Spotlight on Jackie Lotery - FOH Manager Extraordinaire!

There are many people who come and work at Walterdale to ensure that the show is successful. Often, we focus on the onstage people - they are the ones we see - but there are many other people who have committed to Walterdale in other very necessary ways. One of these jobs is FOH. Today we spotlight Jackie Lotery. Jackie is a long-time Walterdale member who has been onstage (Sinbad, Black Hearts in the Green Room, A Child's Christmas in Wales), worked as PM (You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, Beautiful Thing) and many other roles in the theatre. She was also singled out by the FOH Directors as being a FOH Manager that goes above and beyond!

Jackie, What does the FOH Manager do? As FOH Manager, I get a big very important set of keys from the lock box and proceed to unlock the front doors to let the audience in and take the tickets out of the mail box for the current night. I provide the Box Office and Coffee Bar volunteers with their cash boxes. I then check the washrooms and pick up any debris from the audience section of the theatre. I deal with any questions or issues audience members may have, find out from the stage manager what she needs from me, tear the tickets and let the audience in. When the audience is in, at 8:00 p.m. I let the S.M. know that she can start the show. If the actors are using the lobby in a show, I need to dim the lights in the lobby during the show. I am responsible for putting the Box Office and coffee bar cash in the safe. At the end of the night, I am responsible for locking up after the audience has left.

Why do you like this job? As a very long time member, one of the things I like about doing FOH is running into people I know, both audience members and actors. I also like any opportunity to help out at Walterdale and the idea of being in charge of something.

What is the most challenging thing about the job? My most challenging night doing FOH was on the last night of You`re a Good Man Charlie Brown when there was that huge storm ( I was also Production Manager of that particular show.) The theatre had to be evacuated just before curtain call and I was very glad that our administrator, Kent, was in the audience that night. The most disappointing part was that we couldn`t have the cast party at the theatre or strike until the next day. After the storm there was a huge power outage in the City and some people did not get their power back for two days.

Jackie, you have been with Walterdale for a long time, in many different roles, any fun stories to share? Over the years, I have acted, written the newsletter, stage managed, assistant stage managed, done lights, props, painted and partied. There are a lot of stories but one of my favourites was when I was the front end of the horse in the Christmas pantomime. My back end,whose name shall not be mentioned, happened to be in the washroom after intermission when we were supposed to come on so I had to enter as half a horse. She came running in and took her place much to the huge amusement of the audience – as you know, anything goes in a panto!

Special Audition Notice

For the leading role of ‘Tereus, King of Thrace’, in our production of The Love of the Nightingale

by Timberlake Wertenbaker

Performance Dates: April 4^th – 14^th, 2012

Audition Date: Sunday, December 18^th, 2011; Times: 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

Walterdale Playhouse (10322 83 Avenue)

Director: Alex Hawkins

A week ago, we auditioned 64 actors for the 21 roles available in our production of The Love of the Nightingale. We were successful in filling all but one of the available roles.

However, we were not able to find an actor for the major role of Tereus.

We are calling a Special Audition to ask any available actors to try out for this role.

Tereus is the major male character in the play. He is the King of Thrace, a warrior nation. Tereus has a natural quality that shows the authority of a king, without coming across as overly formal. In reference to age, Tereus must be, or appear to be, somewhere between his mid-twenties and his early thirties. Physically, he must be fit, like a warrior.

The actor who plays this role must have a range of skills and abilities, including a strong physical presence and natural authority, as well as likeability and a certain charisma.

For the audition, you are NOT expected to come with a prepared audition piece or monologue. Instead, auditioners will cold-read one or more sections of Tereus’s scenes from the play The Love of the Nighingale.

PLEASE NOTE: All auditioners must bring their January-April 2012 schedule of availability to the audition, indicating potential conflicts with rehearsal times. Rehearsals are scheduled from January 8 through the opening of the show on April 4, 2012, and will involve evenings from Mondays through Thursdays, and Sunday afternoons. Since Tereus is a leading character, the actor playing Tereus should expect to be called often for rehearsals.

If you need further information about the play, please contact Alex Hawkins, Director, at: hawkins27@shaw.ca

Walterdale is a volunteer/member organization. We cannot engage Equity performers.

The date, time and location of the Special Audition are at the top of this page. We wish to fill this roll as soon as possible.

To book an audition, please contact our Production Manager, Janet McLean, to sign up for an audition. Email (preferred): janet.mclean@shaw.ca; Phone (if you have no access to Email): 780-244-5472

(Drop-ins will be accommodated as time allows)

Wyrd Sisters - Selling Out and Making People Laugh!

The first 2 performances of Wyrd Sisters SOLD OUT and the next two were very full houses. Reviews from the Sun and GigCity came out and were very favourable. If you plan on seeing this show I would advise you to get your tickets beforehand so you are not disappointed. I am going on Thursday night and bringing my paint crew (a.k.a. My kids!). We are excited to see the pyro and the magic and the witches and the silliness that I have heard so much about!

Opening Night - Wyrd Sisters!

Tonight is opening night for Wyrd Sisters at Walterdale. As with every opening at Walterdale there is a reception afterwards where the audience can mix and mingle with the cast and crew and also enjoy a tipple and a bite or two. Usually I go to opening night, but because of a scheduling conflict I will not be able to. I love the energy of an opening - everyone is extra excited to have the first paying audience (they have had two previews, but it is not the same) and since many have friends and family in the audience they are even more nervous about doing a good job. This show is full of silliness and magic, pyros and demons, witches and evil royalty, and will be a fun ride! I expect for a cold November night this will be just the ticket! Show starts at 8 p.m. I hope you make it out!

* Photo by Douglas Stewart

Spotlight on Stanley Woo - Bowman and Beldon in Wyrd Sisters

What is your role in. this production? I have two roles in the show. The first is a very disagreeable soldier who gets a marvelous death scene. Don't blink or you might miss it. The second is an actor playing the role of the Duke--yes, that means I'm an actor playing an actor playing a duke--and I get to pull focus in that scene, so watch for me!

What brought you to this production? I like doing fun shows at Walterdale, and I like doing large-cast shows, and Wyrd Sisters is both! I get to meet a lot of people with different performing backgrounds and we get to have fun putting on a play. Isn't that what theatre is supposed to be all about?

What is your background in Theatre? I took my first Drama classes in junior high. I was a very shy and insecure child, and performing was a great way to become someone else for a while and have people applaud you for it. I went to Vic Comp for high school (now the Victoria School of Performing and Visual ARts) and got a whole lot more experience in singing, acting, even dancing and music composition. I was in four different choirs, a performance class, a music class, and a dance class while I was there, and performed in three main stage musicals. I even did improv with Rapid Fire Theatresports for a couple of years.

Since then, I've tried to find other opportunities to perform or help others perform. I was a board member of an independent company, have performed with or for countless others, and have performed at one stage or another at each of the last 18 Edmonton Fringe Festivals. Throughout my performing career, I have done one-acts, Shakespeare, musicals, two-handers, revues and classics, and had roles large and small.

I first got involved with Walterdale in 2003 (I think), with The Taming of the Shrew. It was such a neat experience and I met so many fun and wonderful people that I wondered why I didn't join the community sooner. From there I went on to productions like Cyrano de Bergerac, The Skin of Our Teeth, and Lend Me a Tenor, and I'm not planning on stopping. Walterdale is a great fit for me, and I hope it won't ever get tired of me hanging around.

What is the most challenging thing about being involved in this production? Trying not to be envious of all the great lines that other actors get to say. Wyrd Sisters is such a funny show, and we have some truly hilarious actors. I want to share scenes with all of them, all the time! Thankfully, Nelson has given me some fun things to do on stage too, like my aforementioned death scene and focus-pulling.

What is the most enjoyable thing about being involved in this production? It's a Walterdale show! There is no one part of it that's more enjoyable than any other. I love the show, the cast and crew, the rehearsal process, and the theatre itself. But I suppose, if I HAD to pick one thing, it would be that I get to carry a crossbow with me on stage! Seriously! A crossbow!

What do you think audiences will experience if they come to this show? I think audiences will be a little confused by some of the context, if they haven't read any Terry Pratchett, but then they will start laughing and forget everything else. Some people will laugh so hard they won't be able to breathe, and some will laugh so loudly that we will be able to hear them upstairs. But I think everyone will come out of the show satisfied, perhaps teary-eyed, and having had a great abdominal workout.

* Stanley can be seen on stage regularly with the #YEGprov improv troupe and with a cappella group Apocalypse Kow. He also sits on the board for the Pure Speculation science fiction and literary festival, Edmonton's premier sci-fi and fandom festival.

Spotlight on Barbara Schmid - Mrs. Vitoller in Wyrd Sisters

What is your role in this production? What does that entail? If you are in the cast, describe your character. I play Mrs. Vitoller in Wyrd Sisters. She is the wife of Olwyn Vitoller who is the owner/actor in his own theatre company. I accompany the troupe and help out where I can. We had a little girl once but are now childless and are offered a little boy from the witches. I am ecstatic that I am finally going to be a Mother again!! This is the smallest role that I have ever had, but is just perfect for me now as I am a very busy Grandma to an almost 2 year old!! I am also going to help Prudence out with make-up for this show.

What brought you to this production? Seven years ago I auditioned for Les Belle Soeurs at Walterdale and was fortunate enough to get the lead role. Just after we did the first read through, I found out that my husband had colon cancer. I was not able to continue with that production. My husband went through five operations in ten months and it was at then that we thought life was too short and decided to buy a place in Mesa, Arizona and since 2006 we have been wintering there. This year, we decided to stay home for Christmas because of our Grandson and I was so thrilled that I had the opportunity to audition for Wyrd Sisters and equally thrilled that Nelson chose me to be a cast member. To be back at Walterdale is unbelievable exciting for me and to be involved with such an amazing cast and crew is just a blast from the past!!!

What is your background in Theatre? I took three years of training at the Citadel Theatre School from 1987 – 1990 and many years of workshops with Drama Works. My first play at Walterdale, The Ecstasy of Rita Joe was in 1990 and I have done over a dozen shows there over the years. I have also acted at Horizon Stage in Spruce Grove, with Festival Players in Sherwood Park, Sherard Musical Theatre in Sherwood Park and have been in about a dozen Fringe shows. At Walterdale, I have been on the executive twice, did programs for many years and was head of the make-up department for many years. Walterdale was like a second home to me and I have made many fabulous long-lasting friendships there.

Live theatre has always been a big part of my life. I was very involved in make-up at different theatres and was a professional make-up artist for about 10 years also. I also act in film and have done dozens of commercials, industrial films and movies and have had photos on a billboard and sides of buses. I have also been a professional model for about 25 years.

What is the most enjoyable thing about being involved in this production? I am back doing a play at Walterdale!!!! It is so enjoyable being back on stage with some of my old acting buddies, but being involved with this cast and crew is absolutely amazing too!!! I am so excited about being back on stage again after being away for so long.

What do you think audiences will experience if they come to this show? Wyrd Sisters is so well written and is such a wonderful comedy. Each cast member is perfect for their part and Nelson did such a great job casting. We are all going to blow the audience away!!! If they weren’t fans before, they may want to start reading the novels.

Spotlight on Sarah Hennessey - Soldier and Gumridge in Wyrd Sisters

What is your role in this production? I play two delightful little roles. Firstly, I am a Soldier that has issues with killing people. Secondly, I am Gumridge, a member of a "play within the play" and I get to "play" the evil Duchess. My two roles are lovely contrasts and a lot of fun.

What brought you to this production? I had just discovered the joy that is Terry Pratchett's Discworld a month or so prior to noticing the audition call for Wyrd Sisters. It's a wonderful adaptation and an absolute riot! I had been waiting for the right show to come along to inspire me to get involved in theatre again... and this was it! I couldn't resist auditioning.

What is your background in Theatre? I've been involved in theatre from a very young age, taking many lead roles in church and school productions. After high school I auditioned for the theatre program at RDC and thoroughly enjoyed the program. It was the realization of a childhood dream and so much fun! After graduating, though, I felt the financial pull of a "real job" and didn't perform much until moving to Lloydminster a year or so later. I was heavily involved in community theatre there... It's a lovely thing to have the director of a show call YOU and make sure you will be at an audition! When I moved back to Edmonton in 2005, I was a little overwhelmed by the theatre scene here and wasn't sure where to begin. Life swept me along and it's been over five years since my last real performance!! Thankfully, my husband never stopped encouraging me to get involved, and here I am! This is my first show with Walterdale, but I always knew that when I got involved again, it would be here.

What is the most challenging thing about being involved in this production? Not being in more scenes! HAHA! Actually, it's pretty much perfect as I'm also in school full time right now.

What is the most enjoyable thing about being involved in this production? Being amongst my fellow thespians again! It's a very unique culture and I didn't realize how deeply I missed being a part of it. I feel like I've found a missing part of my soul.

What do you think audiences will experience if they come to this show? FUN! This show is pure FUN! I can't think of a better way to spend an evening.

Any other comments you would like to share? I just want to thank anyone who had a hand in deciding that I should be a part of this show. I am more grateful than you can possibly imagine.