifully appointed wedding tent erected in her family’s large back yard for the ceremony and dance. 

Bonnie (Julia Lederer) and Brad (Zach Counsil), on the other hand, have maxed out their credit cards on liquor, invitations, food and a mortgage down payment. And Bonnie is finally forced to reveal to Brad that she may have also “overspent a little” on her wedding dress. ($6,000!” Brad shrieks. “My truck didn’t cost $6,000!”) As a result, as far as Bonnie is concerned, their Stag and Doe at the town’s only hall this night will be her best chance to try and recoup some of their expenses.

But circumstances in these couples’ small town will not be normal.

A ferocious wind storm has ripped through the community in the night, with unexpected results. 

A distraught Mandy arrives at the hall, in wedding day rollers, wailing “My wedding tent is gone. My decorations are ruined. There are port-a-potties all over the field!” She, backed by fiance Rob, demands that Brad and Bonnie vacate the venue, imperiously proclaiming that “a wedding trumps a stag and doe!” However, ‘Mandy-zilla’ has reckoned without bride-to-be Bonnie. Bonnie has no intention of backing down on her Stag and Doe. Not with all those credit cards to pay. Not when she has hoped for the same “special day everyone else gets to have.”  As both wedding parties proceed to wrestle for “hall supremacy,” audiences are treated to an absolutely hilarious glimpse into the realities of “battling brides.” Literally.

Apparently on the fringe of these wedding confrontations, yet forming, I think, the true heart of Crawford’s play, are bridesmaid Dee (Colleen Sutton) and caterer Jay (Perry Mucci). It’s not that the others’ wedding chaos doesn’t affect them: it does. Dee has a hurtful history with Rob, and Jay, a sometimes lonely single father, has had to cope with the arrest of his entire waiting staff and the impounding his wedding cake by the police.  Yet Dee and Jay seem to serve, in this play, as the voices of good-natured humour, of compromise and of sanity in the midst of threats, fisticuffs and bridal wheeling and dealing. It was easy to grow fond of Dee and Jay. It was easy to hope that something might come of their meeting, even under trying circumstances.

There is a lot to love about Stag and Doe and its cast of memorable, decidedly colourful characters. Crawford’s play is a very affectionate look at the nature of weddings and marriage, and the true purpose of both in this day and age. And, in the end,  perhaps even his two bickering bridal couples discover more about themselves in an outrageous 24 hours than they may have learned in years of dating.

A word about Sean Free’s set for this production. It’s splendid. From the Loyal Order of the Moose (or is it Elk?) plaque on the kitchen wall, to the unclaimed pot luck pans stacked on the shelves, from the always empty paper towel rolls on the counter to the needle point flowers done by someone’s maiden aunt 50 years ago, Free’s set evokes a nostalgic, wonderful sense of those community halls that still seem to exist in every small town. 

Director Donnie Bowes’  production of Stag and Doe is fast paced, beautifully acted by a strong cast, and brimming with laughter. For tickets contact Upper Canada Playhouse at 613-543-3713.

   

[…]

 

“This show just seemed to push all the right buttons with me,” said Donnie Bowes, artistic director of Upper Canada Playhouse, “I really liked the idea of a play about interesting people, and about rural people like many of our audiences. I saw Mark Crawford’s Stag and Doe, a play about small town weddings, and the funny challenges they bring, and it appealed to me: I thought it would appeal to Playhouse audiences.” 

Stag and Doe, a brand new play, opens at Upper Canada Playhouse on June 11, and runs until July 5. Featuring a cast of six, the comedy is being directed by Bowes on a spectacular set designed by former Playhouse technical director, Sean Free.

The play is built around the wonderful, and hilarious crises that erupt in a small town when a bride and groom from one side of the tracks, due to a wedding tent ‘disaster’ that features pig manure, must suddenly hold their reception at the only town hall on the same day that another engaged couple, (from a different side of the tracks) has scheduled their Stag and Doe party. The comic chaos that ensues will leave audiences in stitches.

“Mark Crawford just seems to have his finger on the pulse of small town life,” laughed Bowes. “You look for humour and conflict in a play, and this show has it all. And it asks some questions about weddings and pre-wedding events that must cross the minds of a lot of couples. Is there such a thing as a ‘perfect wedding,’ really? And is a Stag and Doe held so that friends who aren’t going to attend the actual ceremony can celebrate with the bride and groom, or is it held for the money?”

Entertainingly, two performers are getting to experience a vicarious look at this whole on stage wedding ‘scene’,  just as their own special day draws near. 

Parris Greaves and Jody Osmond, who play Rob and Mandy in Stag and Doe, will be married this September. For real.

“We actually met here at the Playhouse, doing a show,” Greaves said, “and we’re delighted to be back at UCP with a chance to play a couple on their wedding day. Our characters Mandy and Rob are facing some issues as their wedding gets bigger and bigger, and the whole event seems to be growing more important than what it is supposed to mean.” “That’s not Parris and me, of course,” laughed Osmond.

Cast members create characters who may be very familiar to anyone who has ever been involved in the small town wedding experience. Bonnie (Julia Lederer) and Brad (Zach Counsil), who have the Stag and Doe planned, are also in a kind of “pre-nuptial crisis.”

“Bonnie is very focussed on fixing her financial issues through the Stag and Doe,” said Lederer, “because she has overspent ‘just a little’ on this wedding.” 

“Brad, the small town guy, just wanted a nice, simple, reasonable wedding,” said Counsil, “and everything is spiralling out of control. Then they have to deal with this other couple.”

Colleen Sutton is Dee, who is donning bridesmaid’s clothes “for the fifth time, and is getting pretty ‘vexed’ that she has never been the bride. And she may have a bit of history with Mandy’s man.” Jay, the caterer, played by Perry Mucci, isn’t actually marrying anyone, but he’s still got wedding issues of his own. What do you do when your entire staff gets themselves arrested on the day of the wedding, and the wedding cake itself has vanished?

This is a production that is going to demand a lot of the backstage crew as well. With particular sound and props cues scattered throughout the show, costume changes, and food that must be both realistically ‘fake’ some times and realistically edible other times, they are very, very busy in this new show. However, stage manager Liz Campbell, production assistant Tristan Goethel and apprentice stage manager Bradley Dunn will have the action well in hand according to director Bowes. The show is being lit by the theatre’s new technical director, Jenna Robinson.

Stag and Doe, a comic and wonderful look at a slice of small town life, runs at UCP until July 5. For tickets and information contact 613-543-3713 or 1-877-550-3650.

[…]

 

The audience who came out to enjoy the Seaway District High School dinner theatre production of West of the St. Lawrence, held at the school on Friday, June 5, was entertained by a cast of highly dedicated and talented young performers. The production, which featured its own band and adapted music, was a bit of a take-off on classic Westerns. A passing stage actor, accompanied by his long suffering wife, finds himself appointed sheriff of a wild and woolly Canadian town where three feuding ranchers do not keep the peace.  And to make matters worse, someone has hired a Gunslinger, who may show up at any time. Full of puns, eccentric characters and plenty of theatrical fun, the show was directed by teachers Laura Oliver and Colleen Lesley and senior drama student, DaniShae Barkley, and sponsored by the Seaway Parents Council. The funds raised by the students’ annual theatrical event are going towards new seats for assemblies and for the cafeteria. 

[…]

 

“On behalf of Dundas County Hospice, we thank our volunteers for over 1,900 hours that have been donated to our organization over this past year,” said director of client services, Catheryn Mulder at the annual Hospice Volunteer Appreciation night, held last Wednesday night, April 22.

It was a night, that would not only thank the volunteers, but an evening to remember the late Diane Annable of Winchester, whose family was on hand to unveil a Memorial Award for Volunteer Service to Dundas County Hospice. Annable, a dedicated volunteer with Hospice for seven plus years, passed away in February, 2014.

Named as the first recipient of the Diane Annable Memorial was Sandra Jennings, who, like Annable, has served the Dundas County Hospice in various volunteer/ board positions, for many years. 

“I enjoy my work, it’s a good cause, but we miss our Diane who was an all-round good person,” said Jennings, following the presentation made by Annable’s husband Gary and son Thomas. Also on hand were Diane’s mother and father, Vance and Audrey Mcleese.

“It was Diane who got us going on fundraising, she was a special person,” said Jennings.

“Diane enjoyed the volunteer work she did for Dundas County Hospice very much,” said Gary. He explained that she first volunteered when she was high school age and worked with children’s camps in Toronto. “She loved to organize.”

“The year’s 1,900 volunteer hours for Hospice included hours provided for direct client involvement, board hours, equipment cleaning, public awareness and fundraising,” said Mulder, following the presentation.

“Thank you to those of you who gave comfort and kind words and a listening ear for the clients you visited so faithfully,” said Mulder.  “Thank you to those of you who provided activities and assisted with the Day Hospice and Men’s Breakfast. Thank you for the many hours you spent on fundraising for Hoedown, for golf, for the annual newsletter and now the upcoming Hike for Hospice.”

Mulder told the volunteers that it had been an exciting year for Dundas County Hospice. 

“This has definitely been a time for exciting growth, and we could not have accomplished this without you our volunteers.”

“Our board, as well as our executive director, Lisa Casselman, have gone above and beyond. They have made our dreams of expanding our day hospice program and locating in a new facility, realities.”

The board of directors for Dundas County Hospice includes chair Bob Pitruniak, vice-chair, Paul Renaud, past chair, Sandra Jennings, treasurer Janet Moorhouse, secretary Arlene Nesbitt. Directors are Betty Guy, Mary Gibson, Kathy Spruit and Bob Sisson.

Introduced was Lynn Gee, who is the new program assistant with the day hospice program.

Dundas County Hospice offers a variety of services to anyone suffering from a terminal or life-threatening illness. Hospice supports clients and their caregivers through all stages of their illness including bereavement support after the death of the client. All of our services are free

The hospice offers an equipment loan program which helps clients maintain some independence, comfort and mobility. 

Hospice also assists with in-home complimentary therapies for clients that can no longer get out.

Coming up on May 3, is a  Hike for Hospice  (2.5 or 5 km. hikes) fundraiser. Folks are invited to join Hospice for a hike along the beautiful St. Lawrence in Morrisburg. A donation to Dundas County Hospice will get you registered (9:30-10:30 a.m.) and participants can get hiking at 10:30 a.m. A barbecue at noon will complete the event.

The Hike for Hospice will be part of a busy spring as Dundas County Hospice prepare to relocate to its new home in Williamsburg this coming summer.

The Volunteer Appreciation guest speaker was certified relaxation therapist Kim Hutt owner of Souly Reconnected located north of Iroquois.

“It is a pleasure for me to be here, celebrating your community service,” Hutt told the volunteers.

Hutt explained how she turned a hobby, “into a profession, when I began studying relaxation therapies. She shared some exercises and demos on how one can self care and explained the various therapies available including Reiki and Quantum Touch.

[…]

 

The St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage has received word that the OETIO/Morrisburg Meeting Centre is no longer able to rent their facilities to them as of the end of June, 2015.

Member of the board, Sandra Whitworth said, “As our audience, musicians and supporters know, the stage at the OETIO facility has beautiful acoustics and is uniquely suited to musical performances. We have been proud to be able to make use of it since 2007 to bring so many amazing musicians and performers to this community.

But, as the saying goes, when one door closes another one opens.” 

Whitworth went on to say that when the Upper Canada Playhouse learned that the Stage was faced with the loss of its home in Morrisburg, UCP stepped up. Artistic director Donnie Bowes and the Upper Canada Playhouse board have found dates in their already very busy schedule next year so that the Stage can remain in this community and continue to present live original music in Morrisburg. 

The 2015-2016 St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage lineup will be  housed at Morrisburg’s fabulous Upper Canada Playhouse. 

This comfortable 275 seat theatre has many of the same intimate features Stage audiences expect, in a setting designed to be inviting to audience members and performers alike.

The St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage will announce next year’s lineup as dates and performers are confirmed. For now, the Stage is delighted to have found a new and welcoming home that keeps them in South Dundas. 

“Our thanks to everyone at the Upper Canada Playhouse who helped make this happen,” said Board member, Sandra Whitworth.

[…]