Time Flies When You're Having Fun!...

...and boy have I ever!!!

 

Photo Credit: Jeffrey Reed

 

 

It is hard for me to believe that my last post was in February of this year - WOW!

SO, before I get into some wonderful news about upcoming workshops at the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario and auditions for a comedy in January - let's catch-up a bit.

 

Let's start at the beginning.

 

I directed Swing Dance at the Palace Theatre in February, 2013 and we had a blast! 4 actors (plus the chicken delivery boy). A play about 2 couples getting together for dinner to discuss a Swing Club. Only one couple thinks they're talking about a dance club and the other couple is talking about a Swinger's Club! So funny!

 

 

 

I was a member of the GAB Artists Collective at the Grand Theatre working with the talented Jack Grinhaus from "Bound to Create Theatre". While there, I had the opportunity to watch each mainstage production at the Grand Theatre for the Season and give feedback in an open discussion group with the audience and fellow GAB members. This truly was a learning experience and I am very grateful for having the opportunity to be a part of such a group.

 

 

 

I designed and painted a skate which sold for over $300 at a fundraiser for the Arts Project Gallery & Theate in London, Ontario. It was signed by the competitive Olympic skaters, Aliona Savchenko & Robin Szolkowy.

 

 

 

I portrayed a character which eventually was diagnosed with Cancer and past away in a production of "Delilah" which was a very powerful, challenging role that will forever hold a special place in my heart. Special thanks to the playwright, Len Cuthbert and director - Desiree Baker.

 

 

 

I went to Vegas with my husband (which I never thought in a million years would be a place I'd want to visit) and we actually had a lot of fun.

 

 

 

I directed "Six Funny Ladies" in May, 2013 which was presented at the Arts Project and taught me a lot about casting, trust and having a crew you can depend on. Todd, Kevin & James - the show couldn't have happened without you!

 



Photo Credit: Rob Cousins

 

I participated in the Corporate Challenge Fundraiser for the Sunshine Foundation with the Murder mystery Troupe I work with , |Murder for Hire. Check-out the company website and contact Kay Rogers if you are interested in acting with the group! www.murderforhire.ca

We have a blast every year and This year, we were in the top 3 fundraising groups! Whoot!

 

 

 

I was an extra in a country music video for the song called "Farm Boy" by the River Junction Band. Check it out and see if you can spot me ;) I'm about 1min & 14 seconds in sitting between the 2 guys. http://www.monologuegenie.com/serial-dater-monologue.html

 

I was also in a commercial for a new Bingo game called "Taptix" - I'm the girl whistling ~ check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbPEP-Y3j94

 

I started a 3-5 year program at Fanshawe College for Landscape Design. I know. I must be crazy!

 

I played several characters in the original play called "All Aboard" written by Dr. Colin Forbes about his years as a car porter on the Canadian National Railway in the 1940's. What a blast! I loved playing so many characters and switching from one to the next quickly by simply changing hats. It was a blast! Enjoyed working with the cast and the talented director, Jason Rip.

 

Photo credit: Ross Davidson

 

 

I was cast as two different characters in a film called "Terry's Car Gets Stolen". I had a blast working with the crew! I got to play a hippie and an undercover "dancer". So much fun! Check out the trailer, info and pics here: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/terry-s-car-gets-stolen

 

I attended a production of "1-900-DEE-LITE" in Aylmer, Ontario and I loved it! Very funny script about a mother who works as a "phone sex operator" to pay the bills. Super funny! Great job Kevin and Laurie on your performances!

 

I saw a production of "TOMMY" in Stratford and I think it is possibly the second best play I've ever seen next to a production of Peter Pan I saw in Niagara-on-the-Lake at the Shaw Festival Theatre. If you have the chance to ever see this play - GO!

 

I just finished directing an original script called "DUEL LOVE" at the London One Act Festival which won Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Outstanding Production. Alan Sapp was the adjudicator this year and I feel I learned a lot from his adjudication and workshop. We also got a special mention for our "screaming man in the shower" and our princess who was a "nice piece of A**" (which is what the card read - prob'ly filled in by a friend of hers). Princess Bride meets Monty Python in this extreme comedy and we had a lot of fun putting it on. Hopefully, this play will come back as a film or a full-length play in the years to come.

 

 

 

NOW that everyone's updated as to why I might have been a bit distracted from my blog posts - here's what is coming up!:

 

A Workshop is coming to the Grand Theatre at the end of this month by Theatre Ontario. Get your tickets and attend this if you can! http://www.theatreontario.org/programs-and-services/courses-and-workshops/collective-creations.aspx

 

AUDITIONS for the next Maybles' Productions will be held in January for "SYLVIA" written by A.R. Gurney. This play requires FOUR actors (2M & 2F). The roles are as follows:

1 male actor ages late 40's-60's, busy business man at the onset of a mid-life crisis

1 female actor ages late 40's-60's his wife, career-oriented

1 female actor ages 20-early 30's, young and attractive, physical comedy and ability to move & sing are required

1 male actor ages 20-60's, must be able and willing to play a man, a woman and an individual who's gender is unknown.

This is a comedy about a man, his wife and the dog that comes between them. Comedy with a touch of heartfelt compassion - this play will have something in it for everyone!

 

Until next time, stay funny!

 

-Heather May

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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

There is no "Off-Stage" when you're performing in a Murder Mystery ;)

Performing in a play takes a lot of hardwork: 3-4 months of rehearsals, memorization of lines, finding your costume and creating your character.  However, with stage plays, you have the opportunity of running the same scenes over and over again until the actors are comfortable with the script and their fellow actors and the director is satisfied with their work.  Murder Mysteries are a COMPLETELY different ball game.

First, you get notice that a show has been booked approximately one month ahead of time.  The script is emailed out to you and you start learning your lines and creating your character at home and in your own time.  Depending on whether or not the actors have done the script before, there may not be a group rehearsal. There is no proper way to rehearse a Murder Mystery ahead of time because you cannot imagine, anticipate or plan for the type of audience you will have, the set up of the venue when you arrive or what topics will be discussed at your table. 

In Murder Mysteries, there is no "Off-Stage".  You arrive with the guests, you sit and eat at the table with the guests and you are not introduced as yourself until dessert.  Murder Mysteries are a great way for actors to develop and challenge their acting abilities.  An actor cannot simply take a break from being their character.  It is truly a wonderful experience to converse, argue and put guests on the spot (sometimes) as someone else.  There is only a few scenes that are scripted and the rest is completely improv'd on the spot by the actors.

There is so much opportunity for actors to play with and bring their own special touch to each character.  One actor may choose to play "the lawyer" as a sleezy character who hits on women and constantly slicks his hair back.  Another actor may take that same character and make him into a suave salesman who is always handing out his card and trying to sell his services.  Some actors may even choose to play this character as the strong silent type.  The limits are endless!

I personally do work as an actor with a local Murder Mystery company called "Murder for Hire" and we are always looking for more actors!  It is a lot of fun and all the actors are very supportive of each other.  We're like our own little family of business people, students, retirees, mothers, fathers, grandparents and children.  I would recommend that anyone involved with theatre as an actor or anyone who is serious about performing and wants to improve themselves, to consider auditioning for a Murder Mystery Troupe.  There is no better character development than having to play the same character for 1-3 hours without ever going "Off-Stage".

Check out Murder for Hire's website!!! : http://www.murderforhire.ca/