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TRANSCRIPT
Stage Directions
This newsletter is for members of the Owen Sound Little Theatre and is published four times per year.
Autumn 2014
President’s Message The President’s Remarks at OSLT’s Annual General Meeting, held September 9, 2014: The Annual General Meeting is a time for acknowledgement and celebration, both for events of the past year and events in the upcoming year. Here we are, sitting at the tippy top of a rollercoaster, looking back at the wild ride of last year, and the year be-fore, and the year before that, and looking forward to the crazy, wild ride we’re about to embark upon. Each ride is different, and each ride is wild. Each ride brings shrieks, clenched guts, fear, relief and unbridled laughter. So while we’re sitting at the top of the wild ride, before we set off again on another, it’s a good time to acknowledge and celebrate. Last year, our 53rd season, we had the new façade installed. We said goodbye to our whirlwind Aly. We witnessed the smooth sailing in of our new Theatre Manager Maria Canton. We discovered that our fearless Membership Coordinator Leanne needed a new internal superstructure. We hired new Box Office staff, and set up a new pay structure for staff. We had a successful cleanup of the workroom, reconfigured the kitchen, and cleared out the wardrobe and props rooms. We had a cohesive board of directors with a strong work ethic, who demonstrated trust and respect for each other. We ran a full slate of The Roxy Presents and presented professional programming for youth. We appointed our first poet laureate, Terry Burns. We hosted a party to cele-brate our building’s 100th anniversary. We saw excellent results come from our teams: Building and Maintenance, Policies and Bylaws, Membership, Wardrobe, Props, Workshop, Play Reading, Producers, Directors, Health and Safety. And, finally, last year we had a highly successful OSLT Playbill of Les Miserables, Calendar Girls, Hobson’s Choice and 18 Wheels. So, from our perch at the top of the wild ride, we look forward to what the coming year will bring. We know it will bring four delightful plays: Brigadoon, The 39 Steps, The Portrait, and The Mousetrap. We know we’ll be hosting the Western Ontario Drama League Festival in March. We know we’ll continue to build upon the work of our OSLT Teams. And we know it will be another wild ride – and we’ll shriek and groan and laugh all over again. Tonight is a time to acknowledge and celebrate where we’ve been and where we’re going. Before we get into the rest of tonight’s meeting, drinks and snacking, I’d like, on behalf of the Board, to thank everyone for their devotion to OSLT and the Roxy. We have had outstanding contributions made by our members. I won’t even attempt to name everyone involved. The truth is that we all contribute to the extent we are able. I guess it works, because we’re heading into our 54th season and what we do keeps on getting better. Mark Vigneux, President, OSLT Board of Directors [email protected]
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Theatre Manager’s Report Here are highlights from the Theatre Manager’s Report as presented to the An-nual General Meeting, September 9, 2014.
Staff News: Leanne Bellamy is recovering well from the double bypass surgery she had in mid-August. She may be able to return to work in early October, but that is subject to her doctor’s approval. She sends a sincere thank you to every-one who has expressed concern, sent cards and/or flowers.
Jaci (pronounced Jackie) McCaffray is our new box office attendant. Please in-troduce yourself as a member when you are in the theatre so she can get to know everyone.
David Leslie Award: Riel Warrilow was this year’s recipient of the David Leslie Award. Reil was directed by David when she was in the children’s chorus of his production of Joseph. She is studying theatre and film at Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Christy Taylor Summer Camps: Our summer camps were again a success. We ran two 3-week musical theatre camps and a one-week drama camp, all led by Christy and Priscilla Taylor. OSLT made $17,949 in registration fees and ticket sales for the camp production of Joseph & His Amazing Dreamcoat, giving us a profit of $3,600.
Parking passes and Winter lot closure: Parking Passes - we are missing a park-ing pass, we should have three, but one has been missing since the weekend of the Led Zeppelin show. Scopis Parking Lot – In August I attended a bylaw com-mittee meeting at City Hall where they voted to close the Scopis parking lot be-hind the theatre for the winter months of December, January, February. Closing the lot will result in a $2,000 a month snow clearing savings for the city. The closure follows the same dates as the “no on-street parking” bylaw for the winter months. We agreed that if we have a warm winter or weeks without snow, we can still park in the back lot with our passes, but it must first be communicated to the bylaw department by theatre staff. The back lane will be cleared all winter so we can still load and unload at the back door, we just won’t be able to park in the back.
Façade Update: I am thrilled to report that we have now received all funds for the façade with the exception of: Mary McRae’s estate $5,000 and Gaviller’s $2,500. We also have a $33,000 HST rebate claim submitted to the federal gov-ernment.
Graphic Mural: The graphic mural for the exterior of the building is currently being designed with plans to have it installed in advance of the opening of the 54th OSLT playbill.
Google Calendar: For those of you who use it, the Google Calendar has become rather unwieldy. We are taking steps to reduce the confusion by amalgamating the many individual calendars that now exist.
Dates to Remember: Auditorium Spruce-Up for WODL – I have put the week of January 12-16, 2015 on hold for an auditorium spruce-up. I have contacted the maintenance team, who will hopefully lead this iniative with the assistance of the membership. Please stay tuned for updates. One Acts – I have put September 19, 2015 on hold for an evening of One Acts. If you are interested in directing a one-act play please contact me for more details. ~ Maria Canton, Theatre Manager
President’s Message 1
Theatre Manager’s Re- 2
Financial Report 3
OSLT Mission Statement 3
OSLT Board of Direc- 3
Staff Directory 3
Team/Committee Re- 4 & 5
Upcoming Production 6
General Meetings 6
In the Griffin Gallery 6
WODL Festival 7 & 8
OSLT Playbill 8
Profile 8
Poet Laureate 9
Of Interest to Members 10 & 11
Entrances, Exits & Opening Nights 12
From the Editor’s Desk 12
Call for Volunteers 12
Special Request 12
Inside This Issue
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Financial Report Karen Marcell from Gaviller and Company was present at the AGM to speak to the OSLT’s audited financial statement for the 2013 - 2014 fiscal year. It was wonderful to see the smile on her face as she spoke warmly of the success OSLT experienced in that year. Great shows produced revenue streams that permitted the ongoing maintenance of the facility in addition to all the grant money generated by our tireless former theatre manager, Aly Boltman, to ensure the renewal project was a success. The beautiful facade is evidence that there was a whole lot happening at the Roxy over the past year. And we are still “in the black!”
Cathie Locke, Treasurer, OSLT Board of Directors
Staff Directory at the Roxy Theatre Manager: Maria Canton 519-371-3425 [email protected] Box Office Manager/Administrative: Collene Bullock 519-371-2833 [email protected] Membership Coordinator: Leanne Bellamy [email protected] Box Office: [email protected] Kate Baker Jaci McAffray
OSLT Board of Directors 2014-2015 President Mark Vigneux expressed warm thanks to members of the OSLT Board of Directors, Bill Murphy (Past President), John Flynn (Secretary) and Cory Laycock (Director) whose service saw completion as of the September 9 AGM and to those that continue to serve. He also welcomed two new directors to the Board. Elected to the Board of Directors at the September 9, 2014 AGM: President ........................ Mark Vigneux Vice President ................. Shirley Jarvis Secretary ...................Mariella Vigneux Treasurer ......................... Cathie Locke Director .......................... Dale Albrecht Director .......................... Michael Clark Director ........................ Corry Lapointe Director ....................... Michelle Scobie Director ......................... Goldie Walma
Owen Sound Little Theatre's Mission Statement In an attempt to clarify OSLT’s vision to our community, our funders and our members, I was asked to condense many thoughts and goals into a new Mission Statement. After much head scratching and sticky-note usage, the following was approved by the Board and then ratified by the Membership at the September 2014 An-nual General Meeting.
This Mission Statement will appear on grant applications, our website and most OSLT documentation – and the newsletter - and we will continue to reference it as an organization when we look towards the future.
Dale Albrecht, OSLT Director
OSLT’s Mission Is:
OFFERING our members opportunities for developing skills in the art and business of theatre
SUPPORT FOR a broad range of performers and artists to use the Roxy Theatre
LOCAL partnership-building with community groups to support our mission
THEATRE performances, repertory and original, regularly produced by members
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Team/Committee Reports from the AGM In OSLT's on going efforts and agenda to establish and develop member involvement, teams have been created to assist this process and to help fully engage members, particularly new members in all aspects of theatre. Here are reports from some of the Teams, as presented at the recent AGM.
Building Maintenance Committee With prodding from the board, Leanne Bellamy pushed for this committee to get active. After deciding to take a bit of a holiday she passed the whip onto Bill Murphy and, with the little WODL spirit sitting on his shoulder, the push was on. As an organiza-tion we had succeeded in converting the facade of our theatre into a wonderful spectacle. Now was the time to add a few inside upgrades. Not on the same grand scale, but important ones none-the-less. Martin Cooper ventured into the box office and worked on giving our staff a more comfortable and organized workspace. Andrew Dinsmore and Murray Smith divided the cloak room into two separate rooms so now we have a hidden room in which to store the clutter and a clear and attractive cloak-room for our public. Michael Clark and I moved the library shelves in preparation for the future installation of the washer and dryer. We also re-arranged the kitchen in the Green Room to make it a more usable space. The fridge is finally out of the road of Makeup Room traffic! The kitchen is a temporary fix until we can afford to give the Green Room a complete makeover, with the main concern being the floor. You will be pleased to know that all of these changes were made on a minimum of budget and a maximum of dedication to OSLT.
Plans are afoot for a major clean-up and spruce-up in the auditorium during the week of Jan. 12th to 16th so keep watching for news and have your cleaning supplies at the ready.
We are in the process of dealing with a firm who is looking at improving the quality, from a energy saving perspective, of our lighting. Primarily in the public spaces at this time but with plans to address the whole building. New types of bulbs will be con-sidered which should save us money but not decrease the quality of light in these areas. The committee is also going to put in place a protocol for use of the workshop. Guidelines will specify expectations for use of equipment, supplies to keep and where to store them and what the condition of the shop should be after your use of it. We will try to make arrangements to offer in-struction for anyone needing to use equipment, in a safe and responsible fashion, for which they are not familiar. Thoughts about usage by non-OSLT groups will also be considered. If you have any suggestions, or comments, regarding this process please feel free to forward them to me. ~ Gene Cassidy
Directors’ Team The Directors’ Team consists of experienced directors, presently and actively taking on the role of the Director. This team has been formed to assist any 'working' director in any present season, where ever/whenever assist may be needed or called upon, BUT the more important role of this team is to encourage and mentor new directors, and to offer opportunities for training and learning how to direct. The present list of active directors is small and aging, and to continue the wonderful activity of presenting live theatre, new di-rectors are very much needed. The team is working on a handbook that will clearly lay out the tasks of the director, from the very beginning, that is choosing the play, and on through the many tasks, duties and skills needed to direct the production to opening night. The team will assist in a mentoring program, allowing potentially new directors, or anyone who may be interested in the role of the director, to shadow a director in production. Part of the training is to offer workshops facilitated by professionals, members of the Theatre Ontario talent bank. One such workshop will be offered in the spring by one of Ontario's most talented and experienced professional directors, Vir-ginia Reh. (Read more about this under “Of Interest to Members”). ~ Corry Lapointe
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Team/Committee Reports from the AGM (continued) Membership Team The Membership Team meets on the 3rd Monday of each month for 1 hour at 5:30 p.m. in The Roxy.
Some of the goals of the Membership Team are: x� Develop and implement programs for increasing current membership satisfaction. x� Promote membership appreciation. x� Promote volunteerism to engage existing members and promote new membership. x� Advise and make recommendations to the Board on any issue relating to the provision of services to members. x� Educate members on the requirements, services and benefits of membership. x� Develop and oversee membership orientation. x� Run workshops to engage and educate members and prospective members. We always welcome new members to the team. Please contact Dale Albrecht at [email protected] or 519-374-9111 if you are interested in joining us. ~ Dale Albrecht
Playreading Committee The committee continues to read and circulate plays, and currently has some plays under consideration for the 2015-16 season but additional submissions are invited in order to choose a balanced playbill. Our OSLT library collection was catalogued by Dale Albrecht and can be accessed online www.librarything.com/catalog/oslt to see if we own a particular script. Any ques-tions or suggestions can be submitted to any member of the Playreading Committee: Peter Leonard, Jean Murphy, Tom Albrecht, Audrey Cheadle, Fiona McConachie-Anderson, Jane Philips, Eileen O'Connor or to Michelle Scobie who is our liai-son from the Board. ~ Eileen O'Connor,Playreading Committee Chair, 371-1156, [email protected]
Policies & ByLaw Team The people on this team include Corry Lapointe, Peter Leonard, Eileen O'Connor, and Mark Vigneux. Although it may seem insignificant to outside eyes, the work of this team is very important. We began by locating all recent policy decisions of the Board and General Membership and referring them to the other teams for study and using them to help in the organization of their procedures. We sent packages to Playreading, Directors, Producers, Membership, Finance, etc. We are also tasked with developing recommendations to the Board regarding new policies such as terms of office for board members and sick days for employees. This is the kind of group that operates in the background but does very important work when it meets. ~ Mark Vigneux
Producers’ Team Comprised of experienced producers, at the ready to mentor and assist new and upcoming producers, this team has also re-viewed and revised the “Producer’s Checklist”. ~ Cathie Locke Props Team Through the summer Goldie Walma and Jake Bates spearheaded the arduous task of reorganizing the vast array of props in the various storage rooms in The Roxy tunnel and in rented storage space at Harmony Centre. A closet located just off the work-shop is now dedicated to the storage of props for the “current production”, thanks to Eric Endersby. ~ Mark Vigneux Wardrobe Team Through the summer, we purged approximately 20% of the items on hand and more will follow. After assessing the cost of renting extra space, I concluded that we could purchase what was necessary for any given production to augment what we are keeping and still have a cost saving. The wardrobe project has been put on hold until after Brigadoon. I will take it up again then to continue purging and sorting ready for cataloguing. ~ Val Underwood
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Upcoming Production Brigadoon November 6 – 8, 12 – 15, 19 – 22 at 7:30 p.m. Directed by Val Underwood
Rehearsals are well underway for our Fall Musical Brigadoon. The cast is hav-ing fun learning all the dialogue, singing and dancing! Ticket sales are brisk, so if you have not purchased yours yet, get down to the box office or order online, soon! Opening night there will be a champagne reception prior to curtain! John Prettie, Producer
General Meetings Mark the dates for these OSLT General Meetings on your calendar: Tuesday, December 2, 2014 March and June GM dates to be an-nounced Next AGM: Tuesday, September 15, 2015 Meetings are held at The Roxy Theatre and begin at 7:30 p.m. but plan to arrive from 7:00 p.m. on for socializing with fellow-members at Armand’s Bar. Editor’s Note: The OSLT newsletter, Stage Directions, ideally will be pub-lished at the first of the month immedi-ately following a general meeting.
A few words from our new board members Michael Clark: Michael will be bringing several years of "board" experience with him to this new challenge. He served on the BOD for the Mariposa Arts Theatre in Orillia and the BOD for Helping Hands a community service group also in Orillia. He hopes that his experience on and off of the stage will be a useful and welcome addition to our BOD.
Mariella Vigneux: “Confession of a Reluctant New Board Member… When asked why I agreed to serve as a director on the OSLT board, I didn’t have a clear answer. I hadn’t really thought it through. Initially, my reason was to help out Mark in his final year as president. So, I agreed to be on the board, rather grudgingly, I confess, and for one year… one year only! (I’m ashamed of how grudging I am with my spare time. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.) Behind that initial, reluctant, stingy rationale, however, was the thought that I like helping out at OSLT.
In the past, I have done so very much in the background, first as Membership Coordinator for a few years, then helping with the newsletter, and lately being on the Membership Team. I get a great deal of benefit from being a part of the musicals – singing and dancing like a fool – and from sharing in the camarade-rie of this crazy, wonderful group. That’s worth keeping going! That’s really why I let my name stand for director. (For my penance, I will now say five Hail Marys.)”
Photo by John Prettie
Chamber Nomination
Owen Sound Little Theatre has been nominated for a Chamber of Commerce 2014 Business Excellence Award in the category of Community Service, not-for-profit. Congratulations – and thank you - to all of you who volunteer your time and en-ergy to make the theatre the wonderful performance venue that it is!
In the Griffin Gallery Allan Simpson – now until November 3, 2014 Valerie Cargo - November 4, 2014 to January 5, 2015 Tom Bunce - January 6 to March 12, 2015
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WODL FESTIVAL 2015 Festival Sponsor Confirmed: After two meetings with local and regional reps, Sun Life Financial Owen Sound/Grey-Bruce has agreed to be our exclusive Festival Sponsor for the $3,000 value. We are particularly grateful to David Huntley, local Sun Life Financial Investment Advisor, for his enthusiastic support for OSLT/The Roxy. Many thanks also to our theatre manager, Maria Canton, for sharing her expertise and guidance with this process.
Patrons of Festival 2015: We have secured three Patron sponsorships to date. This program of-fers individuals or businesses an opportunity to see all of the shows and make a tax-deductible donation to ensure the financial success of the Festival. This is ideal for those who may not have
the time to commit to the numerous volunteer hours required to support the Festival. For $350.00, the patron would receive 2 complimentary tickets to each of the five performances (value of $200) and an income tax receipt for $150.00. Patrons of Festi-val 2015 will be acknowledged on signage located in The Roxy Lobby & Days Inn during the week of Festival. Payment for this patronage would have to be made by the person who will be receiving the tax receipt. If you or someone you know might be interested in being a Patron of Festival 2015, contact me.
Brochures & Bookmarks: These promotional materials will be available in the Roxy Lobby shortly and well as being distrib-uted throughout the WODL community. Thanks again to Jed & Jane Phillips @ Concept Signs for their graphic design.
Souvenir Program Ad Sales: The major task ahead at this time is to sell advertising space in the Souvenir Program. I am working closely with Maria to avoid overlapping the program ad sales for the Roxy Season Program and thank Maria for all her advice on this huge task. If you or someone you know in business would be interested in advertising, please contact me.
Ticket Sales: We are targeting for October 1, 2014 to launch ticket sales for all performances ($22 each or $100 series) and the Awards Gala ($50 each). At that time we will have issued the preferred seating complimentary tickets to all of our sponsors/patrons. This is your oppor-tunity to get your preferred seats before members within the WODL community begin to buy their tickets.
Website: WODL Festival has its own tab on the Roxy Theatre home page now thanks to the efforts of Collene Bullock. Check it out! It looks great and will continue to be tweaked as new information becomes available.
Volunteers: Paul & Carroll Flood are heading up the Hospitality Suite at the Days Inn and they need to organize the staffing well before Christmas. The Hospitality Suite will be open Monday to Friday, 11:30 am to 4:00 pm. To sign up to volunteer, please contact me - no later than November 1, 2014 and give your Name, Contact Phone #, Email address, Day(s) & Hour(s) you are available during the Festival week (March 16 – 21, 2015). The list will be passed on to Paul & Carroll who will or-ganize a schedule (soon after they finish up with Brigadoon!) After I’ve met with other Festival Committee members we will have a better idea of further volunteer needs. So keep an eye out for subsequent OSLT Member E-blasts and newsletters updat-ing you on volunteer positions available and how to sign up.
New Additions to Festival Committee: I am pleased to welcome Carey Carrick and Ronn Cheney to our Festival Committee. Carey has agreed to design/decorate the Roxy lobby and the Awards Gala hall. Ronn will be looking after guests at both Adju-dications and the two Workshops. Bill Korince has joined the Festival Stage Management Team alongside Andrew Dinsmore and Gene Cassidy.
In the meantime, remember to - SAVE THE DATE! Make March 16-21, 2015 a STAYCATION with family and friends right here at The Roxy!
Yvonne Korince, Festival 2015 Chairperson,
email: [email protected] or 371-6640
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Profile
S hirley Jarvis. It is over twenty years ago that Shirley first walked through the doors of The Roxy Theatre. "I love plays and thought this would be a good place to volunteer if they had anything I could do". She's still volunteering here. She also happens to be the Vice President of
OSLT’s Board of Directors. "I met Myrtle Locking and Ruth Gorbet in the lobby, and they were so nice to me that I decided I'd better stay."
Shirley has no ambition to act but has done nearly every other job there is to do for OSLT. She has worked props, hung lights, run both the light and sound boards, ushered, house managed, stage man-aged, served as Treasurer of the Board of Directors, and as Board Secretary. On top of all this, Shirley has been solely responsible for managing The Roxy Theatre’s (very profitable!) “Armand’s Bar” - for the past decade, plus!
Shirley has gone above and beyond the call of duty for OSLT. Past president Bill Murphy recalls, “…on one occasion, as Shirley walked from the parking lot to The Roxy Theatre to manage a stage show, she slipped on ice and split her head open… and then proceeded upstairs to the technical booth to 'call' the show - with an ice pack applied to her head. For Shirley Jarvis, there was never any doubt that ‘the show must go on!’"
A more pleasant memory Shirley has is of (now past & deceased) Wardrobe Mistress Bonnie Holloway. Bonnie had committed to do costumes for the Roxy Young Company's production of Alice in Wonderland. She confessed to Shirley that she had, in fact, never seen the show. Shirley took Bonnie home and showed her the Walt Disney animated version. To Shirley's astonish-ment Bonnie showed up a couple of days later with working sketches of every character with just the one viewing.
You can't write anything about Shirley Jarvis without mentioning her charity and volunteer work. She has probably done work for more community organizations than most of us know exist. Currently she volunteers as a driver for the Canadian Cancer Society, shuttling those who are unwell to appointments outside the community, providing a safe ride, but also acting as a source of compassionate company. Frequently, two or three trips to Toronto or Hamilton in a week are scheduled. She confides that she may have to reduce the number of trips a week soon. “Yes, Shirley, that would be a good idea.” ~ Eric Endersby
OSLT 54th Annual Playbill Brigadoon, directed by Val Underwood November 6-8,12-15,19-22, 2014 The 39 Steps, directed by Kathleen Cassidy February 5-7, 11-14, 2015 WODL at The Roxy, coordinated by Yvonne and Bill Korince March 16-20, 2015 The Portrait, directed by Bill Murphy April 16-18, 21-25, 2015 The Mousetrap, directed by John Flynn with Audrey Cheadle May 28-30, June 3-6, 2015
Photo by John Prettie
Hospitality Team for WODL Although it seems a long time before the week-long WODL festival takes place, planning is well underway already. As part of the Hospitality team for the Roxy itself, we will be preparing a mid-morning coffee break with snacks for the performing company, lunch for the same group as well as our own team of volunteers and a post-show snack as the performing company strike their set and move out of the theatre.
Our menu plans are in place but we will be looking to the membership for assistance in a number of ways. These include food prep each day and some volunteers to work the times of service. Donations of food would be lovely but we are also able to cover costs of supplies if necessary. If you think you can help in any way with the Hospitality Team during the week of WODL, please get in touch with me. I can share some general information at this time. Details of the plan will be finalized during the month of February 2015. ~ Cathie Locke [email protected]
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How to find the Owen Sound Poet Laureate:
Phone number: 519-794-2083 Email: [email protected],
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ Owen-Sound-Poet-Laureate
Website: http://roxytheatre.ca/poet-laureate-program
Owen Sound Poet Laureate Terry Burns Not quite halfway through her tenure as Owen Sound Poet Laureate, Terry Burns is poised to host her second poetry salon – a unique work-shop called From Page to Stage – on October 9th. Burns has devised the workshop as a way for poets and actors to get supportive feedback on their delivery and to polish their perform-ance skills. Taking full advantage of the Owen Sound Little Theatre’s sponsorship of the Poet Laureate program, Burns has assembled a panel of OSLT members Corry Lapointe and Tom Albrecht, and Owen Sound’s first Poet Laureate, Liz Zetlin. Poets will take the stage at the Roxy and read from their work. Actors will perform a monologue or two. The panelists will give them pointers on things such as diction, pace, volume and dynamics. “Interested poets and actors shouldn’t be intimidated,” said Burns. The atmosphere will be casual and the feedback supportive. Burns wants to provide a safe environment for nervous presenters who may not have had a lot of experience. “My hope is that poets and actors will get a better sense of each other’s work,” she said. And an audience is welcome to observe this crea-tive and collaborative process.
It’s only fitting that Burns, with her background as an actor and theatre man-ager, sees the importance of a strong delivery. “It’s how I came to poetry in the first place,” she said. “It’s very much a theatrical endeavour for me… that feels comfortable, to be on stage and have a proper theatre audience,” she said. But not all requests make her feel quite so comfortable. Toronto Poet Laureate George Elliott Clarke has invited her to read with him and former poets laureate Dennis Lee and Pier Giorgio di Cicco in Toronto on October 8th at an event that combines poetry and music. “Two of them have Orders of Canada for their work and all three are well established, said Burns. “I feel very honoured…and very nervous to be on stage with them.” She may be nervous but she is a singer as well as a poet so she’s working on a poem that incorporates music. “I have some musical ideas that I’ll be running by them,” she said, “whether I do them a cappella or with accompaniment.”
With just over a year to go in her term, Burns’ agenda already includes three more poetry salons, a combined reading and workshop for a university women’s club and a reading for the Western Ontario Drama League Festival which will take place in Owen Sound, March 2015.
While being Poet Laureate may mean a fuller agenda, Burns is grateful for the freedom it gives her to step away from the everyday routine. “Holding this po-sition has made me much more conscious of a larger idea -- the importance of supporting each other’s creativity and explorations and detours from the daily business of life,” she said. If I had to sum it up in one phrase I would say, ‘Support your local daydreamer.’”
~ Poet Laureate Advisory Committee
From Page to Stage will take place in The Roxy theatre on Thursday, October 9 beginning at 7:00 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. There will be a cash bar.
For more information about From Page to Stage, or to pre-register to perform, please visit roxytheatre.ca or contact Maria Can-ton, Theatre Manager at 519-371-3425 or by email at [email protected]
The Owen Sound Poet Laureate 2013-2015 is a program of the Owen Sound Little Theatre generously supported by Frank Dabbs, the writer from Annan, with addi-tional sponsorship by David Madill, CFP of BMO Nesbitt Burns.
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Of Interest to Members Acting, Directing, and Writing Classes for OSLT Members OSLT is pleased to announce it is working on developing a series of daytime classes for members. The classes will begin in the New Year and include: The Building Blocks of Acting, Putting it Together: Developing Acting Skills,
Introducing Shakespeare, an Open Acting Class (all levels), Playwrights' Circle, Thinking Like a Director.
Each class is eight weeks long and all are perfect for anyone wanting to hone their skills or for those who have always wanted to try acting and directing, but don't want to audition for a full production.
Please let Maria know which classes you are most interested in so she can begin planning the schedule. You can reach her by email at [email protected]
~ Maria Canton
Wild Lands Film Collective Friday, October 10 & Saturday, October 11 at 7:30 p.m. at The Roxy Theatre
In cooperation with the historic Roxy Theatre and the Kilannan Brewing Company, the Wild Lands Film Collective is proud to present Owen Sound’s premiere local film festival. The event will showcase ten to twelve short films directed and produced by regional filmmakers, tackling diverse topics and multiple genres, ranging from documentaries and animation, to narrative film.
As part of the festival’s collaborative partnership with Kilannan Brewing, a limited edition, locally-inspired craft brew will be made available during the festival. Held on October 10th and 11th, the festival has arranged to premiere the critically acclaimed film, Expedition to the End of the World, on the Friday night and short films on Saturday evening. Noted Canadian arts and me-dia critic, Geoff Pevere, will be on hand to open the festival and introduce our film on Friday night.
Judging will be conducted by a series of People's Choice awards determined by the audience members themselves. Tickets are available through the Roxy Box Office: $15/night, or $25 for the entire festival. For further information, contact: [email protected]
~ Christopher McGruer
Discord!! Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre Saturday, October 25 at 6:00 p.m. at The Harmony Centre
Support OSLT and The Harmony Centre by buying tickets to this Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre! Bill Murphy and Corry Lapointe are currently writing a murder mystery as a fundraiser for Harmony Centre www.harmonycentreos.ca (formerly known as Knox United Church), where OSLT rents storage and rehearsal space. The OSLT team will be paid and this money will be used towards OSLT’s rentals of the Harmony Centre. For tickets or more information, please contact Shirley Holmes: 519-534-5161 or [email protected] Hope to see you there!
~ Shirley Holmes
(continued)
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Of Interest to Members (continued) Play Reading Club First Friday of every month 7:00 – 8:30 p.m at the Owen Sound and Area Seniors’ Centre, McQuay Tannery, 1852 3rd Avenue East, Owen Sound (beside the Bayshore Community Centre)
Interact with other like-minded 55 plus adults that enjoy the pleasure of exploring various plays in a dramatized reading format, led by Silvan Alexander. All theatre enthusiasts are welcome; acting experience is not essential. $2.00 per session. Pre-register by contacting the Owen Sound & Area Seniors’ Centre by telephone 519-376-8304 or email: [email protected]
Words Aloud 2014 November 6-7-8-9 and 16 http://www.wordsaloud.ca/
Words Aloud, in its 11th year, is a Spoken Word and Storytelling Festival that takes place annually in the town of Durham, Ontario with satellite events held in Owen Sound (Youth Writing Workshop and Performance with Giles Benaway), Walkerton (Children's Program), and Williamsford (Poetry Slam).
Main Stage performers for this year's festival will include: Giles Benaway, Karen Connelly, Mary Dalton, Tanya Evanson, Charles Hamilton, Sheniz Janmohamed, Shane Rhodes, and Katherena Vermette. This year's main stage events also include the dance performance of For Body and Light - giving full meaning to the term "poetry in motion".
Workshops include A Short Journey Through Short Form with Katherena Vermette, Writing through the World with Karen Connelly and Turning Point Performance with Tanya Evanson.
Satellite Events include Giles Benaway with selected youth performers (a pay-what-you-can event), SLAM with the Burlington SLAM Project ($5 at the door) and The Three Musketeers family performance with Dufflebag Theatre (tickets for The Three Musketeers are $12.00 for adults and $6.00 for youth (12 years or younger) in advance or at the door.) Click here for schedule: http://www.wordsaloud.ca/schedule or for tickets: http://wordsaloud.ca/catalog/tickets/main-stage. Festival Pass EARLY BIRD SPECIAL until October 16th. Book early to avoid disappointment!
Hope and Longing: Songs of the Second World War November 8th, 7:30pm St. Andrew's United Church, Southampton November 9th, 2:00pm The Harmony Centre, Owen Sound
Join Kelda Mikalson, Bethany Matthews and others as we celebrate the music of WWII. Love Vera Lynn, Gracie Fields, The Happy Gang, or The Andrews Sisters? Come and take a trip down memory lane or create a new love affair with these beautiful songs! Thank you! ~ Kelda Mikalson
Directors’ Workshop with Virginia Reh Saturday April 25 & Sunday April 26, 2015 If you have ever thought that some day you would like to direct, if you have ever wondered about this role, if you have even had a wee dream about being a world famous director, or if you are just interested in any aspect of theatre and what it takes to mount a production, this workshop by Virginia Reh is for you. We hope to fill it up. It will be extraordinary, guaranteed. Virginia shares a mutual respect and friendship with OSLT, as she has adjudicated and work-shopped plays over many years. She is the assistant professor of theatre at Brock University, a professional director, past artistic director of the Gryphon Theatre, adjudica-tor for many Drama Festivals, teacher for the Theatre Ontario summer programs and one of the most energetic, skillful, and de-lightful persons of theatre you would ever want to meet. The dates for the workshop are Saturday and Sunday April 25 and 26. They will be full days. Save the dates and plan to attend. There will be no cost and it is open to any paid member of OSLT. ~ Corry Lapointe
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From the Editor’s Desk We hope that this issue of the newsletter conveys to all OSLT members at least a hint of the enthusiasm, well-placed optimism and well-deserved sense of ac-complishment that permeated the atmosphere and reports presented at the OSLT’s Annual General Meeting held September 9, 2014. As you will read, we have much to celebrate, past, present and future!
Articles, news, ideas, and photos from OSLT members are what make this newsletter worth reading, so please do continue to send them my way and we’ll get them into print to share with others. The next newsletter will be published mid-January 2015, and submissions are welcome anytime.
I am so very grateful to Janet Hutchison who continues to volunteer her expert and creative skills to transform the content into yet another issue of our OSLT newsletter. We proudly present Stage Directions, Autumn 2014.
Judy Beth Armstrong, Editor [email protected] 519-376-5096.
Call for Volunteers Interested in Getting Involved in OSLT?
Here are the people to contact:
Archives ~ Eileen O’Connor 371-1156; [email protected]
Bartending ~ Shirley Jarvis 372-9372; [email protected]
Creative ~ Maria Canton 371-3425; [email protected]
House Managing & Ushering ~ Cathie Locke 372-1145; [email protected]
Maintenance ~ Gene Cassidy 376-7415; [email protected]
Membership ~ Dale Albrecht 374-9111, [email protected] Newsletter ~ Judy Beth Armstrong 376-5096; [email protected]
Playreading ~ Eileen O’Connor 371-1156; [email protected]
Sewing and Wardrobe ~ Val Underwood 371-8899; [email protected]
Teams ~ Mark Vigneux 371-0159; [email protected]
WODL 2015 Festival ~ Yvonne Korince 371-6640; [email protected])
Entrances, Exits and Opening Nights Congratulations to proud grandparents, Kathleen and Gene Cassidy on the safe arrival of their grand daughter born on September 25th to their daughter Karla and her husband Steve Hall. After her hospital stay, Catherine Budgeon is recuperating at Central Place. She welcomes visitors in small doses and hopes to be home soon. Our best wishes go to her and we hope that her sunny disposition will be back with us before long. Get well, Catherine! Leanne Bellamy is recovering well from the double bypass surgery she had in mid-August and may be able to return to work by early October. We send very best wishes for a full and speedy recovery We extend sincere sympathy to Pat and Eileen O’Connor and their family on the early August death of Pat’s sister Kate who passed away at her daughter’s home in Ireland. Condolences to friends and family of David Edward (Ted) Hopper who passed away suddenly on August 26 at the age of 76. Among his many interests and activities, Ted was a member of OSLT and performed in musicals such as Fid-dler on the Roof. Ted and his dear friend Bob Garnett delighted residents of nursing and retirement homes throughout the area as they led sing-alongs ac-companied by Ted’s banjo-playing. He will be sadly missed
Special Request Barn Board needed for the set of The Portrait. Enough to cover at least two flats of 4 by 10 feet each...a little more would be even better. Most can be returned to the donors if it is be-ing saved for some future "when I get to it" project. Contact Cathie Locke 519-372-1145 or [email protected]