Under Construction...

I had a brief meeting today at the theatre with Architect David Murray who had asked me to come in to select the tiles for the new main floor bathrooms. Happily we were in agreement as to the best choices. I love it when that happens! The demolition commenced today and although we will have a slight inconvenience through our next show, we will have new, wheelchair accessible ones for the final show of this season! This is very exciting and will help to make our building a little more comfortable for those who require the accommodations. A number of Board Members, past and present, have worked hard to bring about this renovation and I know I am certainly pleased to see it all come together. Thanks to John Henoch, Eric Rice, Tim Marriott and Richard Hatfield for all their work on the project. I am sure there are others, so if I didn't mention you I am sorry. I am, however, so happy to see this happen!

The Next Adventure at Walterdale

Well, The Threepenny Opera closed on Saturday night. The last 2 nights were SOLD OUT houses and the final night was bittersweet for those of us int he show. Many of us felt teary-eyed as we sang our Happy Endings song into bows. Never fear, we will remain in touch. That is one of the things that you get from Walterdale beyond the show - a sense of community and family with those you work with.

Now the theatre is on it's next adventure. This week, the City High School One Act Festival is in the building from Tuesday through Thursday. Then on Friday, the bathroom renovations begin and the From Cradle to Stage shows move into the building officially. They had their walk-through on Sunday afternoon and all is running according to plan! It's a chance for us to show Edmonton 3 new works from up and coming Albertan Playwrights, Robert Zimmer, Sheryl Melnyk and Mike Czuba.

Spotlight on John Evans - Mack the Knife in The Threepenny Opera

What is your role in this production? I did some set painting and some props wrangling (armourer) but my main role in this production is as an actor playing MacHeath (Mack the Knife). Mack is the leader of a gang of ne'er do well pick pockets and murderers. He was in the Army previous to his life of crime and when he returned home there wasn't much for him but to steal and kill to survive. The army had taught him to be remorseless so it was an easy conversion for him. He does seek out the ladies, as well, primarily for carnal pleasures, and occasionally for affection, or business connections. There is a seed of humanity in him, but it is difficult to find and most likely not worth the voyage to find it.

What drew you to this show? The chance to be directed by Curtis Knecht, as I was interested to see what his style would be. As well, I had heard about a few of the people auditioning and I was interested in possibly working with them. The music is dark and the show is demanding and I was looking forward to the challenge of a show that has, in the past, not necessarily been appreciated by the critics. I was curious about what we could do that others hadn't. Also, it is always a pleasure working with Sally Hunt as Music Director. I was looking forward to coming home to a theatre family I had been away from for awhile and at the same time getting to know some of the new blood moving up in the theatre community.

What is your background in theatre? I am a Graduate of the Theatre Studies program offered by RDC as well I have performed in about 40 shows both in community and professional theatre. I own a Production Company (The October People) with my wife Kat. We specialize in special effects/gore, as well as costume and prop rental. I have done some ASM work as well and a little directing.

What has been most challenging about this project for you? Crawling into the skin of a sociopathic killer. It's like pulling on a wet t-shirt: it's cold and uncomfortable and difficult to get on at first but once you acclimatize to it, it's quite refreshing. It's out of my comfort zone but sometimes it's nice to try and push past those road blocks and see what you can do. The abusive behaviour to the ladies would truly be the hardest obstacle to overcome but we have built a comfort level with each other and we everything in a very safe manner.

What has been the best thing about this experience? The lovely, lovely people I have gotten to work with. Everyone has given 110% to this show in so many capacities and it has been a thrill to watch these somewhat shy and reserved people turn into London's worst and most depraved. It has been a fascinating thing to watch. The costumers, designers, actors, technicians, painters and builders etc... have all worked so tirelessly on this project so it has come to life in an incredible way. Having all the components come together like this is an amazing gift to get.

Saturday Night - SOLD OUT!

The Threepenny Opera has been blessed with large crowds and last night SOLD OUT! It is always fun to play for big houses, but for those of you who wish to see it, this means that you need to get your tickets sooner rather than later!

I hope to see you in London on the Walterdale Stage!

Spotlight on Richard Hatfield - Lighting Designer for The Threepenny Opera

What is your role on this production? I am the Lighting Designer and I helped build the set. I take care of lighting up the stage in a manner that allows for depiction of location, time and mood for the various scenes. Most importantly, I try to ensure that the actors can be seen!

What is your background in theatre? I started out in the later 80's hanging lights for a number of shows. Since then, with the help of the many great people who taught me, I have become very active in many aspects of backstage. I have Stage Managed, Sound Teched, Lighting Teched, assisted in building sets, been Master Builder, as well as many more duties. Currently I am Walterdale's Technical Director. Together with my extraordinary Technical Team, we take care of Walterdale's technical requirements.

Why did you join this production? Kat Evans was describing the set and concept to me during the lighting hang for Much Ado About Nothing and I expressed an interest in helping out. When she later offered me the role of Lighting Designer, I jumped at it. This show and set provided me opportunities to try some things I had never attempted before.

Challenges? The show has a number of fun challenges. One was that I had to come up with a concept for the lighting and bringing it to life. Another is that this show has no drapery to hide our nice brick walls and it is purposely exposed to the audience. I had to come up with a way to make the back wall of hte theatre work with the rest of the stage. Rewards? The most amazing reward one could ever ask for is always granted here! Friendship and working with a top notch team to achieve the common goal of presenting the show to the masses. I have met so many people that, without theatre and this show, I would have never had the luxury of meeting.

Some Threepenny Preview Articles for you to enjoy!

First up - a Preview from Liz Nicholls in the Edmonton Journal: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/Edmonton+Walterdale+theatre+steps+with+Threepenny+Opera/4544320/story.html Next - a Preview from Ana Borowiecki in the St. Albert Gazette: http://www.stalbertgazette.com/article/20110402/SAG0302/304029994/operas-message-shines-through-today