Introducing the Cast and Team of Anything Goes!

We just finished up auditions and callbacks for Anything Goes, Cole Porter's hilarious musical on the sea!  We are excited to welcome back many familiar faces from shows past and to welcome new ones to our deck!  I'm sure they are all in for a great toe-tapping time on the high seas!

Cast:
Billy: Kyle Thulien 
Reno: Christina O Dell
Moonface Martin: Morgan Smith, 
Erma: Lauren Knetemen 
Evelyn Oakley - Kent Sutherland 
Mother Harcourt: Kay Da Silva
Hope Harcourt Krista Skwarok 
Captain: Randall MacDonald 
Elisha Whitney: Gerald Mason 
Reno's Angels: Christine Maydew (Purity), Molly Mackinnon (Charity), Meghan Mckinstry (Chastity) Veronica Masik (Virture)
Luke (Chinese gambler): Kougar Rossetti 
John (Chinese drinker): Robbie Medeiros 
Purser: Richard Smith 
Chorus: Trish Van Dornum, Kellie Payne, Andrea Newman , Stacey Grubb, Kathleen Sera, Adam Arnold (reporter), Jon Drury (FBI agent), Zack Siezmagraff (Bartender), Aaron Schaan (reporter), Micah Steinke (FBI), John Ruisch (priest), Justin Kautz (lead sailor)

Team:
Director: Barbara Mah
Music Director: Michael Clark
Asst. Music Director: Keat Machtemes
Choreographer: Barbara Mah
Dance Captain: Christine Maydew
Production Manager: Sarah Valois 
Stage Manager: Jen Magel 
Set Designer: Leland Stelck
Sound Designer: Phil Kreisel
Lighting Designer: Brad Melrose
Master Builder/ASM: Richard Hatfield
Costume Design: Karin Lauderdale 
Props Master: Clyde Rigsby

Introducing Lisa Dawn Daniels - Rose in Burning Vision

What is your role in this production?  My role in this production is Rose. She is a Métis woman in her 20s. The playwright describes her as walking between aboriginal and non-aboriginal lines. 

What drew you to Burning Vision? As a Métis woman, I was most attracted to this piece because I felt that I could personally relate to it. I worked with Sarah on a show at Walterdale last year, The Love of the Nightingale, and she told me about the play. I read it a couple times over the summer and just fell in love with the parallels that were being drawn between the aboriginal and Japanese people during WWII. 

What is your background in theatre? I got started in community theatre at the young age of 7 and have been actively involved ever since. I have my Theatre Studies Acting diploma from Red Deer College and am currently getting my Bachelor of Arts majoring in Drama at the University of Alberta. I have helped out a lot back stage and with front out of house at Walterdale in the last year, and was an actor in last season's production of The Love of the Nightingale. Walterdale has been such a wonderful place to be, and I enjoying getting involved in as many aspects of the productions as I can. 

Burning Vision deals with a piece of Canadian History that is not as well known, but which has had a long lasting impact on many people environmentally and culturally.  What has working on this show made you think about with regards to our impact on the environment and people's cultures? Any discoveries or realizations? If anything this piece has just reiterated what I have always believed: that our environmental impacts and impacts on cultures is generally a negative one and something we should be looking at reducing in the near future. Having felt the impacts on my culture, I hope that this production can bring awareness to people and shine light on a subject that is often kept in the dark. It has been a real privilege exploring this subject with this wonderful team of artists. 

What has been the biggest challenge of working on this show? The most enjoyable aspect? The biggest challenge for me in this show is differentiating myself from Rose. Because I feel that I can directly relate with the character as a person, it makes it very challenging to find the differences between us. That being said, it has been a wonderful journey finding Rose, and Sarah has provided wonderful support and guidance in finding Rose's subtle nuances. The most enjoyable aspect, as I always find at Walterdale, is the people. It is such a wonderful environment, and the people make the long nights of rehearsal fun and worthwhile. I am lucky to have the opportunity to get to know such a wonderful group of people. 

St. Patrick's Day Potluck Supper!

Cuimhnigh!!  Shamrock Shaker!Lá Fhéile Pádraig Suipéar ádh pota!

Remember!!  Shamrock Shaker!

St. Patrick’s Day potluck supper!

So whether you are Irish in heritage or in your heart, come to the Glenfield Rehearsal Hall upstairs at Walterdale Theatre.

When — Sunday, March 17th from 7pm to 9:30pm.

Potluck — Bring your favorite Irish nibble or your favorite dish. Pratties welcome.

Cash Bar — We will serve your favorite Irish or green beer, red and white wine.

Music — Irish tunes on the beat box unless your bring your own fiddle and talent.

Some sayings you might need:

Pionta Guinness, le do thoil (pint of Guinness please)

Tabhair póg dom, táim Éireannach (Kiss me I’m Irish)

Don’t Miss It!

Introducing Asha Deboran-Hotrum - The Radium Painter in Burning Vision

Who do you play in Burning Vision? I play Frances a radium painter living in the 1920's. She is an intuitive young woman who is struggling with her fate and attempting to find answers in any way that she can.

What drew you to this show? I was drawn to Burning Vision for it's story. Hiroshima, although it is something that has affected many lives, is not something that we hear about too often. This play rectifies that in the most beautiful way managing to represent many perspectives and demonstrating just how big a ripple effect it had on the world.

What is your background in theatre?  Although this is my debut in a play that the Walterdale is putting on this is not my first time working with the Walterdale. Last year I co-directed a high school one act which I had the pleasure to direct on the Walterdale stage. We won first place in the High School Cities One Act Festival allowing us to go on to perform in the Provincial One Act Festival at Red Deer College. I am honoured to have this opportunity to once again return to the Walterdale stage.

Burning Vision deals with a piece of Canadian History that is not as well known, but which has had a long lasting impact on many people environmentally and culturally.  What has working on this show made you think about with regards to our impact on the environment and people's cultures? Working on this show has made me realize just how much about our history is unknown. This is a sad fact and one that I hope changes in the future. It is hard to fully comprehend just how huge an impact this had on people but it is imperative that we try. Our history is created by the stories of these people and our history is what forms our future. Without stories like this to remind us of our past mistakes our present and our future are bound to be laced with poor decisions. 

What has been the biggest challenge of working on this show? The most enjoyable aspect? Attempting to understand the struggles of this character has been difficult. I, thankfully, have never experienced hardships on this scale and in order to portray this story I have done my best to put myself in her shoes.  I do however, have an amazing cast and crew that have been utterly wonderful, supportive and inspiring.

Introducing Dylan Evans - Charles Labine and Stevedore in Burning Vision

Who do you play in Burning Vision? I am Brothers Labine 2 (Charles) and The Other Stevedore. Charles is a bit reluctant to strike it rich and desires the simple life. The Other Stevedore in a sense has already struck it rich with simple labour and lax days on the water.

Why did you come out for this show? In all honesty, it sounded really interesting. After reading the play and doing research, to fully realize all of the actions and implications of the human race since the 1800s is truly a feeling of gravity. The sense of, "we did this. It happened."

What is your background in theatre? I found my love for the stage in a nonprofit that was called Alectra Theatre in 1996, I started with speech and acting classes, grew into dance and vocal classes and appeared in various shows such as: The Velveteen Rabbit (2002), James and the Giant Peach( 2003), and The Ant and the Grasshopper (2005, Alectra Children's Theatre.) Between 2005-2008 I volunteered at Alectra: I built sets, designed props, learned how to set and run lighting, stage managed and understudied for other shows. Mentoring under Jacquelyn Madley I attained my Advanced Performer's Certificate from Trinity Guildhall London. I am also a member of the Spoken Word Youth Choir. My most recent performances have been: The Canadian Badlands Passion Play (2011, Drumheller);Savage/Love (2011) and Into the Woods (2012, Grant MacEwan University.) This is my first Walterdale show, and It's hard to keep in the excitement. Growing up in a nonprofit, and participating in a nonprofit just feels right.

What has this show taught you? It absolutely blows my mind even now when I think about it. We actually subjected our own people, and people in other countries to radiation poisoning through transporting it to utilizing it as a weapon. Makes you sit back and really rationalize with your own mortality. But on a lighter note its amazing how much Marie Clements packs into it. It's really a solid piece of text and the multi-media collaboration over it sounds delicious just reading its description. Burning Vision is really something more people should read, look into, and deeply consider the implications of action. I never remembered learning of Canada's Uranium trade in grade school, and it's insightful to understand the dark corners of one's culture.

What is the most challenging thing about this production?  The most enjoyable? Probably finding my roots for both characters. I had a lot of angles for Charlie, and unfortunately, not so many for the Other Stevedore, so after adjusting both of them here and there makes the shoes fit more comfortably. Burning Vision is amazingly designed like a parka--easily seen as a single thing, or an interesting collection of pockets. The overall process is always what I appreciate and enjoy about shows: seeing how much growth can happen is a really spiritual experience.

Introducing Michelle Durocher - The Widow and the Japanese Grandmother in Burning Vision

What is your role in this production? I will be playing The Widow, a Dene woman who keeps a fire burning for her dead husband. The second character is The Japanese Grandmother, an elderly Japanese woman who is looking for her grandson after the atomic bomb. 

What drew you to Burning Vision? I was drawn to Burning Visions because I thought it sounded really interesting. I didn’t know the Canadian/First Nation connection to the war before this. It sounded like it would be an important story to tell, and I love that about theatre, the story telling and education.  

What is your background in theatre? I have a BA in Drama from the U of A, but I haven’t had much experience onstage since graduating in 2008.I’ve stage managed and worked lights for various Fringe shows, and acted in a friends production at the U of A. This is my first time acting at the Walterdale.  

What has working on this show made you think about with regards to our impact on the environment and people's cultures? Any discoveries or realizations? It makes me wonder what other secrets our history holds. I’ve discovered even more of a desire to learn about our past and participate in changing our future. 

What has been the biggest challenge of working on this show? The most enjoyable aspect?  The biggest challenge has been trying to learn to speak Japanese as the Grandmother. The most enjoyable aspect is definitely the people I’ve had the pleasure of working with and just getting back onstage. 

Introducing Amy Chow - Round Rose in Burning Vision

Who do you play in Burning Vision? I play a character called Round Rose, who sometimes refers to herself as Tokyo Rose. The character is based on a woman named Iva Toguri who broadcast short propaganda stints on the radio in order to affect any Allied forces who may have been listening. In this play, Round Rose appears as both her younger self, on the radio, communicating with whoever was listening, and her older self, living a more quiet life working in her father's shop.

What drew you to this project?  I studied Burning Vision in one of my courses at the University of Alberta, and I enjoyed the fragmented, episodic nature of the play. I like the parallel between the Dene and Japanese people during this time period, and I think this play is still relevant in terms of its examination of war, culture, and the environment humans abuse.

What is your background in theatre? This is my first show with Walterdale, so I'm very excited to be working with such great people in this new experience. I studied Drama at the University of Albert and have a Bachelors of Arts (Hon.) in Drama. I've been in 3 Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festivals, as a performer, and this year will be my fourth performing in two BYOV shows.

What have you learned from working on this show? I believe we all need to set goals and make commitments to sustainability. It's difficult with such a great need for petroleum products and things like cars and electricity, but since we only have one plant to live on (for now, at least) I think we should take care of it. Burning Vision could very well be a projection of our future and our dependency for oil. When I read this play I ask, if we continue to let our lives be consumed by the need to mine our planet for its resources, what will happen to us when they're gone and the Earth is just a shell of what it was?

In terms of culture, it's hard for me to imagine the hardships the Dene and the Japanese went through during WWII. For me, Burning Vision tells us to look closely at the scars that still run through Canada’s past; they may be healed on paper, but the consequences are still present. Although I don’t know what can or should be done, it is important to recognize that lives are still being affected because of what has happened.

How has the process been for you? I was a late addition to the team, so the biggest challenge for me will be to catch up to everyone, still keeping the group dynamic and rhythm going. I really enjoy seeing such a variety of people coming to do what they love to do. And it’s always fantastic to see the space being built up and the transformation of the play into a show. I’m very excited to see Burning Vision go up, and very grateful to be able to be a part of it.