Zak Kearns
Lawrence Badanai
FilmTheatre
Boo! Cheer! Laugh!
The Summer Melodrama Tradition Returns By Kyle Poluyko
T
he guilty pleasure and zany summer tradition of melodrama showcasing local talent, originated by the late Moonlight Melodrama, returns to delight once again. In partnership with the City of Thunder Bay and The Friends of Chippewa Park, Rob McLeod’s Capitol Players present the New Moon Production of The Moose Meat Cook-off by T.T. Lucky. This wacky tale has the great people of Chippewa Park gathering for the event of the season: the Moose Meat Cook-Off. But will a notorious villain and his evil-doings—foiling the hero and putting a damsel in distress—spoil everything?
Capitol Players and New Moon Productions (New Moon being a tip of the hat to the bygone Moonlight Melodrama) are happy to return the summer theatre tradition to its original venue at the Chippewa Park Pavillion. “It’s a pleasure to be directing a local summer tradition,” says director Lawrence Badanai, who helms this delightful farce. “Thunder Bay is known for its topical theatre entertainment and dirty pleasure of melodrama laced with local references, political references, and daily coffee talk.” More songs will intertwine jokes, boo balls, and wicked schemes the villain throws his protagonists’ way. This year's talented cast includes Colin Stewart, Spencer Hari, Janis Swanny Swanson, Candi Badanai, Beverley Gravelle MacLeod, Jenny Costanzo, and Don McMahon. As with the genre's custom for cheers, sighs, and boos, audiences will surely find themselves immersed and involved in the hysterical commotion. The Moose Meat Cook-Off will be staged July 4, 11, 18, and August 1 (Thursdays) at 7 pm, July 7, 21, and 28 (Sundays) at 4 pm, and July 8, 15, 22, and 29 (Mondays) at 7 pm. Tickets are available at the door and are $8 for adults/teens, $5 for 12 and under/65+, and children 5 and under are free. tbaymelodrama.com
20
The Walleye
Sam DiGiuseppe
A Local Actor’s Theatrical Success By Kyle Poluyko
W
hen Dorothy finds herself over the rainbow eight times a week in the Mirvish production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Wizard of Oz (currently on stage at Toronto’s Ed Mirvish Theatre) Sam DiGiuseppe of Thunder Bay is there to greet her. Long before public voting on the CBC reality show Over the Rainbow anointed Danielle Wade as Dorothy, DiGiuseppe had been cast following a formidable audition process. “There were three or four rounds of auditions,” says DiGiuseppe. “There was a dance audition for the casting director followed by a singing audition.” Callbacks for the artistic team followed, and soon a fortunate few were contacted with good news. The boy from Thunder Bay, too, would find himself in Oz. DiGiuseppe, 22, credits his parents and their love of travel for exposing him to great cultural experiences. His first taste for performing came in elementary school and his participation in local community theatre groups. “It wasn’t until high school that I became heavily involved in the singing and dancing aspects of theatre,” DiGiuseppe recalls. “My last two years, I really spread myself thin.” Those busy two years were spent performing in as many local productions as possible, his most memorable include portraying Ryan in High School Musical and its sequel at St. Ignatius High School, and as Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for BOUNCE Productions. In 2008, DiGiuseppe entered the intensive and demanding musical theatre performance program
at Sheridan College, training acting, singing, and dancing. He made his professional debut in 2010 with Broadway Gold, a musical revue at Brampton’s Rose Theatre. Notably, the fall of 2011 brought DiGiuseppe back to Thunder Bay, where he made his Magnus Theatre debut in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. “I was thrilled to come back,” he says. “The cast and creative team were incredible and I am proud of the work we created.” Following a rigorous rehearsal process, The Wizard of Oz had its North American premiere in Toronto early this year. The production features new music by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, the illustrious composer of Cats and The Phantom of the Opera, who is also the show’s co-producer. Recently, Lloyd Webber came to see the Toronto production and speak with the cast following a performance. Recounting the moment, DiGiuseppe says “It was a surreal to be standing a stage with such an iconic man knowing I had just performed his show for him. A very special moment I won’t forget.” Mirvish Productions recently announced that, upon concluding its Toronto run in August, The Wizard of Oz will embark on a North American tour with many members of the current Canadian cast. Already possessing a diverse and distinguished theatrical background, one thing is certain: be it yellow or more golden, Sam DiGiuseppe is heading down the road to a very bright future.