School For Scandal - The Scandal Ends
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| Photographer - | Rowena Stinson |
Productions
Monday, April 02, 2012
Macbeth Casting Announcement
Terry Pratt, director, has announced the cast list for ACT’s September 2012 production of Macbeth in Robert Cotton Park, Stratford.
Dramatis Personae for MACBETH, Stratford PEI production
Duncan David Bulger
Malcolm Janaya Gallant
Macbeth Richard Haines
Banquo Keir Malone
Macduff Rob Reddin
Ross Adam Gauthier
Fleance Kassinda Bulger
Young soldier (= young Siward + messenger)
Ian Byrne
Seyton Gerry Gray
Boy, son of Lady Macduff TBA
Doctor Cyril Armstrong
Porter Justin Shaw
First murderer Michael Joslin
Second murderer Alex Morkunas
Lady Macbeth Catherine MacDonald
Lady Macduff Ashley Clark
Gentlewoman (Nurse to Lady Macbeth)
Joanne Mawhinney
Witch 1 Quinby Barrows
Witch 2 Sara McCarthy
Witch 3 Kathleen Haines
Apprentice witches Olivia Barnes,
Barbara Cairns,
Lucy Morkunas
The three apprentice witches will be crowd control, will have some singing as they do so, and probably some given lines, either from the play or as if from the play.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Search Your Closets
Opening Night Dress -ACT-OUT
Thursday March 29th,
Relatively Speaking, 7:30 p.m.
Do you miss wearing head-bands, tye-dyed shirts and torn jeans with sown-on flower patches?
Or did you never have the chance?
ACT’s sparkling, British comedy, Relatively Speaking, is set in the late 60’s/70’s.
Come to the show and opening night reception afterwards all dressed up for a Rolling Stones concert or for a garden party in 1960’s British high class elegance AND have your photo taken for free on the way in and posted on ACT’s Facebook page.
Remember to purchase your tickets from The Guild box office in advance to get your ACT membership discount. (Tickets sold on show date are NOT eligible for a discount)
See you there! I will be the one with flowers in my hair
Jennifer Shields
ACT-OUT Co-Ordinator
PS Please let Jennifer know if you intend to attend the reception.
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PPS If you need to renew your ACT membership contact
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ACT News • Productions • Relatively Speaking • Permalink
Thursday, March 08, 2012
Relatively Speaking its one funny play
Comedy comes to The Guild in Charlottetown as ACT (a community theatre) proudly presents “Relatively Speaking”, the celebrated farce by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn that opens March 29, the 45th anniversary of its London premiere.
Directed by the team of Brenda Porter and Paul Whelan, the shenanigans begin in 1960s London and lead to a lush manor house, where the meeting of two very different couples quickly turns the quiet English countryside on its ear in an entertaining combination of mistaken identity, mischief, and merriment.
The quartet of performers who bring this funny business to life are not new to the ACT stage. Ashley Clark, Adam-Michael James, and Keir Malone all appeared together in last fall’s highly successful production of “Sweeney Todd”, while Barbara Rhodenhizer makes a triumphant return with yet another of her memorable characters. Hosting the festivities is ACT veteran Anthony Welsh.
The laughter of “Relatively Speaking” rings for a limited, four-show engagement – March 29, 30, and 31 at 7:30PM, concluding with a Sunday matinée April 1 at 2:00PM. Tickets are $20 ($18 for seniors, students, and unwaged) and are available through The Guild’s web site, www.theguildpei.com, or by phone at 902-620-3333.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Macbeth Audition Call
Auditions for the September production of Macbeth by ACT will be held March 24, 2012. Contact bunty1948@gmail.com
Audition Call for Macbeth
ACT (a community theatre) will be producing Macbeth, outdoors in Cotton Park, Stratford, September 6-8 and 13-15. The play is being presented in conjunction with the Stratfords of the World 2012 reunion being held on Prince Edward Island. There will be public performances September 6-8 and 13, and special performances on September 14 and 15 for delegates to the reunion. Rehearsals will begin the first week of June and continue all summer.
The cast will include 14 men and 6 women. Actors 18 and over are invited to audition. Those who wish to audition are asked to read the play in advance. If they wish they may also prepare a monologue from any of Shakespeare’s plays and take a copy of the monologue to the audition.
Auditions will be held on Saturday, March 24, all day. Please e-mail: bunty1948@gmail.com to book an audition time. After March 4, you can also call 651-3612.
ACT News • Auditions • Productions • MacBeth • Permalink
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
ACT presents Ayckbourn’s comedy Relatively Speaking
February 6, 2012
Charlottetown PE
The Guild will be filled with laughter this spring as ACT (a community theatre) stages the hit comedy Relatively Speaking by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. Directors are Paul Whelan and Brenda Porter and cast members include Ashley Clark, Adam-Michael James, Keir Malone and Barbara Rhodenhizer. The Host for the evenings will be Tony Welsh. The four performances will take place March 29, 30 and 31 at 7:30pm and April 1 at 2:00pm. Tickets will be available online at theguild.com or from the box office (902.620.3333) from March 13. Admission is $20 regular and $18 seniors/students/unwaged.
Alan Ayckbourn has written a total of 76 full length plays (the most recent of which opens in 2012) but this feather-light farce is probably his best known work. With its timeless combination of dramatic irony, misunderstandings and brilliant wit, it should keep audiences happy for a very long time.
Briefly, the story concerns a young man who unexpectedly turns up at the home of a middle-aged couple he mistakenly believes to be his girl friend’s parents. The remainder of the plot must remain a secret. Ayckbourn says that he wanted to make people laugh when their seaside summer holidays were spoiled by the rain and they came into the theatre to get dry. The popularity of Relatively Speaking over the years attests to his success!
Click here to go to Relatively Speaking pictures in the gallery.
You forgot your slippers!
Monday, March 29, 2010
World Theatre Day on PEI - What a Festival!
Saturday, March 27th—World Theatre Day ... and did PEI ever have a good celebration of it! At the Playhouse in Victoria-by-the-Sea, it was standing-room-only—literally. Well, almost literally: actually people had to sit on the floor in the aisles. Besides the 30 or so players and back-stagers, 175 people packed the cozy theatre. They had a fine time.
First the Bonshaw Young Players—a cast of sixteen youngsters including cats and a parrot!—presented “Heir Repair”, written and directed and narrated by 16-year-old Rachel Horrocks. It wasn’t just cute—it was good ... and the players were rewarded with a lot of audience chuckles and adjudicator praise.
With “The Worker” by Walter Wykes, Sheep for Wheat Productions startled the house. There was laughter at some of the delightful absurdities ... but dark-theme moments of man/woman relationship and corporate wickedness had people holding their breath. Ben Rayner and Rebecca Ford delivered superb acting.
Relief from that tension came with the belly-laughs the Harbourfront Theatre Company gave us with their half-hour segment of Norm Foster’s “Opening Night”. Imagine a sort of triptych spread across the stage: in the centre the wonderfully bad acting of a silly play; on one side the frustrated director and his carping wife; on the other side as audience, a would-be sophisticate and her bored paint-store-manager husband—the often double-entendre repartee hopped back-and-forth.
Between the mini-shows adjudicator Wade Lynch interacted with the actors and their directors, and even the audience, to give compliments and helpful observations. He presented an award to each group. At the second break the audience trouped out into the lobby for refreshments (highlight: decadent cinnamon rolls) served up by the Bonshaw Women’s Institute.
ACT (a community theatre) can feel very pleased and proud for having made this Festival night happen.
World Theatre Day has been celebrated in plays, workshops and happenings around the globe for 49 years now. A scan of the Web shows 2010 events in places like Vancouver, Ghana, Indonesia, New York, Mexico, Argentina, India, Mongolia ... and now, in Victoria-by-the-Sea, Prince Edward Island. This year’s official WTD message came from Dame Judi Dench; among other things she said this:
“Theatre has the ability to make us smile, to make us cry, but should also make us think and reflect. All it needs is a space and an audience.” We certainly had all those things in the 2010 PEI Community Theatre Festival.
To see photos, click on Gallery (top-right of this page) and choose ‘Productions ... Community Theatre Festival’
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Community Theatre Festival a Success!!
There was a wonderfully enthusistic, turn-away crowd in Victoria last night for PEI’s Community Theatre Festival and they weren’t disappointed. The three shows on the bill had something for everyone. Bravo. What a treat to see such a wide selection of ages participating in and/or attending the performances. Congatulations to everyone involved in the Festival, on stage and off. I am looking forward to next year!!!!
- Gerry
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
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
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
This is theatre worth applauding
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (Guardian)
Editor:
I have just returned home from one of the best nights of theatre I’ve seen on this Island in 10 years.
Anyone else who had the pleasure of taking in tonight’s (Friday) performance of Evita by ACT knows exactly what I’m talking about. From the moment the first actor arrived on stage to the final curtain two and a half hours later, I was taken in by the entire production. Every element, from staging to costumes to the orchestra, was absolutely bang on. Not to mention the totally convincing performances from every single cast member.
I hope each of the 100-plus people involved in this production takes another bow when they read this. You certainly deserve it. Three cheers for community theatre. We have many, many talented storytellers amongst us.
Kelly Mullaly,
Friday, March 27, 2009
EVITA Sells Out Closing night
Evita played to a sell out crowd on Saturday night. Total for the three nights was 2,930 which was 92.7% of the tickets available.
For a hint of what you missed, please check out our Evita production pictures the the gallery!
- Gerry
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Viva Eva!
Some good seats are still available, but the‘Orchestra A’ section of the Confederation Centre has almost entirely been sold for the three performances of EVITA. It plays the Main Stage on March 26, 27 and 28.
This is the blockbuster musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice which most of us know from the Madonna movie and its signature hit “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina”. It’s the story of Eva Peron.
She pulled her way up through soap-opera and ‘B’ movies to political, social and spiritual power. She burned out at 33. Despite popular adoration, a military junta banned her name, and her preserved body disappeared for a decade and a half. The elite dismissed her as a cheap opportunist ... the masses revered her as a saint.
This is a come-to-life legend – pulsing with music and passionate dance, vibrant costume and the exotic setting of Buenos Aires. Astonishing woman ... magnificent show.
Tickets: $22 and $20 at the Confederation Centre Box Office 566-1267 1-800-565-0278 www.peipresents.com
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Building Buenos Aires
Stage set for ACT’s production of “EVITA” under construction
Designer Garnett Gallant gets a hand from Michelle Doucette of Home Hardware and Building Centre and Home Furniture Stratford
Buenos Aires is taking shape on Prince Edward Island as ACT, Island community theatre group, builds the stage-set for “EVITA”. The musical comes to the Mainstage of the Confederation Centre in Charlottetown on March 26, 27, 28.
Evita is the Broadway and London blockbuster by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, who produced a string of hits including “JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR”, “PHANTOM OF THE OPERA”, and “CATS”. It’s the story of Eva Peron—the woman who rose from poverty through love affairs, radio soap-operas and “B” movies to political and spiritual power in Argentina. Most people know the show’s chart-topping single “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina,” but the show’s drama pulses with much more music and dance—emotional solos, stirring orchestral and choral pieces, vibrant bass and Latin guitar.
Home Hardware Building Centre and Home Furniture Stratford has given a boost to the set for the PEI production of “EVITA” by furnishing materials worth over a thousand dollars from its stock of hardware, building supplies, furniture and home decor. ACT has been purchasing items for its theatre sets from the Stratford firm for most of its thirty productions over more than a decade.
Design for the “EVITA” set is the work of Garney Gallant. It creates the streets of Buenos Aires, the stately facade of Argentina’s government house, a majestic funeral chapel, even a revolving door which changes its features as a succession of Eva Peron’s boyfriends passes through. Moveable set-pieces will transform the stage continually as cast members roll them to fresh positions.
Construction is taking place in two locations: not just at ACT’s warehouse, but also at Three Oaks Senior High School in Summerside, where construction leader (and teacher) Scott Harvey has engaged a team of students in the experience of building a theatrical set.
ACT’s production of “EVITA” will have almost 50 talented Islanders on stage, and a 15-piece orchestra in the pit. The director is Mark Ramsay, with music direction by Shirley Anne Cameron, choreography by Julia Sauvé, and costuming by Pam Jewell.