Tag: Odds and Ends

Andrea Newman – The American Dream by Edward Albee – 383 Directing Project, University of Alberta Drama Department, Edmonton, 2008 Playing Mommy was the role of a lifetime for me because it was the first role where I felt truly confident. Normally I would fret about forgetting my lines or my blocking,

Kathryn Kerbes – The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum adapted by John Kane – Alberta Theatre Projects (ATP) Who doesn’t want to wear the prettiest dress and say things like, “Are you a good witch, or a bad witch”? For this magnificent production of The Wizard of Oz, the

Zachary Arndt – Constellations by Chris Osborn – International Thespian Festival, Lincoln, Nebraska, 2007 Jonathan Pruett is an astronaut on a space shuttle at the time of a nuclear holocaust on earth. With the whole world in chaos everyone went to be with their families, leaving Jonathan to die in space alone. He

Trevor Rueger – The Balcony by Jean Genet – University of Calgary, 1993 It was a huge challenge. I played a woman, not a man in drag, a woman. The portrayal had to be convincing as the director was investigating gender stereotypes. I had to fool the audience into thinking one thing

Conrad Belau – play written by Lennette Randall – Leshra Creations. Rosebud, AB. 2012. There is nothing quite as electrifying as being the first person to perform a new character and a new script, especially when it is written and performed with your good friend. It was an immense experience being able

Christopher Hunt – MESA by Doug Curtis – Ghost River Theatre – premiered in 2000 – remounted by Ghost River several times. Published. Produced by many other companies across Canada, and recently in the States. The play was born after Doug drove his wife’s grandfather from Calgary to Mesa. Larger truths about relationships

Shannon Blanchet – Evelyn Strange by Stewart Lemoine – Teatro La Quindicina, Edmonton, 2006 Evelyn Strange was my first professional role out of university and reminded me that making theatre can be FUN. It introduced me to the wonderful world of Stewart Lemoine, Jeff Haslam and Teatro La Quindicina, a company that

Chrissie Muldoon – The Crucible by Arthur Miller – Rosebud School of the Arts, Rosebud, 2012 I was so petrified to be cast as such a pivotal character since I had only been in one show previous. I felt like I wouldn’t be able to do Mary justice. But thanks to my brilliant

Amber McKay – The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler – Grande Prairie Performing Arts Guild/fundraiser for Odessey House (Womans Shelter) Grande Prairie, 2013 It’s my first role. While it’s still in production, I have jumped in and am totally enthralled with the process. I’m learning about delivering lines, placing emphasis where it

Natalie Gauthier – The Crucible by Arthur Miller – Rosebud School of the Arts in Rosebud, Alberta – Spring 2012 I was 21 and in my third year of acting school, and I got cast as a 71-year-old woman. Like my own Grandma, Rebecca was a deep, sturdy, stubborn soul who acted

Sarah Shudra – The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler- Peace Players, Peace River Alberta April 2011 Ever since I began dancing at the age of 6, I have not been able to stop! My love of dance fuelled my early passion for art. Since my childhood, I have come to appreciate and dabble

Amy Burks – Triumph of Love, Pierre Marivaux, Trans. James Magruder – Rosebud School of the Arts, Rosebud AB, 2011 It was difficult to play a male character role, though one of my best performances! I donned a fat suit, a fake beard which I would swallow bits of, my face and

Jeany Snider – Hello Dolly! Music by Jerry Herman and book by Michael Stewart, based on Thornton Wilder’s play The Matchmaker – Western Illinois Musical Theatre, Macomb, Illinois, 1997  Nothing can beat playing Dolly Levi in “Hello Dolly!” Waiting backstage to come through the curtain and down the steps in Harmonia Gardens

Heather Pattengale – Queen Milli of Galt by Gary Kirkham – Rosebud Theatre, Rosebud, Alberta, 2011 Though I now live in Alberta, I was born in Galt and spent much of my life in Cambridge, Ontario, where the story of “Queen Milli” is a popular urban legend. Before rehearsals began I even had

David Snider – Tuesdays with Morrie – Rosebud Theatre This is the most personal show I have done to date. From rehearsals and through the run, the show was full of serendipity of life meeting art, including playing opposite my dear friend and mentor, Morris Ertman. The connection with the audience was

Clyde Blackburn – My Fair Lady – Alan J. Lerner & Frederick Lowe – Grande Prairie Live Theatre, Grande Prairie, AB, 2009 I have wanted the role of Henry Higgins ever since doing a short scene from Pygmalion in my grade eleven English class. Thirty-nine years later, the role nearly slipped through

Kisa Mortenson – Crooked by Catherine Trieschmann – Fringe Festival, Edmonton, Alberta, August 2007 In Trevor Schmidt’s Crooked, I played an angst ridden teen. This is my favorite role, because I learned I was in the early stages of pregnancy while we were in rehearsals. Before every show, I would talk to the

Gerry Potter – The Commedia Show–improvised on the spot, based loosely on the Commedia DellArte tradition of semi-improv – Theatre-Go-Round, Ottawa, 1971 Il Dottore, the pompous, lecherous professor in our semi-improvised, outdoor version of a traditional Commedia Dell’arte comedy spoke to my soul. I revelled in the part as I rolled out