Stagestruck October 2024 by Theatre Sarnia

MeetTheCast

By Ruth Francoeur

JohnReid-RafaelBellini,Ralph

SS: Are you from Sarnia? No, I live in Forest

SS: How did you hear about Theatre Sarnia?

I heard about Theatre Sarnia from Megan Hadley when we were performing in community theatre in Petrolia, approximately 24 years ago.

SS: What do you do outside of theatre hours?

I am an avid walker, logging 10 km. every day to keep fit and to keep my healer/hound Willow happy

Elizabeth Walton – Carol Reynolds

SS: Are you from Sarnia?

I have lived in Sarnia all of my life except for 9 years spent in Calgary, Alberta.

SS: How did you hear about Theatre Sarnia?

I was a member of Sarnia Little Theatre when it was located on Campbell St. (1975-1977) After some time off, I returned to Sarnia in 2002 My daughter Tiffany and I auditioned for “Dick Whittington and His Cat”. I have been a member ever since.

SS: What do you do outside theatre hours?

I am involved with Petrolia Community Theatre. I am self-employed. I volunteer for Caregivers of Petrolia Ferals and am a member of Lambton Cat Rescue Spending time with my family, especially my grandchildren, is the best part of my life

Shawn Chapman – The Young Man

SS: Are you from Sarnia? How long have you been involved with Theatre Sarnia?

I was born and raised in Sarnia I became involved with Theatre Sarnia in the last 12 years. They were looking for an actor to star in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat I auditioned and was chosen for the role

SS: What do you do outside theatre hours?

I am employed as an operator with Local 793 Operating Engineers. I dabble in many hobbies from 3-D design/printing, costuming, and singing Karaoke

CharmaineJacklin–RoseTagliatelle

SS: Are you from Sarnia? No, I am originally from Rouyn-Noranda I arrived in the Sarnia area from the Ottawa Valley

SS: How did you hear about Theatre Sarnia? I had attended a few Theatre Sarnia Shows

SS: How long have you been involved with Theatre Sarnia? In 2007 I saw an advertisement in the local newspaper about auditions for Storm Warning. Although I did not get a role, the director and the producer encouraged me not to give up The next time I auditioned for Night Sky and I was chosen to be in the cast!

SS: Are you involved in any other Theatre Sarnia committees? I have volunteered backstage in many shows assisting with costume changes, properties, sets, assistant stage manager relief, front-ofhouse and the Box Office I was also on the Board of Directors for a number of years

SS: What do you do outside theatre hours? I work with my husband at Alliance Fabricating when needed I enjoy reading, staying active, and spending time with my grandchildren.

Trixie Walker - Peaches

Trixie is a 3 yr old Yorkie-Poo. Her hobbies include kayaking, chasing squirrels and catching balls A romantic at heart, Trixie is thrilled that her début performance with Theatre Sarnia is in “The Last Romance".

TOWNHALL MEETING

LetYourVoiceBeHeard: JoinOurTownhallMeeting

WEDNESDAY,16OCTOBER2024 At7:00PM-8.00PM ImperialTheatre

Atthistownhallmeeting,the topicsbeingdiscussedare: Inputoncapital projects Input&Directionon ourStrategicPlan

Pleasesendusyourideasforfuture TownHalls.Forwardyoursuggestions tosupport@theatresarnia.org.

CINDERELLA...AFTER THE BALL

BY RUTH FRANCOEUR

CHRIS MCCLOSKEY, MUSICAL DIRECTOR

I am writing this as we prepare for the final Cinderella shows What a journey it has been! Sarnia is truly blessed by the creative, hard-working community that comes together to produce shows like this one. Not only do we have a talented cast on the stage and musicians in the pit that are front-and-centre for every show, there are people backstage, above stage, under the stage, front-ofhouse, behind the bar, behind the camera, in the shop, in the studios all contributing to present shows for the most important people the ones in the seats!

Directing the musical performance from the pit is a unique experience. Connecting a live orchestra and pit choir with the singers and dancers on stage produces a magically organic performance that is never quite the same twice. It sparkles with life every time, and is shaped to fit each unique audience interaction. Anticipating how to react to an unrehearsed moment, with 13 musicians waiting for direction, only a visual camera connection to the cast on stage, and a full audience, is daunting! Fortunately, unrehearsed moments seldom occurred occurred with this cast and crew

As the clock strikes midnight on this production of Cinderella, I thank all of the cast, musicians and crew for making this an absolutely amazing experience I’m thrilled that a check mark on the Theatre Sarnia volunteer form resulted in this incredible opportunity.

KATE HARDY, STAGE MANAGER

Typically the stage manager is the individual in the booth calling cues and managing from a distance During Cinderella, one of our assistant stage managers expressed interest in calling the show. This was an excellent opportunity for them to perfect their skills and for me to be backstage. It allowed me to have a closer relationship with the cast and all departments during the run I was able to assist with trouble-shooting, to hone my skills for the quick changes, set transitions, delegation and more It also gave me a new perspective for future shows and their design elements

STACEY STOTHERS, ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

While I have stage-managed and called shows in the past, I have never been involved in a show of this magnitude. I credit Kate, Emma and Henri for their confidence in me. From up in the booth, and able to see the incredible backstage crew and cast move smoothly through transitions that I was calling I felt powerful and as if I were part of the greatest team!

MARGARET DUPUIS, HAIR AND MAKEUP LEAD

The hair and makeup team had a great time “wigging out” for Cinderella Thanks to our brilliant team of artists, and a giant learning curve for all of us, we managed to design and create 18th century ball looks full of whimsy and fantasy. It was thrilling to see the actors bring our creations to life on stage. Thank you to Vessela Antonova, Sara Portingale, Tara Hazzard, Kendra Deelstra, and Sheena Passingham-Johnston for bringing our vision to life “It’s possible”!

EMMA VAN BARNEVELD, ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

The job of ASM can be tricky with such a big set There are so many moving pieces that it almost feels impossible to get everything to go smoothly, but it’s possible! Tech week allowed us time to work closely with the set pieces and how to keep everyone safe while ensuring that the show looked magical Building trust and establishing a routine with your cast and crew makes everything easier.

MARY JO WEBBER & LINDA JOHNSON

I'll start by saying we all love Ruth’s home-made cookies. Thank you for the delicious baking.

We have a great show. The entire cast and crew is marvellous The backstage crew ran smoothly, finding places for so many large pieces, ensuring that everything fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. It was a challenge for me to figure out how to make

Buttercup’s blanket, but I did it

Linda adds that this is the best cast and crew she has ever worked with!

DIANNE VISSER

As I dove into my role on the producers team for Cinderella, I realized I had little knowledge of exactly what a producer does Luckily for me, I had Ruth and Cheri (two experienced producers) to show me the ropes I learned so much from these wonderful ladies.

What does a producer do? They order show shirts, track memberships, and make sure everyone has the tools and resources that they need. They act as chair of production meetings, track budgets, attend rehearsals, do door duty, organize cast party, appreciation gifts and much more.

The most rewarding part of the producer’s role for me was getting to know everyone in the cast and crew, interaction with all of the different moving parts and seeing how everything comes together It is very rewarding to sit in the audience and watch the magic that was created. I felt proud of each and everyone involved

Cocktail

Naming Contest

DidyouknowthataftertheopeningofeveryTheatreSa SarniamembersareinvitedtojointheCastandCrewo Itmakesawonderfulnightevenbetter!

Andwewanttomakethisyear’sGalasevenmorespecial!

Wewouldliketohaveadesignerdrinkforeachshow,tobeservedattheirGala.Thedrink shouldreflecttheshowinsomeway-itcouldbeathemeoftheshow,acharactername, animportantproporevenapunbasedonthenameoftheshow Youdecide Getthose creativejuicesflowing!

Herearetherules:

Sincewearecelebrating,thedrinkshouldhaveaChampagnebase (Thenaddwhatever youthinkworks!)

ComeupwiththeNameandrecipeofthedrink

Createanonalcoholicversion,usingclubsodaorgingerale.(Thiscanhaveadifferent nameifyouwant)

Brieflyexplainhowthedrink/drinknamerelatestotheshow

Submityourdrinkby:

Emailing:support@theatresarniaorg, orFillingouttheformfoundhere.https://forms.gle/NVY8P5DF9Hk3KddXA

Ifyouareemailing,include:

Yournameandphonenumber

Thenameoftheshow

Thenameofthedrink

Therecipeforthedrink

Thenameofthenonalcoholicdrink(ifdifferent)

Therecipeofthenonalcoholicdrink

Howyourdrinkrelatestotheshow

Makesureitissomethingyouwouldwanttodrink!

ThewinnerwillbechosenbytheEventsSubcommittee,andthewinningdrinkwillbeserved attheGala!PrizeisTWOTICKETSTOTHEOPENINGNIGHT!Andachancetoenjoyyour signaturedrinkattheopeningnightgala

ThenextshowinourseasonisTheLastRomance,withitsopeningnightGalaonOctober23rd. ThedeadlineforsubmissionsisOctober18thatmidnight!

Y O U T H G R O U P

U

P D A T E

SEPTEMBER 2024

By:JackieBurns

Thenewschoolyearhasbegun,andwiththatcomesthestartofanotheryouthgroup season!Asaresultoflastseason'spopularityandpositiveresponse,wehave DOUBLEDourprogrammingofferingsforthisseason!

Thisyear,wewillberunningaFallActingProgramandaWinterActingProgram,aswell asaJuniorMusicalTheatreprogramandSeniorMusicalTheatreprogram.OurFall ActingProgramwillpresentanightofoneactsincludingtheshortplaysSupervillains Anonymous,TwelveHangryJurors,andStoneDragonStew.OurJuniorMusicalTheatre programwillbeworkinghardonaproductionofAnnieJr.OurSeniorMusicalTheatre willcometogethertobringHighSchoolMusicalJr.totheImperialstage.OurWinter ActingProgramwillbeflyingintothecomedyactionplay,SpacePrincessWars

Bothmusicaltheatreprogramsandourfallactingprogramhavealreadycompleted theirauditionsandbegunrehearsing.Wearealreadysoimpressedwiththeamountof talent,enthusiasm,andpositivityinthesegroups.Abigthankyoutoallour volunteersandproductionteammemberswhoarelendingtheirtalentstothese productions!

OurwinteractingprogramwillbeginattheendofJanuaryandstillhasafewspots remaining.Ifyouareinterestedinlearningmoreinformationabouttheprogramor registeringyourchild,pleaseclickontheincludelinks.

Wanttocatchthesetalentedyoungperformersinaction?Here’swhenallour performanceswillbehappening.Pleasestaytunedformoreinformationabouttickets, includingwhentheywillgoonsale.

AnEveningofOneActs(FallActingProgram)-November19th AnnieJr.(Jr.MusicalTheatreProgram)-January23rd&24th HighSchoolMusicalJr.(Sr.MusicalTheatreProgram)-March27th&28th SpacePrincessWars-April24th

Cinderella Opening Night Gala Full of Wonder

The Imperial Theatre's opening night Gala of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella was a stunning success. The talented cast delivered powerful performances, captivating the audience with their remarkable voices The theatre was transformed into a fairytale wonderland, setting the stage for a magical evening.

As guests entered the front doors they were enchanted by the lobby and Capitol Bar decorations. Shimmering pumpkins adorned the space, casting a warm glow on the elegant surroundings. The make-believe castle became a photo booth and provided a fun and memorable experience Many girls (young and old) dressed up as Cinderella to see the show and enjoyed taking their picture in front of the castle. Scrolls featuring the cast and crew headshots and group shots added a touch of old-world charm to the décor.

The gala was a testament to the hard work and dedication of Theatre Sarnia members. Amanda Jenkins, Front-of-House Lead, displayed her creativity, and her attention to detail and artistic vision were evident in every aspect Additionally, the Community Engagement Committee deserves recognition for their invaluable contributions to the Gala planning and set-up.