Swing Dance

~Another one done which will forever hold a special place in my heart~

~all photographs courtesy of Ross Davidson~

This play written by local playwright, Lynda Martens was an absolute gem to direct.
This was the World Premiere of "Swing Dance" and only time will tell where it goes next.
It was produced by London Community Players in Procunier Hall at the Palace Theatre in London, Ontario.
It ran from February 7th - 16th, 2013.
It had it all! The characters were believable, their plight was heartfelt and the situations they encountered were ones the audience would NEVER wish to be in themselves.

Vicky and Walter have been married for close to 40-ish years. During this time, Vicky has stayed at home. She's done the laundry, raised the kids, cooked the meals and kept the house clean. All the while Walter went to work each day. Now, Walter is retired, the kids have moved out and Vicky has started her own business. Suddenly Walter doesn't know what to do with himself and decides to make the rest of his life about Vicky and wants to spend every waking moment with her.

Without giving too much away, Walter takes drastic measures to get closer to Vicky - pharmaceutical measures. But Walter has forgotten one important detail. Company is coming over for dinner.

Sally and Fred arrive just as the "magic" kicks in for Walter and chaos ensues.

Fred is Vicky's new business partner and Sally is Fred's sexy and confident wife. Though this lovely and apparently strong couple claim to be coming over for dinner to discuss the new business partnership and Vicky's Swing Dance Club ~ it turns out there was a miscommunication. Somewhere along the line, Sally and Fred thought Vicky meant a Swing Club. NOT a Swing DANCE Club.

What follows is a collection of awkward moments between the two couples as one thinks they are discussing Swing Dancing and the other SwingING.

This is a hilarious play that I believe left every audience member a little happier when they left after the curtain closed.

The script and actors had the audience roaring with laughter and the play sold out every night except two!

I enjoyed every minute I spent with this cast and crew; I look forward to seeing where this play goes.

CAST (in order of appearance):
Joe Belanger as WALTER
Dinah Watts as VICKY
Kevin Curnutte as the delivery boy
Liz Marra as SALLY
Paul Bowen-Smith as FRED

CREW:
Heather May, Director
James Wybrow, Producer & lighting operator
Kevin Curnutte, Stage Manager
Sandra Halko, Assistant Stage Manager
Sookie Mei, Props
Diane Hall, costumes
David Long, Set Construction & Design
Mark Mooney, Light Design
Jeremy Hayes, Sound Design & Operator

REVIEWS:
The Beat Magazine
The London Free Press
 theatreinlondon.ca

OTHER LINKS:
Palace Theatre Blog
ldtonline.ca
Swing Dance - the trailer

Keep Breaking Legs and Keep Swingin'!

"Goodnight Children Everywhere" comes to London, Ontario!

~ a post World War II play about lost childhood, familial roles and human nature ~

Goodnight Children Everywhere

written by Richard Nelson

coming to the Palace Theatre in London, Ontario

October 4-13, 2012

Cast (clockwise from top left): Tim Condon, Kevin Curnette, Whitney Bolam,

Heather May & Kalina Hada-Lemon (absent: Chris Albert & Clara Madrenas)

Elizabeth Newman (Director) & Heather May (Anne)



This play is not for the faint of heart or the easily offended.

Goodnight Children Everywhere takes the audience into the home of Anne, Vi and Betty (3 sisters) and Anne's husband Mike in Clapham, South London England during the Spring of 1945. These four have been living together in this small flat for some time and have become accustomed to the way of life in such small quarters.

The play starts on the day these three sisters are reunited with their brother Peter who was sent away during the Operation Pied Piper Evacuation to live in Alberta, Canada in World War II. Peter is now returning to England to live, once again, with his three sisters.

How does a family put back all the pieces? What do the words "Mother" and "Father" mean to children who were robbed of a propper childhood? How do siblings cope with the loss of both parents in war? How does one differenciate between "right" and "wrong" when so much of what has happend to them has been wrong? What happens between a brother and sister who were parted when they were children and reunited as young adults?

Each of these characters have a back story that is (by far) abonormal and challenging by today's standards. 

Mike, Anne's husband, met her through her sister Betty. Betty worked with Mike and had a crush on him. She brought him home to meet her sisters. So how did Anne end up being his wife and pregnant with his child? How does Anne cope with the ongoing flirtations between Mike and Betty?

Betty is a nurse. She is strong and responsible. She would make the perfect wife. She cooks, she cleans - so why did Mike choose Anne over Betty? Why does Betty fall for someone...like Hugh?

Hugh works with Mike at the surgery. He's loud, obnxious and like his whiskey. He sings too loudly, talks too loud and never seems to say the right thing. Are these the reasons why his wife left him for someone else or is there more to Hugh than meets the ear?

Rose is Hugh's daughter. She's pretty and obedient and "loves to go to the pictures". She is polite and always seems to say the right thing. She's realistic and has a plan for life. Peter would be crazy to pass her up - or would he be?

Peter is Anne, Betty & Vi's little brother. He has been separated from his sisters for years and is finally being reunited with them. All this time he's spent living in Canada. His accent has changed, his clothes have changed and...his body has changed. He's not the little boy he was when he left.

Vi is Anne & Betty's sister. She's young, fun and an actor. She could be considered the light in this family's darkness. What ends is she willing to go to in order to make a better life for herself? What past experiences has made her able to push through so many obstacles? What will it take to push her over the edge?

Anne, Vi & Betty's sister is, amongst other things, five-six months pregnant. She's tired, exhausted and never in the mood to 'go out'. You would think such a happy occassion as being reunited with her little brother would make her happy and jump for joy and yet, she remains quiet and still. It appears Anne is shy or afraid of saying the wrong thing. Maybe she's afraid of her husband or maybe it's just hormones. Then again, perhaps it's something deeper, that words cannot begin to describe.

~

"Goodnight Children Everywhere" promises to challenge it's audience. It is the kind of play London, Ontario has not seen for a long time. This is NOT a play for children and patrons should be warned of the mature subject matter and shocking moral content.

May this production be a reminder of a time passed that we (thankfully) do not live in or have to endure on a daily basis. May it be a tribute to all the lives affected by war in the past, present or future.

"Goodnight Children Everywhere" opens at the Palace Theatre on October 4th & productions are as follows:

October 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 11th, 12th & 13th in Procunier Hall at 8pm.

For more information or for tickets, please call the Palace Theatre Box Office at (519) 432-1029.
Tickets are $15

Outlook for 2012: Still Stage Crazy!

This weekend marks the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012.

This year, there were auditions and performances for the Diary of Anne Frank at the Palace Theatre and Chicago at McManus Studio. Rehearsals have begun for Treasure Island going up at the Palace Theatre in February and Jenny's House of Joy going up at McManus Studio in February as well. There has also been talk about Arsenic and Old Lace going up at the Palace and I am anxious to find out when the auditions are going to be.This year also was a quiet one for Maybles' Theatre Productions. Since producing Norm Foster's "the LOVE LIST" in 2010, there has not been another production. In 2012, we WILL have another production and you are NOT going to want to miss it!

"Miss. Twiddle and the Devil" and "Miss. Twiddle Meets an Angel" are two one-act plays written by Maurice Hill. They are light-hearted and pure fun. Before I get into some of the MANY pre-conceived notions and ideas surrounding these titles, let me explain why I chose this script for our next production:

In 2001, when I was in grade 8, I was asked to step-in as Assistant Stage Manager for a high school production of Miss. Twiddle and the Devil. We performed this production at the Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts in Brantford, Ontario for the SHAW festival. We won Best Actor and were nominated for Best Actress. We had an actor break his wrist during the dress rehearsal and he had to perform with his arm in a cast. The director, Rae Brown, was a teacher at the high school where it was performed and he showed me what a comfortable rehearsal space could and should be. All of the actors became close and confident in each other. Everyone built trust and the relationships that were made during those rehearsals lasted years.

Earlier THIS year, I started reading scripts online and at the library to try and find that perfect combination of characters and story to bring to life in 2012. I've always loved the script for "Miss. Twiddle and the Devil" but I was set on doing a full-length production as I did not want to put so much work and time into a half-an-hour show. Then, magic happend! I had a close friend of mine read the Twiddle script to have her opinion and, while she was researching the production, she found a second one-act play written by the same playwright and with the same characters which takes place immediately after this one! I ordered a copy of "Miss Twiddle Meets an Angel" right away and fell in love with it the very first time I read it. It was decided. These were the plays I was going to bring to life.


This was a play people could get excited about but I knew I wouldn't be able to pull this off alone. After producing one play before, I knew that I would need to find a small group of people I could depend on, confide in and trust to back me up and help to breathe life into these scripts. I am proud to announce that Amber McMitchell, Heather Heywood, Lisa DesGroseillers, Jenny Stapleton, Mike Ge and Trish West have all come on board to help with props, costumes, make-up, advertising, lights, sound and the production as a whole.

A very special "Thank-You" to each of you.


Now, let's talk about the "Devil" and "Angel" words in the titles. In a time when people strive to be accepting of all religions and beliefs, I think some people can forget to just 'chill'. These plays are not meant to convert anyone into believing in guardian angels or the devil. These plays are not meant to be taken as any form of preaching. These plays are strictly fun, light-hearted and are meant to entertain. Yes, there is strange chanting in the play. Yes, there is a battle (of sorts) between good and evil. Yes, there are horned figured dancing around in smoke - BUT - I cannot stress enough that these are tools of comedy and are meant to be laughed at. Nothing more.


For this production, I hope to have on board a cast of 11 actors who want to have fun, learn, grow and work hard to being the best they can be. I hope that my production team remains strong through my emotional ups and downs and times when life gets tough on all of us. I hope to build strong relationships between the actors as well as the characters they portray on stage. I hope that the audience leaves at the end of each night feeling light, entertained and satisfied. Above all, I hope that the actors finish the production feeling like they have learned something new, built new friendships and are more confident in themselves both on stage and in their lives.


Stay Strong. Stay Stage Crazy!


A Very Happy New Year to you all!

Jemmy Rathbone: Character Notes (Treasure Island)

In Ken Ludwig's version of Treasure Island, there is a character by the name of Jemmy Rathbone which I have the pleasure of portraying onstage at the Palace Theatre in London, Ontario in February 2012.
I was surprised to find little information about this character online. I only found two movie clips which were far away and out of focus.  I found a review which stated "the opening scene with all the pirates chasing Jemmy around the ship was action-packed" but that's it! I was unable to find a character background, history or even a description.
With the help of a book called "the Intent to Live" by Larry Moss, I have worked through questions and homework and created my own version of the infamous Jemmy Rathbone. I wanted to share these with anyone else out there who might be researching and preparing to portray Jemmy onstage.
I have placed the information I created into an 'interview' format with the questions being asked by Larry Moss directly from his book and the answers given by Jemmy himself.

WHERE DOES YOUR SCENE TAKE PLACE?
O' course it toikes place on a bloody ship! It's rainin' and da wind is blowin' a good one and da thunder is louder then I e're heard it before. The waves crashin' against the side o' the ship tossin' us about.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE OTHER CHARACTERS IN YOUR SCENE?
Nasty, back-stabbin' swabbers they are. They be yer best mate one day and yer worst enemy the next. Best be careful who ye tell yer plans to or they be usin' it against ya in your weakest toimes.
WHAT DO THE OTHER CHARACTERS SAY ABOUT YOU?
They have the nerve to fink I'm a cheatin', lyin' pirate who took somefin' I didn't and was gonna partake in the riches wifout keepin' me mates in the 'know'!
GIVEN WHAT THE SCRIPT SAYS, IS IT TRUE?
Yeah...d'ere prob'ly roight.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT YOURSELF WHICH IS RELEVANT TO THE SCENE?
Well I'm not sure what "REVERENT" means but I do know vat I'm a sneaky guy. I prob'ly fink I'm smarter than I really am. I can also tell ya dat I was on the streets as it were before I got me chance to prove meeself as a man o' the sea. To be straight wif ya - I'd prob'ly do just about anyfin' to get me hands on some gold 'r jewels of any koind.
WHAT DO YOU LITERALLY DO DURING THE SCENE?
I kant tell ye dat - I've sworn an oath to keep da secrets of the happenins which go about.
WHAT DO THE OTHER CHARACTERS DO TO YOU IN THE SCENE?
Well I kant bloody well tell ya dat either now can I?! ...unless you got a good 'mount o' gold yer ready to part with...?
WHAT IS YOUR POINT OF VIEW AT THE TOP OF THE SCENE?
Uh..I'm confused. Can you say da question wif different words or somefin?
OKAAAAY WHAT WERE YOU THINKING AT THE START OF THE SCENE?
Why didn't you just say dat in first ploice?! I was watch dat noight loike I am most noights. I wasn't tinkin' much but how angry da sea was and how the skies were makin' such a racket that it couldn't mean anythin' good was gonna happen anytime soon.
HOW AND WHY DO YOUR THOUGHTS CHANGE?
They don't! Nothin' good DOES come from that noight and don't wish to talk about it no more!
WHAT DO YOU WANT?
I already told yer that Larry, I want me some gold! But gold ain't any good to ya if yer dead so I guess I want to come out of this alive and able to spend me some gold. Go to port in me homeland and buy a drink or two for a special lady...or two. You know what I mean roight Larry? [nudges him]
NO. I DON'T. [sighs] DO YOU HAVE ANY PHYSICAL IMPEDIMENTS?
You makin' fun o' me knees Larry?! So I ain't as tall as a normal man would be i s'pose but I be fast! Faster than the rest o' these bloakes on this ship! AND, lemme tell you somefin' else! I be the best fighter on this here ship as well!
WHAT PIECE OF MUSIC WOULD YOU PICK TO SYMBOLIZE YOUR CHARACTER?
Oh, you mean loike a theme song? I've always wanted me own theme song...lemme think...well I s'pose if I were a ballerina or somefin WHICH I'M NOT it would be the "Flight of the Bumblebee" but NO I be a sneaky little pirate with a lot of speed and talent with me fists SO, me theme song would have to be the song from the epic scene in Wizard of Oz when the witch sets the flying monkeys on Dorothy and her little friends. She had it comin'.
CAN YOU DO AN ANIMAL EXERCISE TO HELP INTERPRET YOUR CHARACTER?
What the heck is ZAT s'posed to mean?! You comparin' me to an animal dere Larry?! Is ZAT what yer doin?! So I'm a bit like a rat but that don't mean I don't have feelin's and aren't sensitive to those kinds o' remarks Larry! This interview is over! You wanna see more o' Jemmy Rathbone you come see Treasure Island at the Palace Theatre in February 2012. I've enough o' this badgerin'!

2 Whole Hours of Fightin', and Bitin', and Pushin' and Head-Buttin'...

...and not a single lad, lass or pirate were harmed.

Surprise! Tis I, Jemmy Rathbone, 'ere again to inform all ye puss oozing, theivin' mongrels just what 'appened at this evenin's rehearsal.
The evenin' started with a good...start. The sun twas shinin' and no rain was fallin' down on us (like it has every other night for the past 2 weeks!). Everythin' was "peachy" aboard the Hispaniola and all the nasty filth known as pirates aboard were all but mindin' their own business, that is, until the sword-shieldin' boatswain who answers to the name of "Brock", did take the evenin's activities into his own hands.
It twere every man for himself then.
Afore I knows what's happend, the entire crew has turned their backs against me, ME I say! They approached me swift as hungry felines comin' in for the kill. They were all shieldin' knives in their mouths and holdin' pistols in their hands - pointed in MY direction! I didn't know what I was supposed to do OR what I did to make all me best mates turn against me in a mere moment with enough hate to sink a whole fleet.
I have the queerest feelin' that I've been set-up! But by who?...I think the univarse is tellin' me that I ain't to be findin' out just what has got these powder monkies' knickers in knots until opening night: February 3, 2012 at the Palace Theatre.
Be there to support yer fellow mate, me Jemmy Rathbone, and the rest o' them scurvey dogs upon the great spanish ship - the Hispaniola!

Stage Fightin' - It's a Shrew'd Business

Arr maties! Tis I again, Jemmy Rathbone, here to tell ye all 'bout the happenins and goin ons at the Palace Theatre jurin last night's combat workshop.  Never before did mine eyes see such a sight as they did lay 'pon last eve.

I was surrounded by nasty, dirty, snarlin' pirates both men and women alike-fallin' to the cold, dirty and dusty floor beneath them like maggots.  To any onlooker that should'st peak there noses into Procunier Hall last evenin', would have discovered a sight which would have appeared to look like an epic swordfight and perhaps, at times, a mass suicide. Bodies fallin' to the ground in every which way direction, swords were drawn and shots were fired!  It were a magical sight seein so many bodies sprawled all over the place like feta cheese on a nice Greek salad. What...pirates go on diets too ya know!

I did get meeself acquainted with the fair and lovely Reverend's Wife and Ms. Hawkins - though I fancy mine women to'have a few teeth missin' meeself.  I also did have such luck as to fight a few of the greatest pirates who e're did walk the face of this earth!: Cap'n Flint, Black Dog, Calico Jack, George Merry, Israel Hands and Long John Silver hi'self!

The fella in charge of last eve's fightin' and brawlin' and the man entirely responsible for all the sword sheildin', punch throwin', face slappin' and guns a blazin' was the mighty Brock Brockenshire! If ye want to learn how to fight like a REAL man, give him a call or check out his website & company called Shrew'd Business. If he can't put yer men in place, no one e're shall.

The next set date for pirate meetin' at the Palace be this Sunday - stay tuned!

Don't miss Ken Ludwig's Treasure Island coming to the Palace Theatre in London, Ontario February, 2012!

"Fifteen Men on a Dead Man's Chest..." and 18-25 Actors onstage at the Palace!

Arrrrrgh Maties!
It is I - Jemmy Rathborne here to tell all ye scoundrels that Treasure Island (adapted by Ken Ludwig) is comin' to the Palace Theatre.
Keep yer eyes peeled for clues to lead the way and yer ears on guard for future bits of worthy information.
I have seen with me own two eyes the dark corners of Precunier Hall at the Palace where there be auditions held and I did there witness a ray of extraordinary talent.  Think not of the price of yer ticket but instead the treasure to be found from the seats!
On the day I meeself walked through the doors of the hall, I nearly bumped into a stranger who I did come to learn was goin to be teachin' some sword fightin' for all men worthy of the challenge - INCLUDIN' - yours truly.
I have infiltrated the Captain's Blog of madame Heather May, and I have procured a space where I may inform all ye who be interested in the happenins and on goins of the rehearsals and secret meetins of all the pirates of the underworld which is Treasure Island at the Palace.
It has come into me knowledge that the first meetin' of such vile, filthy biters will be this upcomin Tuesday.
Keep watch and stay alert!