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OKTC STAGE DOOR NEWSLETTER September 2016

Editor: Kerry Hishon kerry@oktc.ca

Welcome Back Everyone!

After the whirlwind year that was our 25th Anniversary, it’s great to be back at the Spriet Family Theatre

and starting out with a fresh new OKTC season. We have new shows (including a world premiere!), new

artistic and stage management staff, and 76 new Original Kids joining the company this year! We cannot

wait to see what the 2016-2017 season at OKTC will hold, but we can guarantee that amazing shows, fun

and friendship are definitely in the cards!

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Fall 2016 – “Oh, The Places We’ll Go!”

Rehearsals for the Fall 2016 season are right upon us; some of our fall shows have already started their

first rehearsals and held their auditions! If you are still waiting to start, be sure to take plenty of time

and care preparing for your auditions, which will normally occur during your first rehearsal – read

through the notes contained in your casting package, and make thoughtful choices about what pieces

you’re going to prepare. Practice your work and come in with confidence, ready to WOW your artistic

team right out of the gate! Think of it as a mini-performance that YOU get to create!

One theatre space can transport us to fantastic new places at any moment and this season, we will

celebrate that. Let us first take flight on the wings of the best-selling children’s novel, Silverwing. The

whimsical language of Dr. Seuss will bring a whole new meaning to a classic play with The Seussification

of Romeo & Juliet. We’ll transport ourselves inside the vibrant, bright… and pixelated world of video

games in Press Start! with Stagecraft: The Video Game, travel back a long, long time ago in a familiar

galaxy far, far away in Star Chores — The Phantom Maintenance while taking on the demons and

creatures of fantastical world of role-playing in She Kills Monsters: Young Adventurers Edition. You’ll

learn the do’s, don’ts and the “definitely do not’s” with the travel guides of Secrets Every Smart

Traveller Should Know. We will celebrate the very best of our first year members with a weekend of

T.A.G. Showcases. We will join the journey of Buddy the Elf from the North Pole to New York City in

search of his true father with the festive treat, Elf, the Musical Jr. This holiday season, we’ll transport

ourselves to the whimsical and fantabulous world of Dr. Seuss with Seussical, the Musical. And finally,

follow Ren as he is uprooted from Chicago to Bomont — a town where dancing is forbidden — as we cut

Footloose! Hop on board for the journey and the many places we’ll explore this year — Oh, the Places

We’ll Go!

Don’t Wait – Tickets On Sale Soon!

Tickets for our Fall 2016 season go on sale to the public Monday September 26, but wait – we are having

a special pre-sale for our OKTC families starting Saturday September 24 at noon! Be sure to get your

tickets early, to ensure you get the best seats. We had SEVEN productions in our 2015-2016 season sell

out their ENTIRE runs (every single performance!) so avoid disappointment and get your tickets early!

We also offer subscription packages for our shows, which are a great deal!

Monday September 12 – OKTC Orientation!

Circle this date for a special event – the Original Kids Main Cast Orientation! This event is for all OKTC

Main Cast Company members and families, whether you are new or returning. You’ll find out about

some of the special projects we have planned this year, meet the OKTC staff members, and of course we

have some surprises in store!

This event is happening in the auditorium of the Thames Valley District School Board Education Centre

(1250 Dundas Street – Dundas & Highbury) on Monday September 12 from 7 – 9 pm. We encourage all

OKids and their families to attend this great evening!

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Get Involved!

Want to learn more about the “other side” of productions and earn some volunteer hours while you’re

at it? We need you! We are looking for Original Kid volunteer technical assistants for our upcoming Fall

2016 season shows, including sound operators, wireless assistants, and production assistants. Tech

volunteers must be in at least grade 7 and be able to present themselves in a mature and professional

manner at all times. We will also be looking for volunteer ushers for our shows – that email notice will

be coming out in late September.

Parents and family members, we need you too! If you are interested in assisting with costumes, props,

hair and makeup, backstage assistance – or even if you have no idea what you want to do and just want

to lend a hand – we want you, we need you, and we are thrilled to have you on the team! Get in touch

with your director to see what might be needed for your Original Kid’s show, and contact Kerry

(kerry@oktc.ca) about any and all things volunteer-related! We’re also always looking for talented

photographers to help during tech and dress rehearsals, so if you are handy with a DLSR, let us know!

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It’s Up To You… New York, New York!

Registration for our annual NEW YORK CITY TRIP over March Break 2017 began back in June, and a few

spaces are still available, so if you are a Senior Original Kid (grades 9-12) and want to take a bite out of

the Big Apple in 2017, now is your chance! To obtain information forms, please e-mail nyc@oktc.ca.

Register by submitting the completed information forms to nyc@oktc.ca! Start to put away money for

your dream theatre trip!

For those Original Kids who aren’t quite old enough yet to go on our NYC trip (grades 6-8 especially), or

are old enough and want more information, you’re in luck! We are having a special New York City

information session on Sunday September 11 from 12 pm-1 pm at the Covent Garden Market. Come

hear all about this amazing trip and get your questions answered! We don’t hold these info sessions

every year, so if you’re thinking about coming in the future, come on Sunday!

We Love Camp!

Big thanks to Camp OK director Sydney Gilchrist, Kidlets director Karen Hamilton-Macdonald, and our

amazing counsellors, SKITs, and artistic and administrative staff from Camp OK, Kamp Kidlets, and

Thames Valley Children’s Centre Dress Up & Drama Camp programs, for an incredible summer of camp!

We can’t wait to see what’s in store for next year!

QUESTIONS? CONCERNS? CONTACT US!

OKTC Office – originalkids@oktc.ca // 519-679-0598

OKTC Box Office – tickets@oktc.ca // 519-679-8989

GET SOCIAL!

www.facebook.com/OriginalKidsTheatre www.twitter.com/OriginalKidsTC

www.instagram.com/originalkidstc http://plus.google.com/+OriginalKidsTheatre

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