MISERY VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
BY RUTH FRANCOEUR
SARA DUNN: SET DÉCOR LEAD
SS: What have you found most challenging or rewarding about your position?
I've honestly had a great time leading and not too many challenges along the way on this particular show. I'm usually pretty shy when communicating in crowds so I took a few steps to navigate this. Prescheduling every week of what step I projected our group to be on and setting up little task stations during our paint nights helped take away the pressure of leading a group I'm a Graphic Designer by trade so I created a layout of the set to help me plan and communicate the goal to my team. I really enjoyed the crew that came out every week. Everyone had their own area they were super proud of and a few people stepped out of their comfort zones to try new things. I found leading Set Décor to be so much fun!
SS: Are you from Sarnia? If not, where did you come from and what brought you here? How did you hear about Theatre Sarnia and how long have you been involved?
I'm originally from Wallaceburg, but I moved here about 7 years ago after I finished college in London. My best friends lived here and I was able to find work directly out of school. Since then, I've been involved in the Arts community in Sarnia doing markets, live chalk street art around town and in Mitton Village, and a few live painting events Sarnia really has an incredible Arts community.
One of my friends works in film and was telling me about the art departments and how that's something I would love to work in I looked into other opportunities to try working on sets and how to get involved in the theatre In the same week, a coworker came up to my desk to tell me how she volunteered to work on Tarzan in the spring of 2023 Great timing! I've been hooked ever since. It opened the doors to a whole new creative community I didn't know was here and met some new friends along the way! Since then I've worked on a few different shows between the Props Department and Set Decor
SS: Are you involved in other capacities/committees within Theatre Sarnia? Recently Natalie got a few of us together from the regular set decor group and we created a Set Decor Committee. It's a great resource to support each other on shows as we all take turns leading Set Decor and helping to keep our supplies organized at Campbell Street.
SS: What do you do outside theatre hours? Work? Hobbies? Outside of theatre hours I work for a sign shop as a sales rep and graphic designer. Usually outside of work and theatre I'm painting or finding a new artistic hobby to add to the collection in my art room, going to concerts and local shows or finding new trails to take my dog on adventures
DALLAS MICHALUK: ANNIE WILKES
SS: What have you found most challenging or rewarding about your role?
Fight choreography is a unique and awesome challenge I’ve never had the opportunity to tackle before
SS: Are you from Sarnia? If not, where did you come from and what brought you here? How did you hear about Theatre Sarnia and how long have you been involved?
Nope! Born and raised in Alberta and moved here for love When I moved here in 2018 I didn’t know a soul and community theatre seemed like a great way to make new friends.
SS: Are you involved in other capacities/committees within Theatre Sarnia?
Nope! Too much of a fraidy-cat for anything but acting.
SS: What do you do outside theatre hours? Work? Hobbies?
I’m a librarian so naturally I love to read, plus I enjoy video games, gardening and sewing. Also, shameless self promotion alert, I have a little theatre podcast called Sarnia Famous you should definitely check out
NORM FRANCOEUR: SHERIFF BUSTER
SS: What have you found most challenging or rewarding about your role?
As with all shows, it's memorizing lines and letting go of the script It's an awesome ride working with Ian and the rest of the cast and crew I've never worked on a set quite like this before and though it presents its own challenges it is quite a ride and certainly requires timing.
SS: Are you from Sarnia? If not, where did you come from and what brought you here? How did you hear about Theatre Sarnia and how long have you been involved?
I've been involved with Theatre Sarnia (Sarnia Little Theatre) since at least 1986 with a break in between while living and doing theatre in Alberta
SS: Are you involved in other capacities/committees within Theatre Sarnia?
I am currently involved with the 100th Anniversary Documentary Committee, digging through almost one hundred years of history as a first pass at narrowing down the scope of what we can squeeze in as highlights of our accomplishments. It is certainly an exciting project to be a part of.
SS: What do you do outside theatre hours? Work? Hobbies?
Is there time outside of theatre? ��
JEFFREY WINTER: PAUL SHELDON
SS: What have you found most challenging or rewarding about your role?
The physical restrictions of the character have been challenging, as well as the timing of movement on the set. I do enjoy the unique challenges each role brings with it.
SS: Are you from Sarnia? If not, where did you come from and what brought you here? How did you hear about Theatre Sarnia and how long have you been involved?
I am from Sarnia, born and raised I have been involved with Theatre Sarnia for several projects over the last ten years as well as having done some work with Petrolia Community Theatre on several shows
SS: Are you involved in other capacities/committees within Theatre Sarnia?
I am currently not involved in any other capacity within Theatre Sarnia, although I did spend two terms on the board of Directors in the past.
SS: What do you do outside theatre hours? Work? Hobbies?
Outside of the theatre, I am a Steamfitter and a proud member of UA Local 663 In my spare time I enjoy studying history and have for 30+ years I have been building scale models since I was a teenager, and have also done some prop work for stage productions I am the host and creator of the Youtube channel, Model-Works Canada
What Would Annie Wilkes Drink??
The Challenges of Building Props
BY KELLY BARRINGTON
It’s no secret that I love puzzling out the challenges involved in building props and special effects so when director Ian Alexander asked me if I would tackle the demands surrounding the play “Misery,” I jumped at the opportunity. The challenge: Keeping everything as realistic looking as possible, as safely as possible.With only 2 actors on stage for the majority of the show, it was extremely important to me that the props looked as real as possible, but also functioned as envisioned by the director.
Just how does one convincingly hobble a person…on stage…in view of a live audience? Turns out, that was one of less problematic effects that I needed to create during the “Misery” build but one I’m hoping will leave the audience cringing! Alongside the well known hobbling scene, some of the other head-scratchers included setting things ablaze without real fire (not once but twice during the show), making Jeff’s legs appear extremely damaged, making Dallas’s head bleed in full view of the audience, creating a convincing double barrel shotgun, and constructing a functional typewriter
To avoid show spoilers, let’s focus on the typewriter challenge. This specialty prop needed to look and sound like the 50 pound monsters from the 1950s, but also needed to be easily lifted above one’s head and brought down dramatically on another’s. In addition, Ian really wanted the sound of the typewriter key clicks to come from the stage, rather than being played as a sound cue, in order for the timing of Jeff’s keystrokes to match what the audience was hearing And just for an extra challenge, the script called for it to be able to feed a piece of paper. After much consideration, I built the prop from scratch using foam core as the bones and various foams and miscellaneous ‘bits and bobs' to make it look realistic. Using reliable bluetooth technology to communicate, the structure was created around a wireless keyboard fitted with retro round keys, an iPad containing an app that makes your keyboard sound like a typewriter, and a wireless speaker for amplification. The engineering of the skeletal structure took approx 60 hours to complete I took my time as I had to take into consideration that: it needed to come apart so each electronic component’s battery could be charged during the run of the show; it needed to fit together tightly enough to protect any of the electrical elements from shifting when lifted; and, most importantly to me, it needed to stay within the realistic sizing of a 1950s Imperial brand typewriter. The roller bar to feed the paper was constructed of various plastic tubes; one for the roller, another for the feed tray-dowels, wire, and knobs. I used 2 flattened down runs of hot glue on the roller to grab and feed the paper when the knobs are turned After the core construction was complete, there were an additional 20 hours spent painting, finessing and adding finishing touches. While I don’t pretend to think that this would pass muster on a film set, I am happy with how it looks from a theatrical perspective.
Don’t miss your chance to see Stephen King’s “Misery” live on the Imperial stage January 29th-Feb 2 Tickets available now online at Imperialtheatre net or through the Box Office
Kinsmen
Parade Recap
Theatre Sarnia brought a touch of magic to this years 2024 Sarnia Kinsmen Parade with their festive float and costumed participants. The parade, themed "Christmas is for Everyone," was the perfect opportunity for our local theatre company to spread holiday cheer and showcase our many talents. The Community Events Committee at Theatre Sarnia decided to embrace the theme by inviting members from youth group to dress up in their favorite costumes This resulted in a colourful and imaginative procession, with participants ranging from classic fairytale characters to whimsical creatures, to comic book heroes, and everything in-between.
A particular highlight of the parade were the appearances of Ariel and Cinderella. These beloved characters, fresh from their recent performances in Theatre Sarnia's productions of The Little Mermaid and Cinderella, captivated all with their stunning costumes and graceful princess presence.
The float itself, designed and assembled by fellow Theatre Sarnia Community Events Committee was a collaborative work of art. It was a testament to the creativity and dedication of this local company's amazing members The organization would like to extend a special thank you to Dan Tidball for generously lending his truck and driving services, as well as to Dianne Visser from DeGroot’s Nurseries for providing us a warm and dry space to prepare the float in advance.
Theatre Sarnia's participation in the Kinsmen Parade was a resounding success, bringing joy to spectators of all ages, by enriching local culture through its diverse membership. Special thanks to the many Theatre Sarnia members who sent in pictures from this event.
Eve Vritsios Community Engagement Committee
Please email support@theatresarniaorg for more information Dates subject to change.
January22: DeadlineforDrinkContest
GetyourdrinkideasinfortheMiseryOpening NightGalaEnterhere: MiseryDrinkIdeas
January23-24: TheatreSarniaJuniorYouth
MusicalTheatrePresents:AnnieJr Getyourticketsattheboxoffice.
January29: OpeningNightGalaforMisery
Joinusaftertheshowtocelebrate!Light Snacksprovided.AllTheatreSarniamembers welcome!
January29-February2: TheatreSarnia Presents:MiseryGetyourticketsatthebox office.
March26:DeadlineforDrinkContest
GetyourdrinkideasinfortheMom’sGift
OpeningNightGalaEnterhere:Mom’sGift DrinkIdeas
March27,28:TheatreSarniaSeniorYouth MusicalTheatrePresents:HighSchoolMusical. Getyourticketsattheboxoffice
April2: OpeningNightGalaforMom’sGift Joinusaftertheshowtocelebrate!LightSnacks providedAllTheatreSarniamemberswelcome!
April2-6: TheatreSarniaPresents:Mom’sGift Getyourticketsattheboxoffice
April24: TheatreSarniaYouthGroupPresents: SpacePrincessWars Getyourticketsatthebox office.
May16: DeadlineforDrinkContest
GetyourdrinkideasinfortheRentOpening NightGalaEnterhere: RentDrinkIdeas
May23: OpeningNightGalaforRent Joinusaftertheshowtocelebrate!LightSnacks provided.AllTheatreSarniamemberswelcome!
May23-31: TheatreSarniaPresents:Rent Getyourticketsattheboxoffice
Summer2025: TheatreSarnia:GalaforHOPECruiseontheDuc-Detailstocome!
If you know of any Theatre Sarnia members who have had a major life event, please share with us at mailto:member-liaison@theatresarnia.org
