Another Perfect Moment from Perfect Pie

These are just such beautiful pictures. Thanks Douglas Stewart and the entire Perfect Pie team.

Media Call - Perfect Pie

I had the pleasure of watching the first act of Perfect Pie last night after the media call. It looks so very good. It is hard to believe that they just finished the Q2Q last night and that they have a few more runs until the see an audience on Monday night. They certainly seemed ready for a house full of people. Every detail is crisp and clean and the relationships between the two sets of friends is beautifully established. I stayed for Act One and snuck out at the break between the two acts so that I save something for my Opening Night experience. It's so clean and ready I want to wait to see the finished product!

Thank you , as always, to Douglas Stewart for his fabulous photography. You can check out the pictures here: http://gallery.radgrandpa.com/Event-Photography/Theatre/Perfect-Pie/13982217_GM9oX#1027968460_RoJmg

In a Little Over a Week...

We start the season! Well, the work started a long time ago, but next Wednesday, on October 6th, 2010 we will officially kick off the 52nd Season with the Opening of Perfect Pie. Tonight and tomorrow night, the cast and crew is working on the Q2Q, Wednesday night is media call and a tech run and then a few more runs and a couple of Previews and we are open.

Perfect Pie is a beautifully written piece by Canada's Judith Thompson. It features 4 lovely actresses who have been seen at Walterdale and other place in Edmonton over the years. They have been working hard over the past few months doing the work with each other to play characters at different times of their lives. I hear reports from Production Team members about their strength as individual actors as well as an ensemble. I am so looking forward to seeing them. The set is finished. I was fortunate enough to get to help Joan Hawkins paint it. We had a lot of help on the set, both on the build and the painting. Pierre Valois let the build team and Joan led the painting team, all working hard to bring Alli Ross' beautiful design to life.

All of this has been directed by Mary Jane Kreisel. No stranger to Walterdale, this is MJ's first time directing a Walterdale show. She wisely picked a strong Production Team to work with, and all of them are working hard to help complete her vision for the show. Truly this has been a testament to teamwork at Walterdale.

Reading and Painting...

That's what I am doing this week. I photocopied the 25 scripts received for From Cradle to Stage 2010-2011 today and assembled the packages for the 2 other jury members. I haven't really read any of them yet, so that is what I will start doing this week. One of our jury members is currently in a show, so it will be at least 2 weeks before we meet and make the first decisions (reducing the initial 25 down to 5 scripts to forward to the Dramaturgs). The script length ranged from 5 to 101 pages and they have a variety of cast sizes (as small as 1 and some that offer a variety of cast size depending on doubling). I imagine that there are also a variety of themes and stories. It will be a good week of reading for me.

I am also helping to paint the Perfect Pie set. We have had quite a few people come through with this job. We are led by the Master-Painter Joan Hawkins and it is coming along beautifully. I will be there for a few hours tomorrow afternoon!

It's Official!

Yesterday was the 2010 AGM for Walterdale Theatre Associates. The business portion was amazingly quick. We started it at about 6:15 p.m. and finished it by 6:35 p.m. I like to think that it went so fast because people are happy with how things are going. I could be wrong, but the atmosphere was very positive, so I am going to run with that! Then we took a short break and had the fun portion of the evening where we presented awards, both fun and official. Congratulations to Viven Bosley who received the Jack Wilson Award for her Life time contributions to Walterdale. Vivien was presented the award by last year's recipient Pat Eyford and Vivien's speech upon receiving it was both funny and inspiring. Congratulations also to Joan Hawkins, painter extraordinaire, who received the Season's Outstanding Contribution Award for her amazing work this past season. We are truly blessed to have people in our membership like Vivien and Joan. We can all learn from them!

Approaching the Deadline... Attention Playwrights!

From Cradle to Stage 2010-2011 One-Act Competition

Edmonton’s foremost community theatre company is now accepting submissions for our annual one-act event, From Cradle to Stage. For over 10 years, Edmonton’s foremost community theatre company has been producing original one-act plays by local playwrights as a part of its main stage season. Plays are selected by jury, and selected playwrights will receive dramaturgy to help them in the development of their play. We are pleased to announce that Brian Dooley and Tracy Carroll will return as dramaturges this season after their wonderful work with our playwrights last year.
Timeline:
Deadline for all submissions is September 15th, 2010.
Playwrights will have the opportunity to work with a dramaturge to develop their scripts between October 2010 and January 2011.
Finished scripts will be paired up with directors and production teams by February 2011.
The selected plays will be produced May 18th – 28th, 2011

Submission Guidelines:
Submitted scripts must be unproduced and unpublished prior to the Walterdale production dates. If your script has been read or work-shopped before, please include its development history up to this point.
Scripts must be typed or printed, with spaces between all speaking parts. Include your name and contact info on the first page of the script, and number your pages.
Along with the script, please include a brief bio (50 words or less) which Walterdale will use for publicity purposes if your play is chosen.
Scripts should run approximately 30-45 minutes. Although we recognize that running times may change during play development, Walterdale reserves the right to cut scripts for production if they are running significantly long.

Submit your script and contact information in one of the following ways:
Mail your script to the address below. Do not mail your original copy. If you want your script returned to you, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Unchosen scripts without a SASE will be recycled.
From Cradle to Stage 2010-2011
Walterdale Playhouse
10322 83 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB T6E 5C3
Attention: Kristen M. Finlay, Artistic Director
or Email your script to the following email address with FROM CRADLE TO STAGE 2010-11 and title of script in the Subject Line: adwalterdale2009@yahoo.ca.

Much Ado about Much Ado!

We had a fabulous turn-out for our recent auditions of this wonderful Shakespearean Comedy. Truly, I was blown away by the depth of the talent that we saw in all those current and future Walterdale members. So, here I present:

The Cast and Production Team of Much Ado About Nothing opening at Walterdale in December 2010:

Benedick - Murray Cullen
Beatrice - Erika Conway
Claudio - Patrick Errington
Hero - Leah Paterson
Margaret - Gabby Bernard
Ursula - Catherine Wenschlag
Don Pedro - Rob Johnstone

Don John - Justin Deveau
Borachio - Daniel James Stilwell

Constanza - Angela Tran
Leonato - Dale Wilson
Antonia - Mary-Ellen Perley
Dogberry - Shawn Pallier

Verges - Marcia Rigney
First Watchman/Chorus - Robert MacDougall
Second Watchman/Chorus - Troy Locke
Friar Francis - Dustin S. Lawrence
Sexton/Chorus - Elizabeth Johannson

Messenger / Third Watchman/Chorus - Kougar Rossetti
Baltha - Vicktoria Adam

Production Team
Anne Marie Szucs - Director
Monica Roberts - Assistant Director
Melanie Samson - Stage Manager
Ian Fitzgerald - ASM
Giorgia Severini - Production Manager
George Millar - Set Designer
Ephram di Medicci - Costume Designer
Kat Evans - Lighting Designer
Jon Shields - Sound Designer
Kristen Finlay - Props/Mask Designer