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www.actco.caMay/Jun 2008 �

ActionNews A Publication of ACT-CO, The Association of Community Theatres – Central Ontario

May June 2008 Volume 20, Issue 5

IN THIS ISSUE

- President’s Message

Page 2 - Editor Commentary Page 3 - Lifetime Membership Award Page 4 - Play Readings and Focus Group

Page 5 - Tread the Boards and New Member Corner Page 6 - Annual General Meeting

Page 7 - ACT-CO Gala Awards

Page 14 - Actor’s Centre Workshop Page 15 - Callboard

Page 17 - Show Calendar

Page 19 - Theatre Ontario Festival

Page 21 - President’s Award and Ordering Theas

E-MAIL ADDRESSESGeneral:[email protected]

Membership:[email protected]

Workshops:[email protected]

Privacy Policywww.actco.ca

CONTACT USCam LundEditor – ACTION [email protected]

President’s MessageMay is upon us, I can’t believe it has already been over three weeks since our Festival Awards Gala. Once again I congratulate all the Thea award nominees and win-ners. For those recognized who were unable to attend, I am sure your groups have informed you of the results. For those who may not yet have seen them, you can check within this newsletter or visit our website at www.actco.ca. As of this printing, we were still awaiting the fi-nal proofs from all the photos taken that evening. When we have them, they will be posted to the website alongside the awards information. I would also like to acknowledge and thank Markham Little Theatre, whose production of Norm Foster’s “Outlaw”, won the Thea for Best Production of a Drama. They have accepted the invitation to proceed on to the Theatre Ontario Festival and represent the ACT-CO region at this event. It takes place over May 14-18 in North Bay and will see the winners of all four regional festivals remount their productions at the provincial level. You can find a link to more information on this provincial festival on our website homepage.

The Thea Awards Gala is ACT-CO’s way of helping our region celebrate the outstanding theatrical contri-butions by our member groups to their local communities. One of its objectives is to provide us with a collective opportunity to celebrate the past year’s productions as well as sow the seeds of anticipation for the upcoming season. In this re-spect, I would like to acknowledge and salute all those who contribute one of the most valuable resources

we have, time, to their local groups. This includes not only those who appear on stage but also the even larger number of more anonymous volunteers who work backstage or mostly by themselves, sourcing costumes and props, creating pro-grams, hanging lights and designing sound, etc. It also includes all those who maintain and run the various groups and their facilities, without whom, little if any of what we see on stage would be realized. Too of-ten it is too easy to forget about the dedication and effort that goes into these activities long before the stage production takes shape. I would ask all those who were privileged to be recognized this year in our Festival to take a moment and contemplate all the unseen effort that leads up to an awards event such as ours.

In line with this, I would also like to again acknowledge, ACT-CO’s Kim Collins and her team who put in so much time and effort organizing the Gala. Those who have produced before doubtlessly understand that even a one night event can require months of preparation. This year

www.actco.caMay/Jun 2008 2

MEMBER GROUPS 2007/2008As of March 1, 2008, the current member groups of ACT-CO are:

Althea Productions Amicus Productions Backwoods Players Blackhorse Village Players Bloor West Village Players Borelians Community Theatre Brampton Music Theatre Burl-Oak Theatre Group Caledon Townhall Players Century Theatre Guild Clarkson Music Theatre Curtain Call PlayersCurtain Club, The East Side Players Erin Community TheatreEtobicoke Musical Productions Georgetown Globe Productions Georgetown Little Theatre Glenvale Players, The Huronia Players Kempenfelt Community Players Mariposa Arts Theatre Foundation Markham Little Theatre Marquee Theatrical Productions Mississauga Players NAGs Players, The Newmarket Stage Company Oakville Players, The OnStage Uxbridge Oshawa Little Theatre Peel Pantomime Players Queensville Players, TheScarborough Choral SocietyScarborough Music Theatre Scarborough Players Scarborough Theatre Guild Scugog Choral SocietySouth Shore Theatre South Simcoe Theatre Theatre Aurora Theatre EtobicokeToronto Finnish Theatre CompanyToronto Irish PlayersVillage Players of Coldwater, TheWhitby Courthouse Theatre

Editor CommentaryWhat a party! I have to say that I personally enjoyed the Gala the most that I ever have. Being a part of the ACT-CO board allowed me to experience the Gala in an entirely new way. It was quite rewarding having the opportunity to meet and greet attendees, sell 50/50 tickets, celebrate the nominees/award winners and of course, hand out Theas! It was also nice to touch base with many of you that I haven’t seen in quite a while.

What many of you may not realize is the amount of hard work and plan-ning that board members put in to make sure that this is a fun and exciting evening for all. I can only now truly appreciate this and that is why I urge you to seriously think about joining the ACT-CO board for the 2008-2009 season. It is has been a great learning experience for me in my first year and I can certainly see some great wins and also some areas for improve-ment/change for the ACT-CO organization. The best part is that we really are a friendly bunch of people who love theatre. Think of all the new con-tacts/partnerships you can develop and the educational opportunities that lie ahead. All you have to do is give us a shout.

Here’s to another wonderful year of theatre and Break a Leg to Markham Little Theatre as they prepare to represent the ACT-CO region at the The-atre Ontario Festival in North Bay.

Hope to see you there!

Cam

we moved to a larger ballroom as the annual increase in your atten-dance caused us to outgrow the old space. For the fifth year in a row we were able to keep prices the same, while slowly trying to enhance the evening’s experience. Like any such event, we are sure there were things you liked and things you didn’t. I in-vite everyone to give us your feed-back. Without it we can not hope to know where to focus our attention on future improvements.

Finally, as the next newsletter will be published after our annual AGM, I would like to both invite and en-courage all member groups to send a representative to this meeting. It

will be held on Monday, June 9th . Markham Little Theatre has gra-ciously agreed to host it this year. More information will be sent to each group and published to the website shortly. In the meantime, please mark Monday, June 9th on your calendars and make plans for someone to represent your group. You will also get a chance to learn first hand from MLT about their The-atre Ontario Festival experience and tour their new clubhouse and rehearsal studio. On behalf of the ACT-CO board, I wish everyone a successful Spring.

Yours in theatre,Mark Nathanielsz


A - Advocacy: ACT-CO provides a voice for members’ concerns and repre-sentation at the provincial level in discussions and decisionsaffecting community theatrecompanies including funding and facilities

C - Communication: ACT-CO encourages com-munication and networking between member groups, other regions and the public; markets community theatre to a broad audience; and distributes a newsletter, ACTION News.

T - Teaching: ACT-CO provides educationalopportunities through work-shops and the Festival andalso aids and advises on everyaspect of community theatre.

C - Creativity: ACT-CO encourages creativity, new ideas and the exploration of excellence in communitytheatre. The organizationthrives on the diversity of itsmember groups.

O - Opportunities: ACT-CO strives to provide op-portunities for the community theatre sector to grow and flourish through new programs and marketing.

Lifetime Membership AwardMaureen LukieAt this year’s Gala, ACT-CO recognized the accomplishments of one of our outstanding volunteers with the presentation of our Lifetime Membership Award. There were eleven peo-ple whose outstanding volunteerism to ACT-CO make them current lifetime members; this year we recognized our twelfth. For her out-standing contributions to community theatre across our region, ACT-CO was pleased to present our Lifetime Membership Award with deep appreciation to MAUREEN LUKIE.This award is in recognition of outstanding contribution, passion and integrity; three words that few people wear as well as Maureen. The reach of her contribution is broad; the passion with which she approaches every task is tre-mendous; and the integrity with which she acts is beyond reproach. Maureen Lukie loves theatre, and gravitates towards being involved in it. We are the lucky beneficiaries of her generosity.Maureen is a founding member of Amicus Productions and is the glue that has held the group together for 30 years. It has been observed before that on any given day you’ll find Maureen painting sets, procuring props and costumes, designing flyers and brochures, while at the same time playing the lead in the show! She is an extremely talented artist; recognized many times on evenings like this one for her work as a director, an actor and as a designer. Community theatres that have members like Maureen know how valuable that kind of con-tribution—both the quantity and the quality of the work—is to the success of an organization.But Maureen isn’t just involved in one community theatre. She has been in-volved with productions (and I apologize to any group I overlook) at Alumnae Theatre Company, Bloor West Village Players, Scarborough Players, Theatre Aurora, Theatre Etobicoke, Theatre Five, Theatre Next Door, Toronto Irish Play-ers, and Yorkwoods Theatre.Her unselfish contribution does not stop there. She was instrumental in bringing together the Downsview Park Arts Alliance, rallying the community, politicians, and city staff; and bringing together community theatres from across the City of Toronto into one space.And for as long as many of us have known her, she has been involved in ACT-CO. If she is known as the face of ACT-CO, I don’t think we could have a better one. For over fifteen years, she served the community theatre sector across our region as a member of the ACT-CO Board, serving in the roles of President, Education Chair, Gala Chair, Newsletter Editor and member of the Theatre On-tario Board of Directors. Even though she retired from ACT-CO last June, she continued to help us out as a member of tonight’s Gala Committee. Anyone who has had to step into the shoes that she used to fill will immediately realize just how big those shoes really are.Maureen is an inspiration to me as an artist and as a volunteer. I am privileged to be able to count her among my friends; the community theatres where she volunteers her time are privileged to have her as a member; and ACT-CO is privileged to have the contribution made to our community theatre family by this extraordinary, awesome woman.


ACTION NEWS GUIDELINES

E-mail submissions to:[email protected] submissions to:Cam Lund1015 Jacarandah DriveNewmarket, ONL3Y 5K6

Please ensure that allsubmissions for plays for the Call Board or for the Show Cal-endar include the name of the author(s) or specific credit for musicals.

DEADLINESJuly/Aug June 15

We will continue to email the newsletter to groups going forward. If you would like the newsletter to be emailed to a different ad-dress, please contact Cam Lund at [email protected] with the new email address.Be sure to include the nameof your Group.

For More Information:website: www.actco.ca

Play Readings at South Simcoe Theatre South Simcoe Theatre, 1 Hamilton Street, Cookstown, announces its first four-day event of play readings:A SHOWCASE OF PLAY READ-INGS. JUNE 5th to 8th, 2008The talents of local, national and in-ternational playwrights along with an enthusiastic cast come to our SST stage, with script in hand, the actors will transport the audience into the thoughts of the written word.A team of creative directors reflecting all levels of theatre, from local and surrounding communities, weaves the wonderful stories through the use of the spoken word.We are offering a broad selection of play material that might not other-wise be offered due to subject mat-ter, limited audience appeal or plays that are unpolished gems waiting to be discovered. It promises to be a truly eclectic and memorable se-ries. Doors open at 7:30 pm and the staged play readings begin at 8:00 pm. Admission is $5 per showGeneral Seating705-458-4432 Box Office

Thursday, June 5, 8pmLES BELLES SOEURS by Michel TremblayDirected by Brandon CroneA hilarious Canadian classic! Set against the background of Quebec’s ‘quiet revolution’, a family comes to terms with consumer culture.Friday, June 6, 8pmCONVERSATIONS WITH TEDDY by J. Stuart PearceDirected by Janet Lord-GenykA mature couple reflects on life and love on the day of a friends funeral. A gentle and insightful comedySaturday, June 7, 8pmFIRE RED BLOOD by Teresa BrownDirected by Christy BurtonThis will be the first public reading of Ontario playwright Teresa Brown’s work. The realistic drama follows a year in the life of a small town On-tario volunteer fire brigade, as seen through the eyes of a rookie.Sunday, June 8, 2pmDouble – bill matinee: CLASSIC COMEDIESTHE MARRIAGE PROPOSAL by Anton ChekhovDirected by Sandi SimpsonFUMED OAK by Noel CowardDirected by Sandi Simpson

Theatre Ontario Focus GroupTheatre Ontario is assembling a Focus Group of Youth between the ages of 14 and 18 to receive input into 2009’s Theatre Ontario Camp – Youth Courses.The location for the Focus Group will be 215 Spadina Ave. on a Saturday, for about 2 hours, date and time to be discussed with those who show an interest in participating.We are interested in learning which TOPICS the Youth would like to ex-plore in more depth, at what time of year and the best location for this week long intensive theatre experience.We would appreciate you polling your members who meet the age criteria and having them call Maureen Thornton at 416-408-4556 Ext 13 leaving a message for her to return the call.There will be a draw for two tickets to “Evil Dead – the Musical” at the end of the session. Maureen E. ThorntonCommunity Theatre CoordinatorTheatre Ontario


ACT-CO BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2007-2008

Mark NathanielszPresident & Theatre Ontario [email protected]

Brandon MooreVice President & [email protected]

Kim [email protected]

John [email protected]

Sean HoughtonEducation [email protected]

Cam LundEditor – ACTION [email protected]

Rita [email protected]

Lucy [email protected]

Pam [email protected]

Shari Thorne-KowalskiDirector

Tread the Boards – On the ACT-CO Board!

I’ve played many roles – some fun-ny, some serious – and with each, I learned a little more about theatre. This year I played a part on the ACT-CO Board as Board Director and I have learned more about the-atre than I would have ever imag-ined.

In the role of ACT-CO Festival Li-aison, I watched over fifteen plays being performed. Listening to the critical response of the adjudica-tors gave me insight and appre-ciation for all aspects of production – marketing, direction, design and most interesting for me, an actor’s performance. I don’t think I’ve ever seen as many plays in one season; I thought it would be overload but instead, it’s renewed my excitement for theatre and I want to see more!

As a rookie Board Director attend-ing monthly ACT-CO meetings, I’ve listened and learned about the chal-lenge of organizing and educating ACT-CO theatre companies from dedicated and experienced Board Directors. They have been very pa-tient with my inexperience and will-ing to explain the ins and outs of each item on the agenda. It’s been fascinating and I continue to learn.

My most important role however, is as Chair of the Nominating Commit-tee because we need more ACT-CO members on the ACT-CO Board. I urge those of you who are looking for a new perspective on theatre, to join the ACT-CO Board for the 2008-2009 season. It will be a sea-son you won’t forget! Come out to our annual AGM and find out what it’s all about. Interested members can contact me at [email protected].

Lucy Carabine

New Member CornerShari Thorne-KowalskiShari’s passion for theatre has lead her recently to a new position on the ACT-CO Board. She became involved with community theatre ten years ago, once her daughter was old enough to handle her being at the theatre so often. But her love of theatre stems back to her child-hood. Shari is a seasoned actor in both drama and comedy, but she has also ‘produced’ and more re-cently expanded upon her passion by taking on the role of ‘directing’. She was previously on the Board of Oshawa Little Theatre and contin-ues to be very active with OLT man-aging information on their website and broadcast emails. She’s quite involved with Markham Little Theatre as well. Shari’s desire is to help com-munity theatre to ‘grow’, be appreciated and acknowledged for the great gifts those within it bring to an audience. Anyone who knows her will often hear her saying “Theatre is our sandbox. Let’s play!”


MEMBER GROUPS 2007/2008As of May 1, 2008, the current member groups of ACT-CO are:


ACT-CO’s 2008 Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Date: Monday, June 9, 2008

Time: 7:00pm Registration 7:30pm Call To Order 9:00pm Post-Meeting Social

Place: Markham Little Theatre Rehearsal Studio “Backstage” Markham District Heritage Museum Grounds 9350 Hwy #48 (Markham Rd), just north of 16th Avenue, Markham, ON

Please come out and join us for an informative evening in support of Com-munity Theatre in Southern Ontario and consider joining a wonderful orga-nization!

This meeting is for all individual, lifetime and group members of ACT-CO. Your participation is valued and appreciated and indeed integral to our ongo-ing effectiveness. Anyone may attend the AGM with no limit on the numbers attending from a particular group, although only three members for each group may vote on any specific motion. Please send at least one represen-tative so that your group’s opinions can be expressed and your interests can be supported.

Special Draw:Every group who sends at least one representative to the meeting (the rep-resentative cannot be a current member of the 2007-08 ACT-CO Board of Directors) will be entered in a draw to receive their ACT-CO 2008-09 group membership at no charge.Please RSVP to Kim Collins at [email protected] by June 4, 2008 to ensure we meet quorum for this meeting and do not exceed building ca-pacity.



C - Communication: ACT-CO encourages com-munication and networking between member groups, other regions and the public; markets community theatre to a broad audience; and distributes a newsletter, ACTION News.




32nd Annual Association of Community Theatres - Central OntarioTheatre Festival Gala Awards Official Results Please note the following information:

- Awards results listed here may not correspond to the order they were presented on the Gala evening.

- Award recipients are highlighted in bold.

- Adjudicator commentary and other details (ie. photographs, etc) are not provided here. They can be viewed at www.actco.ca.

- There have been some revisions to nomina-tions and awards due to late disclosure of impor-tant information. Where the results listed here dif-fer from those announced at the Gala, the results here should be considered the official listings.

- If there are any questions about this document, the results or the Gala, please contact your ACT-CO area representative or e-mail [email protected]

Best Sound Design AwardCategory NomineesMusical Greg Salisbury, Wonderful Town, Clarkson Music Theatre

Jeff Danelko, My Fair Lady, Scugog Choral SocietyGlen Perrot, The Wizard of Oz, Whitby Courthouse Theatre

Comedy Tom Davidson, You Can’t Take It With You, Huronia PlayersHoward Linscott & Michael Serres, Steel Magnolias, OnStage UxbridgeSolange De Santis, Charley’s Aunt, Burl-Oak Theatre GroupMark Nathanielsz & Drew Sullivan, Proposals, Amicus Produc-tionsHeather Roberts, Some Assembly Required, East Side Players

Drama Aidan Serres & Michael Serres, Crimes of the Heart, Borelians Community TheatreDavid Glover & Harvey Levkoe, Nuts, East Side PlayersGlen Perrott, The Glass Menagerie, Oshawa Little TheatreDavid Glover, Fatal Attraction, The Curtain Club








Best Performance by a Female in a Supporting Role AwardCategory NomineesMusical Michele Jones as “Mrs. Higgins”, My Fair Lady, Scugog

Choral SocietyPaula McIsaac as “Glinda, the Good Witch of the North”, The Wizard of Oz, Whitby Courthouse TheatreFenulla Juwani as “Bloody Mary”, South Pacific, Theatre Aurora

Comedy Danielle Capretti as “Sybil Chase” , Private Lives, The Oakville PlayersMary Delaney as “Clairee”, Steel Magnolias, OnStage UxbridgeJanice Hansen as “Annie”, Proposals, Amicus ProductionsJackie Del Greco as “Fiona Babcock”, Out of Sight, Out of Murder, Markham Little TheatreCathy Partridge as “Ruth”, Cosi, Oshawa Little Theatre

Drama Lynda Muir as “Janene”, The Photograph, The Curtain ClubAnnette Stokes-Harris as “Babe Botrelle”, Crimes of the Heart, Borelians Community TheatreJorie Morrow as “Maudie Atkinson”, To Kill A Mockingbird, Scarborough PlayersShannon Aguila as “Maggie Stratton”, Fatal Attraction, The Curtain Club

Best Costume Design AwardCategory Nominees

Musical Kelly Curran, The Wizard of Oz, Whitby Courthouse TheatreAudrey Turner, Little Women, South Simcoe TheatreRuth Higgins, The Wizard of Oz, Queensville Players

Comedy Lucy Carabine, Moll, Toronto Irish PlayersMichelle Lanoue, The Trouble With Richard, Blackhorse Village PlayersKim Blacklock, Straight and Narrow, Caledon Townhall PlayersSheila Nicholson, Jennifer Hardie, Carey Nicholson & Denise Randall, Alice in Wonderland, Borelians Community TheatreAda Malmstron, Moon Over Buffalo, Mariposa Arts Theatre Foun-dation

Drama Lise Bourgon, The Winslow Boy The Oakville PlayersMaria Cerone, Outlaw, Markham Little TheatreRita Ferguson, The Muesli Belt, Toronto Irish PlayersMary Nowlan, To Kill A Mockingbird, Scarborough Players













Best Lighting DesignCategory NomineesMusical Mike Rainey, Singin’ in the Rain, Georgetown Globe

Musical ProductionsMark Hayward, Little Women, South Simcoe TheatreJason Hand, Wonderful Town, Clarkson Music Theatre

Comedy Jodi Gagne, Some Assembly Required, East Side PlayersCat Heaven & Ken Smith, Communicating Doors, Georgetown Little TheatreBob Kowalski, Cosi, Oshawa Little TheatreBob Kowalski, Out of Sight, Out of Murder, Markham Little The-atreGareth Crew, Proposals, Amicus Productions

Drama Peter Darg, Outlaw, Markham Little TheatreMary Jane Boon, Nuts, East Side PlayersPaul Harris & Karen Brown, To Kill A Mockingbird, Scarborough PlayersSteve Meacher, Fatal Attraction, The Curtain Club

Best Performance, Male in a Supporting Role AwardCategory NomineesMusical Neil Salinas as “Cosmo Brown”, Singin’ in the Rain, Georgetown

Globe Musical ProductionsTodd Appleton as “Freddy Eynsford-Hill”, My Fair Lady, Scugog Choral SocietyRoss Libbey as “Zeke/Cowardly Lion”, The Wizard of Oz, Whitby Courthouse Theatre

Comedy Bill Baker as “Justin”, Cosi, Oshawa Little TheatreJohn LeClair as “Henderson & Chief”, You Can’t Take It With You, Huronia PlayersKevin Scharf as “Howard” , Moon Over Buffalo, Mariposa Arts Theatre FoundationLen Silvini as “Vinnie”, Proposals, Amicus ProductionsAndy Rowe as “Sir Francis Chesney”, Charley’s Aunt, Burl-Oak Theatre Group

Drama David Borwick as “Will Vanhorne”, Outlaw, Markham Little TheatreMichael Serres as “Doc Porter”, Crimes of the Heart, Borelians Community TheatreJames Lukie as “Arthur Kirk”, Nuts, East Side Players

Dermot Walsh as “Tommy”, The Muesli Belt, Toronto Irish Players

www.actco.caMay/Jun 2008 �0



Best Set Design AwardCategory NomineesMusical Bill White, The Wizard of Oz, Queensville Players

Jane Coryell, Wonderful Town, Clarkson Music TheatreSteve Gunn, Debra Campo & John Harkins, South Pacific, The-atre Aurora

Comedy Ron Payne & Steve Killing, You Can’t Take It With You, Huronia PlayersLinda Edwards, Jennifer Hardie & Carey Nicholson, Alice in Wonderland, Borelians Community TheatreHeather Roberts, Some Assembly Required, East Side PlayersMary Rose & Wade Pitman, Private Lives, The Oakville PlayersWayne Milliner & Alice Torrance, Ethan Claymore, The Curtain Club

Drama Jane Coryell, The Winslow Boy, The Oakville PlayersRoss Liversage, Outlaw, Markham Little TheatreWayne Cardinalli, Nuts, East Side PlayersBill Corcoran, The Photograph, The Curtain Club

Best Performance by a Male in a Leading Role AwardCategory NomineesMusical Jim Hill as “Ralph Rackstraw”, H.M.S. Pinafore, Village Players of

ColdwaterMichael Schneider as “Henry Higgins”, My Fair Lady, Scugog Choral SocietyRoss Hanna as “Robert Baker”, Wonderful Town, Clarkson Music Theatre

Comedy Adrian Gorrisen as “Elyot Chase”, Private Lives, The Oakville PlayersRyan Kinghorn as “Hal Savage”, Self Help, Mississauga PlayersSteven Hartnell as “Arthur”, Bathroom Humour, Huronia PlayersStephen Farrell as “Father Loran”, Moll, Toronto Irish PlayersRob Goodale as “John Smith”, Caught In The Net, Newmarket Stage Company

Drama Ryan Browne as “Bob Hicks”, Outlaw, Markham Little TheatreDeclan Whelehan as “Mick”, The Muesli Belt, Toronto Irish PlayersSteve Foote as “The Son”, The Glass Menagerie, Oshawa Little TheatreDavid Henderson as “Lt. Gus Braden”, Fatal Attraction, The Curtain Club

www.actco.caMay/Jun 2008 ��


C - Communication: ACT-CO encourages com-munication and networking between membergroups, other regions and the public; markets community theatre to a broad audience; and distributes a newsletter, ACTION News.




Best Performance by a Female in a Leading Role AwardCategory NomineesMusical Kaitlyn Grass as “Josephine”, H.M.S. Pinafore, Village Players of

ColdwaterJennifer Laarhuis as “Ruth Sherwood”, Wonderful Town, Clarkson Music TheatreAlexandra Potvin as “Amy”, Little Women, South Simcoe Theatre

Comedy Cliona Kelly as “Moll”, Moll, Toronto Irish PlayersNicole Downie as “Teresa Pike”, Ethan Claymore, The Curtain ClubJulia Guthrie as “Renee Duchene”, Drinking Alone, Georgetown Little TheatreLorraine Chiusolo as “Truvy”, Steel Magnolias, OnStage UxbridgeRebecca Buttigieg as “Anne Shirley”, Anne, Amicus Productions

Drama Peggy Wrightson as “Anne”, The Photograph, The Curtain ClubNora Rafferty as “Nora Breen”, The Muesli Belt, Toronto Irish PlayersElena Gorgevska as “Scout”, To Kill A Mockingbird, Scarborough PlayersJudith Edmondson as The Mother”, The Glass Menagerie, Os-hawa Little Theatre

Best Direction AwardCategory NomineesMusical Rob Gorican, Wonderful Town, Clarkson Music Theatre

Scott A. Hurst, Little Women, South Simcoe TheatreMonique Essegern, The Wizard of Oz, Whitby Courthouse The-atre

Comedy Ron Payne, You Can’t Take It With You, Huronia PlayersDeb Robertson, The Trouble With Richard, Blackhorse Village PlayersCatherine Driscoll, Moll, Toronto Irish PlayersBrandon Moore, Ethan Claymore, The Curtain ClubRuth Smith, Steel Magnolias, OnStage Uxbridge

Drama Kathryn DeLory, Outlaw, Markham Little TheatreBarbara Taylor, The Muesli Belt, Toronto Irish PlayersBrian J. Moore, Fatal Attraction, The Curtain ClubKatherine Turner, To Kill A Mockingbird, Scarborough Players








Best Production AwardCategory NomineesMusical The Wizard of Oz, Whitby Courthouse Theatre [Liz Pask, Pro-

ducer]Wonderful Town, Clarkson Music Theatre [Rita Ferguson, Chris-tine McMahon & Jan Sayer, Producers]Little Women, South Simcoe Theatre [Margery Cruise, Producer]

Comedy Moll, Toronto Irish Players [Diarmud Collins, ProducerYou Can’t Take It With You, Huronia Players [Deborah Wyman, ProducerSteel Magnolias, OnStage Uxbridge [Lynn Zugloff & Rita Irwin, Producers]Alice in Wonderland, Borelians Community Theatre [Carey Nich-olson & Joel A. van Veghe, Producers]Ethan Claymore, The Curtain Club [Nicole Forero-Goed-makers, Producer]

Drama Outlaw, Markham Little Theatre [Amanda Davison & Elizabeth Wyatt, Producers]The Muesli Belt, Toronto Irish Players [Gina Taylor, Producer]Fatal Attraction, The Curtain Club [Sharon Dykstra, Producer]To Kill A Mockingbird, Scarborough Players [Linda Brent, Pro-ducer]

Best Music Direction and Best Choreographer AwardsCategory NomineesMusical Jennifer Peace, Wonderful Town, Clarkson Music TheatreDirection Yolanda Van Grootel, The Wizard of Oz, Whitby Courthouse

TheatreMeaghan Hope, Little Women, South Simcoe Theatre

Choreogra-phy

Julie Gallie, Wonderful Town, Clarkson Music Theatre

Jennifer Hamilton, My Fair Lady, Scugog Choral SocietyBaiba Senecal, The Wizard of Oz, Queensville Players

Musical Adjudicator AwardsCategory NomineesPromisingNewcomer and/or Juvenile

Scot Abel as “Kenickie”, Grease, Brampton Music TheatreCameron Wassen in multiple roles, The Wizard of Oz, Queensville PlayersDarian Mark as “Young Cosmo”, Singin’ in the Rain, Georgetown Globe Musical Productions













Special Achieve-ments In RealizingThe Visual Picture

Kevin Arbour, The Wizard of Oz, Whitby Courthouse TheatreTerri Hallet and her crew, The Wizard of Oz, Queensville PlayersThe Company, My Fair Lady, Scugog Choral Society

Meeting SpecialChallenges

The Company, H.M.S. Pinafore, Village Players of ColdwaterCraig Marshall, Grease, Brampton Music TheatreAlexander Galant and his film crew, Singin’ in the Rain, Georgetown Globe Musical Productions

Pot-Pourri of Achieve-ments

The Munchkins, The Wizard of Oz, Whitby Courthouse TheatreNicole Devine & Barbara Brown, The Wizard of Oz, Queensville PlayersSue Timbers, Little Women, South Simcoe Theatre

Comedy Adjudicator AwardsCategory NomineesRecogniz-ing and Respecting the Overall Importance of Style in Comic Theatre

Peter Kunder and his team, Charley’s Aunt, Burl-Oak Theatre GroupHeather Roberts and her team, Some Assembly Required, East Side PlayerBrad Poirier and his team, Caught in the Net, Newmarket Stage CompanyDavid Nash and his team, Private Lives, The Oakville PlayersShari Thorne-Kowalski and her team, Out of Sight, Out of Murder, Markham Little Theatre

Promising Newcomers

Christine Fournier, Jennifer Harker & Robert Sykes as “Peg”, “Ba-bette” & “Sandy”, Bathroom Humour, Huronia PlayersPearl Sceviour as “Mrs. Kirby”, You Can’t Take It With You, Huronia PlayersDavid DiMarco as “Charley”, Charley’s Aunt, Burl-Oak Theatre GroupBrian Dickson as “Gilbert Blythe”, Anne, Amicus ProductionsJade Poirier & Michael Barron as “Vickie Smith” & “Gavin Smith”, Caught in the Net, Newmarket Stage Company

Stage Man-agement

Nancy Melcher, Alice in Wonderland, Borelians Community TheatreBodene Corbitt, Some Assembly Required, East Side PlayersMelissa McKissock, Cosi, Oshawa Little TheatreKay Lions, Opening Night, Caledon Townhall PlayersJen Low, Moon Over Buffalo, Mariposa Arts Theatre Foundation




Pot-Pourri of Achieve-ments

Wayne Milliner, Ethan Claymore, The Curtain ClubChris Stoltz, Charley’s Aunt, Burl-Oak Theatre GroupL.E. Hines, The Trouble With Richard, Blackhorse Village PlayersPenny Oliver, Wayne Hein & Amy Patterson, Self Help, Missis-sauga PlayersThe Cast, Bathroom Humour, Huronia Players

Drama Adjudicator AwardsCategory NomineesOutstanding Ensemble Perfor-mance

The Cast, Outlaw, Markham Little TheatreThe Cast, The Laramie Project, Oshawa Little TheatreThe Cast, To Kill A Mockingbird, Scarborough PlayersThe Cast, Fatal Attraction, The Curtain Club

New Play Joan Burrows, The Photograph The Curtain ClubOutstanding Newcomer

Luke Richardson as “Tom Robinson”, To Kill A Mock-ingbird, Scarborough Players

Outstand-ing Per-formance by a Youth Ensemble

Elena Gorgevska as “Scout”, Graham Pegg as “Jem”, & Dakota Van Halteren as “Dill”To Kill A Mockingbird, Scarborough Players

“The Actor’s Centre Workshop”with Richard Howard Co-Sponsored by ACT-CO and Borelians Community Theatre Date: 3 days (May 30th, 31st & June 1st) Time: TBA Cost: $95.00Location: Port Perry Workshop Limit:10Registration Deadline: May 23 , 2008Focus: This is a three day workshop pre-sented by Richard Howard. Richard’s career began as an actor at Stratford under the di-rection of the legendary Tyrone Guthrie. He continued to act and direct in theatre, televi-sion and radio until directing became a passion. He has directed over 500 pro-ductions and counting. He has taught acting and directing in England, Australia, Canada, France and the United States.The Actor’s Centre Workshops mainly deal with introducing the actor to deeper means in which to begin the inner work and process needed to go through to develop a more believable and truthful form of acting. The work is complex and demanding and participants are expected to attend all sessions. The opening session will cover some basic fundamentals of acting for those with less experi-ence and the following sessions will move along into deeper areas for actors of all levels.The workshops are interactive with plenty of time for questions and experi-ments and those wishing to prepare a monologue or brief scene between two or more actors are encouraged to do so, but please, no Shakespeare. There will be time allowed for the actor to do his monologue/scene followed by remarks and suggestions by the instructor and a discussion between all of us.For further information and registration, please contact Carey Nicholson at Borelians or Sean Houghton at ACT-CO Workshops Important Notice: Due to a large number of last minute cancellations in previous years, we have had to add a cancellation policy. If you cancel up to two weeks in advance of the workshop date, your fee will be refunded. Any cancelations after that can not be refunded.







CallboardCategory DetailsCall for Directors

Amicus Productions is seeking applications from candi-dates interested in directing for their 2008-09 season.. The plays are:...Nunsense - by Dan Goggin - October 2008...A Flea In Her Ear - by George Feydeau (adapted version by David Ives) - February 2009...Arcadia - by Tom Stoppard - April 2009 All submissions should include a theatrical curriculum vitae and a concept for the play for which the director is applying, and may or may not include style, set, lighting, choreogra-phy, costume choices different from the script. All candidates will be required to attend an interview in late May before the selection process is finalized.

Deadline May 15, 2008

For more info or to submit your application. please [email protected]

Call for Directors

Theatre Aurora is seeking applications from candidates interested in directing two of their productions for for their 2008-09 season..

The plays are:...Urinetown (Musical) - February 2009...Murder in Green Meadows - April 2009

All candidates will be required to attend an interview in June before the selection process is finalized.

Deadline June 15, 2008

For more info or to submit your application. please contactKay Valentine at (905) 713-6481 or [email protected]

Auditions Peel Players host auditions For Tom, Dick And Harry.By Ray and Michael Cooney - Director Sharman Gur

Dates: May 4th and 6thTime: Sunday, May 4, 7.30 p.m. Tuesday, May 6, 7.30 p.m.Greenbriar.There will be some blocking rehearsals before summer and rehearsals will commence in earnest in September. .

No monologue required. Cold readings. Must be able to do English accents. Sharman is a fantastic director and the show will be a lot of fun. Please let’s have a good turnout to welcome Sharman to our group and let her see what a lot of talent we have!













Burnhamthorpe Auditorium – 500 The East Mall(just north of Burnhamthorpe Rd at Hwy 427)

Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 7:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Audition Information Night

Director: Clive LaceyMusical Director: Mark Peterson

Choreographer: Kris Light

Meet the Directors and the production team. Hear about their concept for theshow and the audition process.Sign up for your audition.Audition Dates: May 20, 21, 22, 2008 – 7:30 - 10:30 p.m.

May 25, 2008 – 1:30 - 5:00 p.m. Callbacks: June 8th, 2008 – 1:30 - 6:00 p.m.Auditions can be booked at the Information Night or after May 7 by contacting: Gerd Richter – Show Producer 905-823-2143

Email: [email protected]

Show Dates: November, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 2008For Audition Information, visit the EMP website at www.e-m-p.net

www.e-m-p.net








Show CalendarRegion: SouthType Show Dates InformationC The Village Players

Relatively Speaking by Alan Ayckbourn

2008Apr 25,26,30,May 1,2,3,7,8,9,10,14,15,16,17 - 8pmMay 4,11 - 2pm

The Village Playhouse, 2190 Bloor Street West, Toronto(Map) (416) 767-7702www.villageplayers.net

C Scarborough Players The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged) By Jess Winfield, Adam Long & Daniel Singer

2008May 22,23,24,2930,31, Jun 5,6,7 - 8pmJun 1 - 2pm

Scarborough Village Theatre, 3600 Kingston Rd, Scarborough(Map) (416) 396-4049www.theatrescarborough.com

C Scarborough The-atre Guild Out of Order By Ray Cooney

2008Jun 19,20,21,26,27,28, Jul 3,4,5 - 8pmJun 22 - 2pm


D East Side PlayersAfter You By Dave Carley

2008May 22,23,24,28,29,30,31,Jun 4,5,6,7 - 8pmMay 25, Jun 1 - 2pm

Todmorden Mills - Papermill The-atre,67 Pottery Road, Toronto(Map) (416) 425- 0917www.eastsideplayers.ca/

M NAGs PlayersMusic Hall Revue Various

Apr 25,26,May 2,3 - 8pm

Tranzac Club, 292 Brunswick Ave, Toronto(Map) (416) 391- 4692www.nagsplayers.com

M Scarborough Music Theatre Oklahoma! By Richard Rogers & Oscar Hammerstein

2008Apr 24,25,26,May 1,2,3,8,9,10 - 8pmApr 27, May 4 - 2pm


Region: EastType Show Dates InformationC Whitby Courthouse

Theatre The Foursome by Norm Foster

2008Apr 24,25,26,May 1,2,3,8,9,10 - 8pm

Whitby Courthouse Theatre, Cen-tennial Building, 416 Centre Street South, Whitby (905) 430-3774whitbytheatre.org/index.html

M Oshawa Little Theatre Jekyll & Hyde - The Musical by Leslie Bricusse & Frank Wildhorn

2008Apr 10,11,12,17, 18,19,24,25,26, ,May 1,2,3 - 8pmApr 20 - 2pm

Oshawa Little Theatre, 62 Russett Avenue, Oshawa, Ontario(905) 723-0282www.oshawalittletheatre.com

M Oshawa Little Theatre (OLT Youth Group)Just So By George Stiles & Anthony Drewe

2008May 29,30,31,5,6,7 - 8pmJun 1 - 2pm

Oshawa Little Theatre,62 Russett Avenue, Oshawa, Ontario(905) 723-0282www.oshawalittletheatre.com

M Oshawa Little TheatreThe Rocky Horror Picture Show By Richard OBrien

2008Jul 10,11,12,17,18,19,24,25,26 - 8pmJul 20 - 2pm

Oshawa Little Theatre,62 Russett Avenue, Oshawa, Ontario(905) 723-0282www.oshawalittletheatre.com













Region: WestType Show Dates InformationC Caledon Town Hall

PlayerEnchanted April By Matthew Barber

2008May 2,3,9,10,16,17 - 8:15pm

Caledon Town Hall Theatre(corner of Hwy 10 & Hwy 24)(Map) (519) 927-5460www.caledontownhallplayers.com

C Milton Players The-atre GroupThe Nerd By Larry Shue

2008May 2,3*,8,9,10* - 8pm* Dinner & show - 7pm

Milton Senior’s Activity Centre - 500 Childs Drive, Milton(Map) (905) 875-0629www.miltonplayers.com

C Mississauga Players Lie, Cheat and Genuflect By Billy Van Zandt & Jane Milmore

2008Jun 5,6,7,12,13,14 - 8pmJun 8 - 2pm

Burnhamthorpe Library Theatre1350 Burnhamthorpe Road East,Mississauga(Map) (905) 823-7100 www.mississaugaplayers.ca

D Burl-Oak Theatre Group The Night of the Iguana by Tennessee Williams

2008Apr 24,25,26,30, May 1,2,3 - 8pm

The Oakville Centre for Performing Arts(905) 815-2021www.burloaktheatregroup.ca

M Etobicoke Musical Productions The Secret Garden By Marsha Norman & Lucy Simon

2008Apr 18,19,25,26, May 2 - 8pmApr 20,27,May-03- 2pm

Burnhamthorpe Auditorium, 500 The East Mall, Etobicoke(Map) (416) 248-0410www.e-m-p.net/

M Georgetown Globe ProductionsSouth Pacific By Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammer-stein ll;

2008May 1,2,3,8,9,10 - 8pmMay 4 - 2pm

John Elliot Theatre - 9 Church St, Georgetown(Map) (905) 877-3700www.georgetownglobeproductions.com

M Brampton Music Theatre BMT Youth TroupeSeussical JrBy Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty

2008May 9,10- 7pmMay 9 - 1pm May 10- 4pm

Lester B. Pearson Theatre, 150 Central Park Drive, Brampton(Map) (905) 874-2800www.bramptonmusictheatre.com/index.htm

Region: NorthType Show Dates InformationC Kempenfelt Commu-

nity Players You Can’t Take It With You By George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart

2008Apr 24,25,26,26,May 1,2,3,4 - 8pm

Call for information(705) 792-5622/www.kempenfeltplayers.com

C The Curtain ClubSquabbles By Marshall Karp

2008May 30,31, Jun 4,5,6,7,10,11,12, 13,14-8:00 pmJun 1-2:00 p.mMay 29 (Preview) -8pm

The Curtain Club - 400 Newkirk Road, Richmond Hill(Map)(905) 773-3434www.thecurtainclub.org


MEMBER GROUPS 2007/2008As of January 1, 2008, the current member groups of ACT-CO are:


C Blackhorse Village PlayersI Hate Hamlet By Paul Rudnick

2008Jun 4,6,7,13,14,19,20,21 - 8:15pmJun 8,15 - 2:15pm

Blackhorse Village - S.W. Corner of #9Hwy & Mount Wolfe Rd.(Map) (905) 880-5002www.blackhorse.ca

C Theatre AuroraMove Over Mrs. Markham By Ray Cooney & John Chapman

2008Jun 6,7,11,12,13,14,18,19,20,,21 - 8pmJun 8,15 - 2pm

The Factory Theatre150 Henderson Drive, Aurora(Map) (905) 727-3669 www.theatreaurora.com

D South Simcoe TheatreFour Plays: A Playreading Show-case Various

2008Jun 5,6,7 - 8pmJun 8 - 2 pm

Town Hall - 1 Hamilton St, Cookstown(Map) (705) 458-4432www.southsimcoetheatre.com

M South Simcoe TheatreMan of La Mancha By Mitch Leigh, Joe Darion & Dale Was-serman

2008Apr 24,25,26,May 1,2,3,8,9,10 - 8pmMay 4,11 - 2 pm

Town Hall - 1 Hamilton St, Cookstown(Map) (705) 458-4432www.southsimcoetheatre.com

Theatre Ontario Festival 2008North Bay, Ontario - May 14 to 18, 2008

FESTIVAL 2008The annual Theatre Ontario Festival is a showcase of outstanding commu-nity theatre productions chosen from regional festivals across the province. The Festival brings together theatre lovers from across the province, and is an excellent learning experience, with adjudications, workshops, and play readings.

HostsFestival 2008 is co-hosted by Gateway Theatre Guild, QUONTA and The-atre Ontario. The Festival Co-Chairs are Rex Hiscock and Gabriel Giroux. The Honourary Festival Chairs are Mayor Vic and First Lady Patty Fedeli.

Festival Performance ScheduleAll performances are at 8:00pm. There is a public adjudication in the the-atre immediately following the performance. After each performance, an “After-Glow” celebration is held in the Lakeshore Room of the Best West-ern. The Awards Brunch is being held at 11:00am in the Regency Ballroom of the Best Western. Information on ordering tickets to the performances, “After-Glow” celebrations, and awards brunch can be found below. The schedule of productions is:Wednesday, May 14Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard - Theatre SMC (Sault Ste. Marie) from QUONTAThursday, May 15Proof by David Auburn - Peterborough Theatre Guild from EODLFriday, May 16I Ought To Be In Pictures by Neil Simon - Kincardine Theatre Guild fromWODL







Saturday, May 17Outlaw by Norm Foster - Markham Little Theatre of ACT-COSunday, May 18Awards BrunchFestival Event ScheduleAll of the following events are free to attendees of the Festival. Click here to download a printable copy of the full schedule.Wed, May 14 at 4:00pmOpening Ceremonies at Best West-ern Regency Foyer Thu, May 15 at 10:00amDetailed Adjudication of Rosen-crantz And Guildenstern Are DeadBest Western Lakeshore Room Thu, May 15 at 2:00pmAdjudicator’s Workshop: “Beam Me Up Scotty! -- The Actor In Space”Pre-registration is required for this workshop. Best Western Lakeshore RoomFri, May 16 at 10:00amDetailed Adjudication of Proof at Best Western Lakeshore RoomFri, May 16 at 2:00pmPlaywright-In-Person: Keith Roulston at Best Western Lake-shore RoomSat, May 17 at 10:00amDetailed Adjudication of I Ought To Be In Pictures at Best Western Lakeshore RoomSat, May 17 at 11:30amTheatre Ontario AGM at Best West-ern Joso’s Dining RoomSat, May 17 at 2:00pmAdjudicator’s Workshop: “Beam Me Up Scotty! -- The Actor In Space”Pre-registration is required for this workshop. (Repeat of Thursday’s workshop.) Best Western Lake-shore RoomSun, May 18 at 9:00amDetailed Adjudication of Outlaw at Best Western Lakeshore Room

Venue and Box OfficeFestival 2008 is being held at Ecole Secondaire Odyssee, 480 Norman Avenue, North Bay. Tickets are now

available by calling the Box Office at 705.647.6808. Tickets are avail-able for all four shows at $64.00, for three shows (Thursday to Satur-day) at $51.00, or for $20.00 each. Awards brunch tickets are $25.00. After-glow tickets are $5.00. The full package is $109.00.

Participant packages of three plays (excluding your performance night) are also available for $51.00, with a full package (including awards brunch and all After-Glow parties) at $91.00.

AdjudicatorThe adjudicator for Festival 2008 is John P. Kelly. For Mr. Kelly’s com-plete biography, please go totheatreontario.org. After each performance, Mr. Kelly will give a public adjudication of the evening’s performance. The follow-ing morning, he will give a detailed adjudication. On Thursday, he will also lead an adjudicator’s workshop entitled “Beam Me Up, Scotty! -- The Actor In Space.”Playwright-in-Person

On Friday, we will feature play read-ings by Keith Roulston.

Keith Roulston co-founded, with James Roy and Anne Chislett, the Blyth Festival in 1975. He served as General Manager from Fall 1979 to Fall 1983. He served two terms as president of the Board of Direc-tors, 1975-78 and 1994-1998. He is also founder and publisher of a community-owned newspaper, the North Huron Citizen. He is editor and publisher of The Rural Voice, a farm and rural magazine. He is in-volved in rural community economic development and was a recipient of a Canada 125 medal.

Keith Roulston’s appearance is made possible by a grant from the Canada Council through Play-wrights Guild of Canada.

www.actco.caMay/Jun 2008 2�







President’s Awards Submission Deadline – May, 31, 2008:

Each year, on behalf of ACT-CO’s member groups, the ACT-CO President presents awards to those individuals who have contributed something spe-cial to the growth or spirit of their community theatre company. While ACT-CO issues the award certificates and makes the presentation, the award itself is by recommendation from the group, in acknowledgement of its grati-tude to the individual. Each member group is therefore invited each year to name a person who has made that special contribution. An award will be presented to each nominee. The nature of the contribution, the wording of the certificate, and the naming of the individual is in the group’s hands.

The ACT-CO president presents the awards at our Annual General Meeting each year in June. For groups wishing to nominate a member, we would ask that you be prepared for your nominee, along with a representative from the group to be able to attend the AGM.

Publication of the President Award winners will appear each year in the July issue of the ACTION newsletter and be posted to the website soon after. Please note that the Board can not issue awards after the deadline date. If your group is a current member of ACT-CO and would like to honour a valued member of your company, we encourage you to send us their name and other pertinent information at the earliest possible time.

Ordering Additional Theas – Deadline Monday, June 9, 2008:

In 2004 ACT-CO revised its policy on allowing groups to purchase additional Thea trophies for recipients of shared awards. All purchase orders for the current Festival season must be received no later than the ACT-CO AGM on Monday, June 9, 2008.

When multiple group members are explicitly recognized (e.g. a collaborative design or production team) in the presentation of a single Festival award, a member group may request permission to purchase additional Theas to a maximum that every named individual may have a single trophy that symbolizes their part of the achievement. This policy does not apply to the awards for “Best Presentation” except for a situation where the show had co-producers named in the production’s programme.

Any eligible person may submit a request using the “Application to Pur-chase Supplementary Award Trophies” form. Each supplementary trophy requested costs $75 plus $10 for shipping and handling. All requests must include pre-payment by cheque before ACT-CO will review, approve or pro-cess any orders. To read the complete formal ACT-CO policy statement on this program, please visit our website. The link to the Thea Ordering page can be found at the top of the 2007-08 Festival Gala Awards page.

“Every now and then, when you’re on stage, you hear the best sound a player can hear. It’s a sound you can’t get in movies or in television. It is the sound of a wonderful, deep silence that means you’ve hit them where they live.” Shelley Winters

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