Evita - Oh What a Circus
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ACT News
Saturday, March 06, 2010
PEI COMMUNITY THEATRE FESTIVAL
ACT is sponsoring the PEI Community Theatre Festival - on World Theatre Day, 2010
People around the world will be celebrating UNESCO’s World Theatre Day on March 27th, and here on the Island that Saturday evening is the occasion for the PEI Community Theatre Festival. The place is the Playhouse in Victoria, and the curtain goes up at 7:00 pm.
It’s an evening of short plays presented by some of the Island’s most dynamic amateur theatre groups. This is a showcase for true community theatre—a time when for-the-fun-of-it actors and back-stage production crew get to perform beyond their usual home audience, to rub shoulders and learn from one another and get constructive feedback.
Popular theatre-man Wade Lynch will be the adjudicator, providing observations and tips. The participants will have the opportunity to socialize and discuss their experiences. Each acting group will go home with a Community Theatre Festival award.
The Festival play-bill has comedy in common, but the participating groups and their stage-works are delightfully varied.
• Sheep for Wheat Productions has a ‘dark comedy’ with an absurdist touch—“The Worker” by Walter Wykes. A young woman fashions a pretend child to cope with her loneliness; her husband is furious, and perhaps with good reason—what does this mean for his life ... literally?! The show offers the bonuses of original music and a recreation of the painting which inspired the writing of the play. With their playful name from a card-trading board game, Sheep for Wheat is a fresh and enthusiastic group—known for their all-participant collaborative approach in bringing to life the provocative drama of the mid-20th century, such as Harold Pinter’s “The Dumb Waiter” and Eugene Ionesco’s “The Lesson”.
• The Bonshaw Young Players have been honing their skills in a fun way with Ruth Lacey for four years now—learning Improv, doing workshops with professional actors, writing, directing, and presenting their own material. Their ages range from 5 to 16; interestingly, half of them are home-schooled. Their play is “Heir Repair”, written and directed by one of their members, Rachel Horrocks. It entangles an elderly spinster in a series of hilarious misunderstandings.
• The Harbourfront Theatre Company offers a half-hour excerpt from a typical Norm Foster comedy, “Opening Night”. How do you celebrate the 25th anniversary of a now-stale marriage? ... by going to the theatre, of course! Here’s a play-within-a-play, and it’s a toss-up as to which one causes more laughter. Islanders know this troupe from their days as the Jubilee Players, which they became on their move from Kensington. They have almost two decades of comedy experience.
This is an evening of live, and lively, theatre. The public is welcome for the fun of the performances and for refreshments served up by the Bonshaw Women’s Institute. Admission (to somewhat defray the costs) is by donation.
The Community Theatre Festival—previously a successful project of Theatre PEI—is being mounted this year with the sponsorship and support of ACT (a community theatre).
The contact for further information is jshields932 @ gmail.com, 675-3672.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
PEI COMMUNITY THEATRE FESTIVAL
March 27 ... For World Theatre Day, an evening of lively comedy
“The Play’s the thing!” Drama is as old as civilization ... and it keeps revitalizing itself in every time period, in every culture. No wonder UNESCO celebrates it annually with World Theatre Day.
To join in the observation, PEI has its own Community Theatre Festival. This year it’s Saturday, March 27th. The place is the Victoria Playhouse, and the curtain goes up at 7:00 pm.
It’s an evening of short plays or excerpts presented by some of the Island’s most dynamic amateur theatre groups. This is a showcase for true community theatre—a time when for-the-fun-of-it actors and back-stage production crew get to perform beyond their usual home audience, to rub shoulders and learn from one another and get constructive feedback.
ACT (a community theatre) is offering a visit by an experienced director to any group who may want some friendly guidance as they prepare their play. Then on Festival night a professional theatre adjudicator will provide observations and tips, and the participants will have the opportunity to socialize and discuss their experiences. Each group will go home with a Community Theatre Festival award.
The Festival play-bill:
• The Bonshaw Players present “Heir Repair”, written and directed by Rachel Horrocks—An elderly spinster gets entangled in hilarious misunderstandings.
• Sheep for Wheat has a ‘dark comedy’, “The Worker” by Walter Wykes—A young woman fashions a fake child to cope with her loneliness; her husband is furious, and perhaps with good reason—the child’s existence may put him in grave danger.
• The Tignish Drama Club is preparing “Grandpa’s Twin Sister”, a good-old-standby farce.
• The Jubilee Players offer a typical Norm Foster comedy, “Opening Night”—How do you treat a stale marriage? ... by going to the theatre, of course!
It’s an evening of live—and lively—comedy.
The public is welcome to join the audience for the fun of the performances and refreshments. Admission is by donation.
The Community Theatre Festival—previously a successful project of Theatre PEI—is being mounted this year by an organizing committee of community-theatre enthusiasts with the support of ACT (a community theatre). The contact for further information is jshields932 @ gmail.com
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Theatre Festival Deadline
Hi folks,
I’ve just heard from Jennifer Shields, who is chairing the committee that is getting the theatre festival resurrected and rolling for this year.
She wanted me to let everyone know that the deadline for submissions for the festival has been extended to February 7th.
If you are interested in entering a show into the festival Jennifer will need the following information by that deadline;
-name of the group
-title of their submission and a few sentences of a description
-approximate running time
-contact email and phone number
-the fee (will be 50$ or less)(I’ll confirm the exact amount for you guys within the week)
You can contact Jennifer by email at jennifer932@gmail.com
This is going to be a terrific festival, and I’m so looking forward to seeing all of our Island’s wonderful talent.
Richard Haines
ACT President
Monday, November 30, 2009
Liverpool International Theatre Festival’s Special Christmas Offer
Liverpool, Nova Scotia. November 30, 2009
From May 19-23, 2010, the community of Liverpool, Nova Scotia will once again shine a spotlight on some of the world’s best theatrical performers at the Liverpool International Theatre Festival (LITF). Held at Liverpool’s famed Astor Theatre, the biennial festival is celebrating its tenth Anniversary with more entertainment than ever before. To mark the occasion, LITF is also offering a special Christmas ticket package as a thank-you to audience members.
In addition to the usual line-up of outstanding amateur theatre performers, LITF 2010 will feature activities for youth to enjoy, fantastic nightly entertainment, and the return of some of our audiences’ favourite troupes from past festivals. Several other special events and guest appearances are also planned.
On stage, the 2010 festival will see the return of the Teochew Drama Association from Singapore, who wowed audiences with their performances in 2000 and 2006; and Blackwood Little Theatre from Wales, who appeared at LITF 2008. Artistic Director Chris Heide has also accepted applications from Italy, France, Finland, the United States and the Faroe Islands. And, of course, the festival will host the best amateur theatre troupes from across Nova Scotia. While the exact line-up hasn’t been finalized yet, it’s definitely going to be an exciting blend of international and local theatre.
Audience members will be able to mix and mingle with the theatre troupes at the Festival Club between and after plays, and join in critical discussions with playwrights, directors, and performers at the daily Coffee Critiques. Attendees can also learn more about theatre craft by attending special Workshops.
For complete information, click on “Read Full Article>>>” below.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Rocky On!!!
Rocky Horror played to packed and pumped houses
Brenda and I were in the house last night and what an experience it was. You folks must have had a blast. The energy was fabulous—as was seeing so many young people clearly having a great time. Congratulations to you all. Adam, I’m afraid I will never be able to look at you the same again. You really really look good in fish net stockings and a bustier!!
- Gerry
Saturday, October 17, 2009
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW
You probably know already that ACT is staging the cult classic ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ at the end of October—the 29th, 30th and 31st (Hallowe’en!), at the Carrefour. The curtain opens at 8:00 o’clock .
You can find a description of the famous show at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rocky_Horror_Show
It’s a hoot ... a fun-filled absurdity of a musical take-off on 1950s sci-fi horror flicks ... think space aliens who abandoned their original mission of galactic research in order to engage in kinky sex with earthlings and work on creating a bionic man!
Imagine these characters in a Frankensteinesque castle:
• Brad (Nick Whelan) and Janet (Helen Killorn) - naive fiancés stranded on a dark-and-stormy night
• Frank N. Furter (Adam Gauthier) - a madcap hedonist who introduces himself as “just a Sweet Transvestite from Trans-sexual Transylvania”
• Rocky Horror (Jeremy Doucette) - Frank’s creation, the “beautiful to behold” muscle-man
• Columbia (Carolyn Campbell) - conflicted groupy
• Riff Raff (Ashley Clark) - the castle’s freaky handyman
• Magenta - Riff’s sensuous, if somewhat spacey, sister
• Eddie - the biker rebel who “went to pieces” for the cause of Frank’s brand of science
• The Phantoms (Morgan Varis, Bethany Mayne, Lana MacAusland, Ashley MacLeod) - who float sinuously in and out of the action
• Dr. Everett Scott (Rob Thomson) - the wheelchair-bound scientist with a questionable past
• The Narrator (Ken Gay) - pontificatory commentator on the action and the meaning of life
The production is directed by the irrepressible Richard Haines.
The rock-and-roll music (led by Ian Toms) is a gas. The dancing (prepared by Savannah Belsher-MacLean) is amazing. The costumes (and their sometimes skimpiness!) are ... well, engaging.
Tickets are $15 (general seating)—from the Confederation Centre Box Office or at the door. Remember that there is a $2 advance-purchase discount for anyone on Sophia’s list of paid-up (2009/10) ACT members.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
COMMUNITY THEATRE FESTIVAL
The PEI Community Theatre Festival is back. It lapsed with the demise of Theatre PEI ... but now ACT (a community theatre) has spear-headed its revival.
It is a series of several evenings in late March 2010 when short plays get presented in several locations by about a dozen of the Island’s amateur theatre groups. The conclusion is a gala awards evening. In celebration of UNESCO’s World Theatre Day, it is a showcase for true community theatre—a chance for scores of amateur actors and off-stage production volunteers to perform beyond their usual home audience, to rub shoulders with and learn from one another and get constructive feedback.
Dates: March 25th to 28th, 2010
Venues: three or four small theatres or community halls in different parts of the Island
Who should participate: any group—big or small, young or old—which does theatre in an amateur (not-for-profit, for-the-fun-of-it) way
What kind of show: short (45 minutes maximum) ... comedy, serious drama, avant-garde, whatever. There’s no pre-screening to assess appropriateness, although a group should be conscious of potential offensiveness. (Even so, it may be possible to have a special performance evening for more ‘mature’ or ‘cutting-edge’ plays). Choice of play could be affected by technical limitations of the performance space and the limited set-up time between plays.
Programming: arrangement depends on numbers and nature of the plays ... but each evening will probably have 3 plays, with a 20-minute set-up gap between plays.
A group is responsible for all aspects of its play—rights, costumes, props, light/sound design, special effects, transportation, etc. A technician will be provided for each evening, with whom the player-group can make specific plans. It is possible that workshops or mentoring may be offered if groups feel they need such support as they prepare.
Adjudication: an experienced off-Island professional will give constructive feedback ... and there will be awards for such categories as overall production, lead and supporting actors, costuming, set, and audience choice.
Wrap-up Gala: Sunday evening - presentation of awards, entertainment, refreshments
Finances: mostly covered by sponsors and program advertisers + ticket sales ... but it is necessary to have each group contribute an entry fee (probably $50)
Timelines: expression of intent before Christmas ... confirmation by the end of January
Organization: by the Festival Committee—9 community-theatre enthusiasts with the sponsorship and support of ACT (a community theatre)
Contact: Jennifer Shields jshields932 @ gmail.com
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Young At Heart Auditions
General auditions for Young At Heart Musical Theatre for Seniors are in process right now. Adult singers / actors / musicians are encouraged to call Catherine at 569-4449 to set up an appointment.
Young At Heart Musical Theatre for Seniors Inc. is a professional, non-profit charity organization which tours original Canadian musicals to Community Care Facilities and Manors across PEI.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
This is for friends/members of ACT - a community theatre – current, past, and would-be interest parties ... It is notice of the Annual General Meeting of ACT.
When: Saturday 22 August - about 4:00 till mid-evening
Where: at Ben Kinder/Monique Lafontaine’s country estate in Earnscliffe
What to bring: potluck food + drink + chairs + lawn games e.g. frisbee, badminton, a ball + bug repellent. (Dinnerware and utensils will be provided.)
Response:
==> Please call (628-6105) or send a note (monique_lafontaine_1 @hotmail.com) to tell Monique Lafontaine if you’ll be attending, so that she can make arrangements for the appropriate number. She will provide you with directions to the Earnscliffe estate.
What happens: lawn games ... a potluck supper ... entertainment ... mostly chat ... but also our fairly brief business meeting – short reports, plans for the coming year, maybe some discussion of ‘issues’, election of officers
Elections: the Nominating Committee will present a slate of candidates for several positions, but there can also be nominations from the floor. The following table shows the officers, terms, and the Nominating Committee’s proposals. The positions of President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Director of Theatre, Membership Coordinator, ACT-out Coordinator, and Workshops Coordinator are to be filled at this AGM.
Officer
President - nominee: Richard Haines
(succeeding Rob Thomson) Term ends Aug/11
Vice-Pres - nominee: Rob Reddin
(completing for Richard Haines) Term ends Aug/10
Rob Thomson - Past President
(succeeding Terry Pratt) Term ends Aug/11
Janet Macdonald - Secretary
(continuing) Term ends Aug/10
Treasurer - nominee: Jennifer Long
(completing for Adam Gauthier) Term ends Aug/10
Director of Theatre - nominee: Adam Gauthier
(succeeding Paul Whelan) Term ends Aug/11
Membership Coordinator - nominee Sophia Wong
(standing for a new term) Term ends Aug/11
ACT-out - ??? Indefinite term
Monique Lafontaine - Play-readings Indefinite term
Carl Mathis - Music Indefinite term
Workshops - ??? Indefinite term
Webmaster (not a Board position) - Gerry Gray
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
John Alfred Conway
The death occurred at his late residence in Charlottetown on Monday, July 20, 2009, of John Alfred Conway, aged 54 years. Born in Charlottetown, January 17, 1955, he was the son of the late H.J. “Harry” Conway and Louise (Blanchard) Conway. He is survived by his daughter Patti, son Ryan (Shauna) and daughter Julia. Also survived by sister Lynda Campbell (Jim), Charlottetown, Paula Crockett (Orville) of Montrose, P.E., and brother Michael (Darlene) and sister Helen, Charlottetown. Resting at the Hennessey Funeral Home, completed funeral arrangements to be announced later. Online condolences may be made at http://www.islandowned.ca .
Thursday, July 16, 2009
SCRIPT READING OPPORTUNITY
Actor-Readers needed for Friday 17 July
Corin McFadden (of IMAC) is soliciting the help of actors in the community, who might be free Friday, July 17, between 7-10 p.m, to participate in a stage reading of short excerpts, from the top six screenplay finalists, for the 2nd Annual PEI International Film Festival. This will be presented at The Guild.
Those interested can contact Robbin W by phone (902) 894-9911
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
THEATRE TRAINING for YOUNG PEOPLE
Youth Summer Drama Camp - Kentville NS
CentreStage Theatre in Kentville NS will be hosting a youth drama camp under the very capable leadership of Cynthia Myers, Chester (http://www.cynthia-myers.com). For more information or registration forms, please email jchurchill @ ns.sympatico.ca.
Week of August 3: Ages 6-11
STAR SEARCH: The greatest talent contest in the Universe! Queen Andromeda of the Andromeda galaxy is bored, her assistant Sirius decides they should host a talent contest. When the word gets out in the solar system; Venus, Mars; The Meteorites and The Pleiades all arrive to compete to be the brightest star in the universe! And the winner is….?!?
This week long camp will focus on teamwork, choreography, singing and basic theater etiquette. The actors will receive a script and CD of Cynthia Myer’s original musical Star Search. Every actor will audition, every actor will be given a part and together the ensemble will perform on Saturday August 8th at 2pm.
August 3-7th Performance Aug 8th at 2pm
Monday to Friday 9-3pm
Class limited to 25
Week of August 10: Ages 12-17
Who’s Right: Whose Rite?!
We all have rights, but what happens when someone from 2009 is plopped into Biblical times, the turn of the century, or outer space?
Find out what really happens when you’re overdue with library books, and you get sent into the story you’re reading!
This week long camp will focus on acting technique and basic theater etiquette. Actors will learn choreography; how to work with sets, props, costumes and character development. All actors will audition, receive a CD and script and work together and an ensemble in performance Saturday Aug 15th at 2pm.
Actors age 12-18
August 10-14th performance Saturday August 15th at 2pm
Monday to Friday, 9-3pm
Class limited to 25
If you have any questions, or would like further information please contact us at centrestage @ centrestagetheatre.ca or phone 678-3502 and leave a message. CentreStage Theatre is located at 61 River Street, Kentville, near the police station.
Monday, June 22, 2009
AGM - early notice
Keep August 22 open ... for ACT’s AGM/party
ACT - a community theatre will hold its annual general meeting – well all right, its annual general convivial gathering – on Saturday afternoon, August 22nd, starting at 4:00 pm. This is for ACT members – current, past and would-be.
Besides the mercifully short business meeting, there’ll be news about the coming season’s productions, workshops, play readings and ‘ACT-Out’ social occasions, lawn sports and a fine potluck dinner.
Venue: the Earnscliffe estate of Ben and Monique.
The agenda for the business meeting includes short reports by the President, Treasurer, Membership coordinator, Director of Theatre, Readings coordinator ... elections for Board members ... possibly some discussion of ‘issues’ like strategic directions for ACT.
More information later.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Spring Cleaning
The Beach House sparkles after its spring clean-up.
We held our annual June clean-up of the Beach House on Saturday, 20 June. Big thanks to the sweepers, scrubbers, garbage-tossers and toilet-bowl polishers: Wallena Higgins, Terry Pratt, Cyril Armstrong, Richard Haines, Barb Rhodenhizer, Doug Gallant and Rob Thomson. After the labours we had a nice barbecue lunch together.
Ticket Prize
ACT provided tickets to its October production, The Rocky Horror Show, as a boost for the annual Huntington Disease fund-raiser.
ACT has received a note from Stephen Hurst, the president of the PEI chapter of the Huntington Society, to thank us for donating a pair of tickets to “Rocky Horror” as a prize. The Society’s ‘Indy’ Go-Kart Challenge was held last weekend. It raised $7000 for Hungington research and family support.
The winner of the ACT tickets was Janet-Rose McBeath.