Spotlight on Luay Eljamal - Gondolier and others in Nine, The Musical

What is your role in this production? I play The Gondolier, an American Reporter and Giulio in Walterdale's upcoming production of Nine. It has involved a lot of physical (I haven't had to sing and dance at the same time in a few years now!) and vocal challenges (especially, for me, in the area of differentiating between an American and a Canadian accent, being originally Lebanese myself!)

Why did you audition for this production? It has been a while since I was last involved in a musical production, and I wanted to gain some more performing experience in the Edmonton community, having just moved here in September 2011. Furthermore, I was looking to make new friends who share similar interests as me, and Nine has certainly helped do these things for me!

Additionally, uAlberta's Student Union have asked me to direct what would potentially be the first in a series of annual campus-wide Musicals for students to become involved in the 2012-2013 academic year. Being able to work under the experienced direction of Kristen Finlay, Sally Hunt and Adam Mazerolle-Kuss has also given me lots of directorial insight that I look forward to learning and replicating once we undergo this directing adventure in the fall.

What is your background in theatre?  While Nine will be my first time performing at Walterdale, it's not my first time working with Musical Theatre. In April 2012, my first venture directing a Musical went up at the U of A's Lister Hall: a dessert theatre production of Seussical The Musical. Near the end of the rehearsal process, I had to step in and replace an actor as General Genghis Khan Schmitz. Back in Fort McMurray, I performed in several Keyano Theatre productions including Beauty & The Beast (Child Narrator), Disney's High School Musical (Zeke) and Grease (Roger). I can still remember my first musical role in Kindergarten gracing the stage as a Singing Garbage Bag ... seriously.

What are your goals for the future in regards to theatre? In the future, I hope to complete my Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education split degree and travel abroad to pursue a Masters in Directing. Ultimately, I'd like to either work for/start up a production company and travel with both original and existing theatrical productions to share with the world.

What is your favorite thing about the production so far? By far, my favourite thing about this production has been the enormous talent possessed by my fellow the crew and cast-mates to expand, learn and grow from. It has been amazing getting to know everyone in the cast, and realizing how much talent there is in the Edmonton community.

Spotlight on Katy Boulter - Diana in Nine, The Musical

What is your role in this production? My character in the Walterdale production of “Nine” is Diana, a British model aspiring to become an actress, working as a chambermaid in Italy. As a part of the ensemble, however, my role involves becoming multiple characters and understanding not only 1960’s Italy, but also women of burlesque clubs, the sixteenth century, and nunneries.

What is your background in theatre? I’m from a small town (Drayton Valley) where there is a very small arts community. My experience stems from years of singing lessons, and high school productions (Krazy Kamp, Pirate’s Life for Me, Nifty Fifties and Back to the 80’s) with budgets of next to nothing. I feel like a Broadway star coming from Drayton to Walterdale and having someone other than my mom making my costumes!

What are your goals for the future in regards to theatre? My goal in theatre is to gain enough experience so I may become a Drama teacher in a small town and provide my students with every opportunity to enjoy the arts too.

What is your favourite thing about the production so far? I don’t think I could name a single thing as my favourite part of this production. “La singing, and la dancing” are great fun (and a workout!) and the cast and crew are all so filled with energy and humour. Nothing is better than a mixture of your passion for theatre and spending your time with others who love it too.

Anything else to share? I was SHOCKED to learn that there is a resident ghost in the Walterdale Theatre, where we will be rehearsing and performing for the next 8 weeks. As my family and close friends know, I have a history with ghosts, and am a little spooked... So you can expect to find me throwing salt over my shoulder, rubbing rabbit feet and hiding horseshoes in the dressing room. But hopefully the serendipity of there being nine “K” named women in the show will be luck enough!

Retrospective - Introducing Walterdale's 54th Season

Wednesday afternoon marked the official launch of Walterdale's 54th Season, Retrospective.  I was happy to be a part of the event, as I introduced and sang a song from next season's musical, Anything Goes.  It was fun to be on Walterdale's stage to sing such a clever and upbeat song and great to see all the people who came out for the Launch. I also introduced a scene and song from Nine, the final show in this year's season.

Next season at Walterdale, we will be treated to the following pieces:

The Weir, by Conor McPherson

Directed by Anne Marie Szucs

On Stage: October 17-27, 2012

Auditions: July 8 & 9, 2012

An amateur production of

The Misanthrope by Molière, in a version by Martin Crimp

Directed by Janine Hodder

On Stage: December 5-15, 2012

Auditions: September 2 & 3, 2012

Summer and Smoke by Tennessee Williams

Directed by Mary-Ellen Perley

On Stage: February 6-16, 2013

Auditions: October 21 & 22, 2012

 

Burning Vision by Marie Clements

Directed by Sarah Van Tassel

On Stage: April 10-20, 2013

Auditions: December 9 & 10, 2012

From Cradle to Stage: An Evening of One-Acts New Works by Local Playwrights

Submission Deadline: September 14, 2012

On Stage: May 20-25, 2013

Auditions: February 10 & 11, 2013

Anything Goes, Music & Lyrics by Cole Porter

Book by Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse, Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse

Directed by Barbara Mah

On Stage: July 3-13, 2013

Auditions: March 3 & 4, 2013

Spotlight on John Trethart - Director for From Cradle to Stage 2012

What is your role on this production? I am directing two of the readings that are going up on the Sunday following the regular run of the One Acts. The readings are Mary! and Magpies. As the director it is my job to help bring forth the play from words on a page to actors on a stage. In particular as a reading their is minimal blocking so the focus is on the words and bringing the characters forth. Also, directing involves working with the designers to portray the images the script invokes. This last one can be a challenge because for any written work there could be multiple ways of interpreting it.

What is your background in theatre? I have been an actor and involved in theater since 1989, I have a few Fringe shows under my belt and was recently in Walterdale's production of Love of the Nightingale. I studied theater in California for two years where I earned a degree in theater arts and won the department award of Student of the Year for my outstanding devotion to the craft. Beyond that I have learned from every show I've done since I started on the stage. I have only recently got my hand into directing shows and I am hoping to spread my knowledge and skills further into the theater community.

What is the biggest challenge with working on a New Work? The most exciting thing? The biggest challenge of a new work is their is no one who has come before you to compare your interpretation to. This is also the most exciting thing. As the first to work with a new work you are paving the path for all shows that follow it and you are giving the director the first look at their play as a living thing. One of the challenges I personally faced with working with one the new works was that it was incomplete and I had to sit down with the writer to hear how it ended to pass it on to my actors so they could get the over all arc of the play. Yet, I am glad to still be bringing to life the first act of her work with full gusto as if it was a complete play.

* photo by Douglas Dollars-Stewart from Poetry Unbound - John Trethart and Gabby Bernard.

Spotlight on Dion Huel - Playwright for From Cradle to Stage 2012

Dion Huel - Playwright of Apocalypse, Saskatchewan

What did the role of playwright involve for you? I wrote this play during the Saskatchewan Playwrights Centre’s 2011 24 Hour Playwriting Competition. After putting it aside for awhile and then doing some tweaking to it over the summer, I submitted it for consideration to Walterdale’s “From Cradle to Stage” competition. The wonderful folks there decided it was worthy to be included in their festival. The amazing and talented Tracy Carroll must drawn the short straw because she got stuck working with me as my dramaturge (No, she didn't get stuck - she CHOSE you, Dion!). Tracy helped me push the development of the characters and the conflict of the play to new levels. This play has really become what it is thanks to her guidance and expertise. Which means, of course, if people don’t like it, then it was absolutely perfect before I met her. Really, you would have liked it way better before. Seriously though, Tracy guided the subsequent drafts that I wrote of this play from something raw into something worth producing. I want to sincerely thank Tracy for her patience and willingness to share her knowledge.

What is your background in theatre? training? shows? with Walterdale? I am a writer and a storyteller, although it is only with pushing from my super supportive wife that I have recently started to write again after not doing so since childhood. I love watching live theatre but have never been involved in it other than as an audience member. Apocalypse, Saskatchewan is the first play that I have written and I am extremely proud of it. I am looking forward to hearing the actors say the words that I have written and seeing them act out the things I have dreamt up. My hopes for this play are that someone out there laughs at the jokes and that the audience finds the story funny (not just absurd). If this happens, I will be the happiest person in the room. And hopefully this is the beginning of a long relationship between myself and the theatre.

What is the biggest challenge with working on a New Work? The most exciting thing? The biggest challenge for me has been overcoming the doubts I have had about whether the ideas I am putting down actually make any sense to anyone other than me. The most exciting thing has been finding out that not only do they make sense, but there are people who actually get my sense of humour and find it funny.

What was your inspiration/source material for the play you wrote? Has the work changed much through the process? This play is based on the true story of a time when zombies attacked a small town in Saskatchewan. Of course, I had to change the location and names of those involved and I added the part about zombies attacking a small town in Saskatchewan, but other than that, it is essentially a true story. By true, I mean there are retired guys like Clifford, Bill, and Charlie sitting in coffee shops in small towns all over Saskatchewan using their free time to solve all the world’s problems. And supporting them are the very patience rural women that wait on them at home and in town. These women do their best to smile and grit their teeth before going home to a glass of wine (or a shot of whiskey) and 3 hours of housekeeping.

I personally know all of the characters in this story. They are not anyone specific but an amalgamation of people I have been privileged enough to meet and interact with during my times in rural Saskatchewan. The zombies are pure imagination, in more ways than one.

I wanted to write a story about the tedium of doing the same thing day in and day out and what could possible happen to your mind with that kind of lack of stimulation. I also wanted to write a story that was distinctly about rural Saskatchewan and the things that occur in daily life, whether it is talking about the Riders, playing VLT’s, complaining about the government and the young people, or spending time at the bar, which is the only business in most small towns.

The play has changed a great deal, especially since I have had the privilege to begin working with Tracy. The characters have grown into their individual personalities and this has helped make their predicament that much more intense (and funny). That said, even through the growth of the characters and increase in the action and conflict, the basic story has remained the same. It is about the power of what three old guys sitting in a small town coffee shop can accomplish… even if it doesn’t need to be accomplished.

Spotlight on Anne Marie Szucs - Playwright for From Cradle to Stage 2012

Anne Marie Szucs - Playwright of The Loneliest Number

What did was involved for you to bring you to this production at Walterdale? Several years of writing, rewriting, worrying, hoping, worrying, rewriting, submitting!

What is your background in theatre? Almost 25 years in theatre - acting, directing, producing, teaching, you name it - most recent is this foray into playwriting. Co-AD of FinallySauces, an independent theatre company, with Kristen Finlay. Training at Keyano College (Fort McMurray) and Seacoast Studios (Vancouver). First got involved in Walterdale through the Board and then acting (Pieces) and directing (Kiss within a Kiss; Much Ado about Nothing).

What were the challenges for you? The biggest challenge for me has been bringing this play to life. I wrote the first draft in an afternoon at a fishing lodge in B.C. in 2007. I didn't know what to do with it after that, so it sat on the shelf for a while. Then, when I could look at it again (without cringing), I did, and it wasn't as bad as I had remembered. Knowing there was hope, I decided to play with it for a while. It is still literally a work in progress. What is most exciting? I am excited to hear it read aloud in front of an audience for the first time - I am also quite nervous. It's been a long time since I've been truly nervous in a theatrical endeavour - this is really good for me!

What was your inspiration for this piece? I had been thinking a great deal about the nature of female friendships when I sat down to write The Loneliest Number. What are they built on, and how delicate is this foundation? How can we truly connect with each other through clouds of expectations and judgment? The central idea hasn't changed much through the process - character arcs have shifted somewhat, and their voices have solidified for me. I anticipate further changes after the reading.