WODL

  
   Newsletter March 2017

In this issue:
Quick Links


 WODL website   WODL on Facebook  WODL on Twitter  WODL board

Festival 2017 website  Book Festival tickets  Book Festival Hotel
 

Festival 2017 Website

For everything that you want to know about Festival 2017 including booking tickets and hotel rooms see the Festival website.

WODL now on Twitter

WODL now has a Twitter account, @WODLtheatre.
Festival 2017 Timetable

By Dennis Johnson, Festival 2017 Co-chair, dennis@wodl.on.ca
This is the latest Festival schedule. The final schedule will be distributed at Festival.

Monday March 13, 2017

11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Hospitality and Coffee and Displays
Wellington Room, Holiday Inn
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Opening Reception (by invitation)
Trillium Room, Holiday Inn
8:00 pm Curtain
TEN TIMES TWO
Theatre Tillsonburg
Guelph Little Theatre
...followed by
Public Adjudication - Bea Quarrie
Guelph Little Theatre
10:30 pm (approx)
Encore Party in the Slater Room
Guelph Little Theatre
...followed by
After Hours Party
Galt Room, Holiday Inn

Tuesday March 14, 2017

10:00 am - 11:30 am
Detailed Adjudication - Bea Quarrie
Trillium Room, Holiday Inn
11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Hospitality and Coffee and Displays
Wellington Room, Holiday Inn
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Adjudicator's Workshop
Costume Design: How to kick-start the creative process
Trillium Room, Holiday Inn
8:00 pm Curtain
ALBERTINE IN FIVE TIMES
Cambrige Community Players
Performed without an intermission
Guelph Little Theatre
...followed by
Public Adjudication - Bea Quarrie
Guelph Little Theatre
10:00 pm (approx)
Encore Party in the Slater Room
Guelph Little Theatre
...followed by
After Hours Party
Galt Room, Holiday Inn

Wednesday March 15, 2017

10:00 am - 11:30 am
Detailed Adjudication - Bea Quarrie
Trillium Room, Holiday Inn
11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Hospitality and Coffee and Displays
Wellington Room, Holiday Inn
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Workshop - Trevor Smith Diggins
Trillium Room, Holiday Inn
 
Comedy Acting and Directing: What's so Funny?
 
8:00 pm Curtain
WILLOW QUARTET
Theatre Sarnia
Guelph Little Theatre
...followed by
Public Adjudication - Bea Quarrie
Guelph Little Theatre
10:30 pm (approx)
Encore Party in the Slater Room
Guelph Little Theatre
...followed by
After Hours Party
Galt Room, Holiday Inn

Thursday March 16, 2017

10:00 am - 11:30 am
Detailed Adjudication - Bea Quarrie
Trillium Room, Holiday Inn
11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Hospitality and Coffee and Displays
Wellington Room, Holiday Inn
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Book Talk and Q&A with Annie Gibson and Monique Renaud
Trillium Room, Holiday Inn
8:00 pm Curtain
BETTER LIVING
Ghost Light Players (Windsor)
Guelph Little Theatre
...followed by
Public Adjudication - Bea Quarrie
Guelph Little Theatre
10:30 pm (approx)
Encore Party in the Slater Room
Guelph Little Theatre
...followed by
After Hours Party
Galt Room, Holiday Inn

Friday March 17, 2017

10:00 am - 11:30 am
Detailed Adjudication - Bea Quarrie
Trillium Room, Holiday Inn
11:00 am - 1:30 pm
Hospitality and Coffee and Displays
Wellington Room, Holiday Inn
1:30 pm
Canada Council Play Reading
featuring Norm Foster
Oakwood Ballroom, Holiday Inn
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Hospitality and Coffee and Displays
Wellington Room, Holiday Inn
8:00 pm Curtain
OUTLAW
Elmira Theatre Company
Guelph Little Theatre
...followed by
Public Adjudication - Bea Quarrie
Guelph Little Theatre
10:30 pm (approx)
Encore Party in the Slater Room
Guelph Little Theatre
...followed by
After Hours Party
Galt Room, Holiday Inn

 
Saturday March 18, 2017

10:00 am - 11:30 am
Detailed Adjudication - Bea Quarrie
Trillium Room, Holiday Inn
11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Hospitality and Coffee
Wellington Room, Holiday Inn
6:00 pm - Midnight
Awards Gala
Maximum 218 tickets are available.
No Gala sales after Tuesday March 14, 2017.
Contact  wodl2017@guelphlittletheatre.com if you have special menu needs  
Oakwood Ballroom,
Holiday Inn
...followed by
After Hours Party
Galt Room, Holiday Inn

WODL Awards Gala

By Dennis Johnson, Festival 2017 Co-chair, dennis@wodl.on.ca
WODL AWARDS GALA
OAKWOOD BALLROOM
Holiday Inn Guelph
601 Scottsdale Drive
Master of Ceremonies - Trevor Smith Diggins
Saturday March 18, 2017
 
SCHEDULE
6:00 pm - Doors Open, Cash Bar
6:00 - 7:00 pm - Cocktail Hour
7:00 pm - Out-of-Festival Awards ( Lindsay Price )
7:30 pm - Dinner
9:00 pm - In-Festival Awards ( Bea Quarrie )
10:00 pm - Presentations and Announcements
10:00 pm - 12:00 am - Dancing ( DJ Mason Dawdy )
 
TICKETS
Gala Ticket Sales end March 14, 2017
Sales will end earlier if the room sells out (218 persons max.)
Phone the River Run Box Office at (519) 763-3000 or Toll-Free at (877) 520-2408 to be sure your order is received.
Contact wodl2017@guelphlittletheatre.com if you have a special menu request.
 
OUT-OF-FESTIVAL AWARD WINNERS
Previously announced award winners do not need a ticket to attend the Cocktail Hour at 6:00 pm and the Awards Presentation at 7:00 pm.  You need a ticket only if you are staying for dinner.
 
SEATING PLAN
You will be assigned a table based on your group membership. A preliminary Seating Plan will be available in the Hospitality Room at the Holiday Inn mid-week during the festival.
A Festival is a Feast

By Dennis Johnson, Festival 2017 Co-chair, dennis@wodl.on.ca
A Festival is a Feast. A Feast of Plays. A Feast of Food. Here is what's in store for you at WODL Festival 2017...
 
 
Restaurants
 
When you check into the Holiday Inn Guelph, you will receive a list of some local restaurants that we recommend, with additional info and maps in the Hospitality Room. All these eateries are located near the Hotel, near the Theatre, or en route.  The restaurant at the Holiday Inn is also very good, and will have daily specials at lunch-time, as well as an economy-priced buffet at 6:00 pm Monday, right after the OPENING RECEPTION.
 
 
Opening Reception
 
If you are invited to the OPENING RECEPTION (Monday from 5 to 6 pm) you will be served a variety of nibblies including gluten-free crackers and dips, as well as cheeses and veggies. WODL sponsors an open bar and you will receive a ticket for your one free drink. STONEHAMMER locally-brewed beer and ale will be served along with wine and a variety of other drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic.
 
 
Awards Gala & Special Needs
 
If you have dietary concerns and have bought a ticket to the AWARDS GALA, please let us know by e-mailing wodl2017@guelphlittletheatre.com before March 15. You can also drop into the Hospitality Suite in the Wellington Room (from 11 am to 5 pm daily) and let the host-of-the-day know. March 15 is again the deadline. The Gala menu is mostly GLUTEN-FREE but we want to be sure we know about everyone with special requests. Contact us.
 
 
Awards Gala Menu
 
Cold Canapés & Hot Hors D'oeuvres
Served from 6:00 to 7:00 pm during Cocktail Hour
  • An assortment of items, some vegetarian and some gluten-free
 
Plated Dinner
Served at 7:30 pm after presentation of Out-of-Festival Awards
  • Freshly Baked Buns and Butter
  • Baby Spinach Salad with Mandarin Oranges, Toasted Almonds, Sundried Cranberries with Poppy Seed Dressing
  • Pan Roasted 8oz Chicken Supreme Topped with Rosemary and White Wine Cream Sauce, Brown Butter Sweet Potato Mash (Gluten Free) and Seasonal Vegetables
 
Dessert
  • Triple Chocolate Truffle Pyramid (Gluten Free)
  • Freshly Brewed Coffee & Tea
   
Party On !!
 
The Holiday Inn Guelph has designated the GALT ROOM for private receptions and after-hours celebrations by patrons attending the WODL Festival. This will be a BYOB facility on the first floor, with refrigerators for storing food and drinks during the week. A few key WODL members staying at the hotel will be issued keys for the GALT ROOM, which is near the elevators and close to an ice dispenser.
A Banner Line-up for Canada 150

By Dennis Johnson, Festival 2017 Co-chair, dennis@wodl.on.ca
The Guelph Little Theatre Hosting Team takes a break from their planning session last Friday at the Guelph Holiday Inn.

Banners were created by Beve Matson who has also made the Great Canadian Quilt which will be raffled off during the Festival.

Left to Right - Marg Snowdon (Opening Reception), Pam Niesiobedzki (Awards Gala), Beve Matson (Banners and Gifts), Liz Poulton (Opening Reception), Connie Shaw (Goodies and Giveaways), Marnie Jutzi (Hotel Hospitality Room)
Monday 13 March - Ten Times Two - Theatre Tillsonburg

By Janice Lundy, Director of Ten Times Two, Theatre Tillsonburg
We wanted to do a Canadian play for Canada's 150th, and for me, Janice Lundy, a very recently retired teacher of modern history who loves British history, the appeal of directing this play spanning from 1399 to 2075 was irresistible.

While we wanted to enter it in Festival, our genius (and award-winning!) costume lady Jane Brown spends her winters in Florida, so November was our only option for our production. Then, a month into rehearsal, our genial Host, Ross Hepburn, realized that he was going to be in Fiji in March. Nothing daunted, we recruited as back-up the equally hospitable Mark Smith, and then sat back and waited for 3 months to find out!

It's been a madcap, but fun time, rehearsing with our new Host, and the other two actors, Judy Cormier and Jason Leighfield, have been enjoying the process of rediscovery of their characters, and have started developing even more depth and subtlety in their performances after 3 months away!



Tuesday 14 March - Albertine in Five Times - Cambridge Community Players

By Robin Bennett, Director of Albertine in Five Times, Cambridge Community Players
Quebec playwright Michel Tremblay created Albertine from a real character, one of his aunts. She appears in many of his plays and novels, and her dyspeptic nature holds a particular fascination for Tremblay.
 
Albertine in Five Times is a challenging script, not to be picked up lightly, as it is very much an actor's play. We are fortunate to have a wonderful cast and an equally wonderful crew.
 
As we move into Canada's Sesquicentennial, I hope you enjoy this piece of twentieth century Québécois theatre.

Click here to read a very comprehensive interview with Robin Bennett that appeared in the Cambridge Times.



Wednesday 15 March - Willow Quartet - Theatre Sarnia

By Jay Peckham, Director of Willow Quartet, Theatre Sarnia
Welcome everyone to Theatre Sarnia's production of Willow Quartet. This is our WODL Festival entry for 2017.

The story behind this story is an interesting one. The production committee first approached me to fill a space in the lineup for this season. So, I turned to my friend Henri Canino for some ideas for a script that I could direct that would challenge me and take me in a new direction as a director. She offered me Willow Quartet and after one reading, I fell in love with it. This play connects with me on many levels.

When audition time came around, I was presented with a significant challenge. So many amazing people auditioned for this show that I found it very difficult to make a decision. The cast I finally chose has absolutely risen to the challenge and embraced the material. For crew positions, I made a conscious choice to bring as many new people on as possible while providing them with a group of mentors that they could turn to. This has proven to be both challenging and rewarding.

I need to thank my "possy" for their patience with my crazy ideas. In the end, this journey was one of significant passion, realization, and learning. We have all shared in the process of expanding our abilities in so many ways. On behalf of the cast and crew, we hope that you will truly enjoy the fruits of our labours. We also have so many people to thank including our sponsors, supporters, and the staff of the Imperial Theatre for everything they have brought to this production. "We love it when you come to the theatre."


Thursday 16 March - Better Living - Ghost Light Players

By Jeff Bastien, Artistic Director, Ghost Light Players
We chose to do Better Living by George Walker because we wanted to do a piece by a Canadian author: That was the simple part. The tough part was finding a script that hit upon our tastes, which run towards the darkly humorous. We read through a bunch of MacIvor, Thompson, and Thiessen. I had always wanted to do a Walker, and actually have been obsessed with his Suburban Motel series for a couple of years. Jacqueline Tinus read through volume one of Walker's 'East End' plays and felt Better Living had that right mix of humour and tragedy.
 
We assembled a cast of close friends and actors that we had worked with before and got to work right away on digging into the script. Our initial read through revealed a very funny piece about an eccentric family. The text is staccato with a lot of movement and Jacqui, as the director, tapped into both that energy and the strong sense of family that pumps through the piece, with Nora being the obvious heart of it all. 
 
We first discussed this piece in March of 2015, sort of blissfully unaware of what was transpiring in the United States - their election race. As time came for us to get started, in mid November, a whole other subtext came out loud and clear from within the text. The character of Trump, with his passion to protect his family, no matter how much it hurt them, and his xenophobia started echoing things we were hearing from a certain candidate. Indeed, when we finished our first read through, we all remarked on how timely this piece had become. In our press release, it's even remarked on how this piece is even more relevant today than when it was originally written. With that in mind, a whole tone of power and dominance rose amongst the actors - who was the dominant and who was the submissive and what does that look like and how do we deal with that - all of these questions started to be asked. Soon, entire scenes were taken down new roads as the director and cast worked together to really lift the text off the page and use it to ask these same questions to the audience. 
 
We at Ghost Light Players are incredibly excited to bring this production to Guelph and take part in the wonderful atmosphere that is WODL. I myself have been looking forward to having my friends up there with me to meet all of you. We are bringing some of the best actors from the Windsor Essex County region and are very proud and grateful to be able to represent our communities. We look forward to seeing the other productions and to discuss and collaborate with all of you. See you in March!!

Photograph by Sharon Light

Photograph by Sharon Light.

Friday 17 March - Outlaw - Elmira Theatre Company

By Bev Dietrich, Producer of Outlaw, Elmira Theatre Company
Outlaw by Norm Foster is Elmira Theatre Company's festival entry for WODL and was the 2nd play of ETC's "A Season of Canadian Comedy".

Outlaw was brought forward to the play reading committee and the script was slid across the table to director Thom Smith with the words "You should do this play". Thom read the play, and being a Norm Foster fan having directed The Melville Boys, was up to the challenge.

This play setting is a unique as not only is it set in 1871 it doesn't have to be performed in a traditional box set which makes it an easy Festival play to transport and set up. The challenges in the play include working with guns and of course keeping actors safe while standing in a noose.

Though the play is a comedy with the biggest running joke about American vs. Canadian gun control we noticed how people connected more with certain parts of the script based on today's political climate than we thought they would. The subject of 'justice' and who has the right to enforce it seems to be particularly important today than ever before. Also, the issue of morality is a big part of the play. Audience members can reflect on "What is morally right?" These are important questions to be considered and this play provides a venue for timely discussions. We hope the discussion carries on in the party room after the play is performed on Friday night March 17 in Guelph.

What is truly exciting is that Norm Foster himself will be in the audience that night watching the play.

Thom Smith, the director of the play, made the following observations about it:

"I guess it's not so much a case of my having chosen the play but rather the
play choosing me. Being on the play selection committee I get sort of an
inside edge on the plays we are choosing and this seemed like a good match.
The biggest hurdle I had to overcome was whether I wanted to direct it or be
in it. In the end, I am happy with the choice I made and am thrilled that
the show has made it to festival.
 
What is interesting is that at the time we chose this play, events in the US
were only just beginning to unfold and by the time we were actually running
the show, the US had been turned upside down and the story being told by the
play became significantly more poignant. If I were looking for an evening of
fun and being able to have a bit of a laugh at our neighbours to the south,
this is the show I would want to go and see."


The Woolwich Observer did a nice article about the play which can be found here:  observerxtra.com/2017/01/19/go-west-young-man-laughs/

We hope you see the play at festival and consider it for your own playbill. You could pair it with Foster's Jenny's House of Joy. Both plays reference characters found in each play particularly Anita, the book reading prostitute.


News from Around the WODL Region

By Janice Lundy, WODL Area VP Oxford Region, janice@wodl.on.ca
March is a quieter month at our member theatres while all the excitement moves to Guelph! However, following the end of festival, a few groups will have productions opening. From March 22-25, the London Community Players at Procunier Hall are presenting The Triumph of Teresa Harris. Meanwhile, the Cambridge Community Players have Don't Dress for Dinner running from March 24 - April 8. And if you want to compare productions, Theatre Woodstock has their own Willow Quartet onstage from March 31- April 8.

Festival 2017 Out of Festival Awards

Click here for a printable list.

2017 WODL In Festival Awards

Finalist Company (in performance order)
Production
1. Theatre Tillsonburg                      
Ten Times Two: The Eternal Courtship
2. Cambridge Community Players
Albertine in Five Times
3. Theatre Sarnia
Willow Quartet
4. Ghost Light Players
Better Living
5. Elmira Theatre Company
Outlaw


2017 WODL Pre-Festival Awards 

Award
Achievement
Nominees
Winner
The Audrey Vale
Memorial Award
 
Sponsor:
Cambridge Community Players
Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Major Role
1.   Rachel Brewer,   Steel Magnolias, St. Marys Community Players
2.  Julia Gwyn, Steel Magnolias, St Marys Community Players
3.  Charlene McNab, Jenny's House of Joy, London Community Players
4.  Tori Franks, Proof, Theatre Kent
5.  Dia Frid, Papers, Theatre Burlington
6. Catherine Camp-Paynter,
Harvest, Paris Performers' Theatre
Rachel Brewer, Steel Magnolias, St. Marys Community Players
The Theatre Sarnia Memorial Award
 
Sponsor:
Theatre Sarnia in memory of Fred Hadley
Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Major Role
1. Xander Warrender, Jake's Women, Peninsula Players
2. E.B. Michael Austin, The Perfect Murder, Guelph Little Theatre
3. Bruce Farley, Harvest, Paris Performers' Theatre
4. Jeff Bastien, Voices of Vimy, Ghost Light Players
5. Gary Bodkin, On A First Name Basis, Aylmer Community Theatre
6. Michael Hannigan, Papers, Theatre Burlington
Jeff Bastien, Voices of Vimy, Ghost Light Players
The Repuski Award
 
Sponsor:
Liz Repuski in memory of Steve Repuski
 
Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
 
1. John Kozak, Sitting Pretty, Theatre Woodstock
2. Doug Turvey, The Thistle Theatre
3. Ron Boucher, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Kincardine Theatre Guild
4. Patrick Hebden,  The Perfect Murder, Guelph Little Theatre
5. Keith Burnett, Proof, Theatre Kent
6. Chris Lanspeary Voices of Vimy Ghost Light Players
 
Keith Burnett, Proof, Theatre Kent
The London Community Players Award
 
Sponsor:
London Community Players
Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
 
1. LauraJean McCann, Steel Magnolias, St Marys Community Players
2. Ann Jackson, The Nerd, Thistle Theatre
3. Tracey Price, Sitting Pretty, Theatre Woodstock
4. Sarah Hoyland, Office Politics, Kincardine Theatre Guild
5. Margot Strothers, Jenny's House of Joy, London Community Players
6. Patricia Starr, Jake's Women, Peninsula Players
 
Sarah Hoyland, Office Politics, Kincardine Theatre Guild
The Mooney Award
 
Sponsor:
Anne and Mark Mooney
Outstanding Direction
 
1. Rob Coles, Steel Magnolias, St Marys Community Players
2. Dean Valentino, Voices of Vimy, Ghost Light Players
3. Christopher McGruer, Having Hope At Home, Owen Sound Little Theatre
4. Tracy Morton, Proof, Theatre Kent
5. Tom Mackan, Papers, Theatre Burlington
Dean Valentino, Voices of Vimy, Ghost Light Players
The Inez Hayes Memorial Award
 
Sponsor:
Theatre Burlington in memory of Inez Hayes
Outstanding Ensemble Work
 
1. Steel Magnolias, St Marys Community Players
2. Lion in the Streets, Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre
3. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Kincardine Theatre Guild
4. Voices of Vimy, Ghost Light Players
5. Having Hope At Home, Owen Sound Little Theatre
Lion in the Streets, Kitchener-
Waterloo Little Theatre
The Elmira Theatre Company Award
 
Sponsor:
Elmira Theatre Company
Best Visual Production
1. Voices of Vimy, Ghost Light Players
2. Having Hope At Home , Owen Sound Little Theatre
3. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Kincardine Theatre Guild
4. Lion in the Streets, Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre
5. Harvest, Paris Performers' Theatre
Voices of Vimy Ghost Light Players
Award of Merit
 
Sponsor:
John Snowden
(Theatre Downstairs)
Consistency in Vision Execution
 
Wrong for Each Other, Binbrook Little Theatre
Award of Merit
 
Sponsor:
John Snowden
(Theatre Downstairs)
Contrasting Roles
 
Ryan Bassett, Lion in the Streets, Kitchener - Waterloo Little Theatre
Award of Merit
 
Sponsor:
Owen Sound Little Theatre
Costume Quick Change Organization
 
Tamar Malic-Burnett, Proof, Theatre Kent
Award of Merit
 
Sponsor:
Owen Sound Little Theatre
Best Prop
 
Phoebe Campbell, The Nerd, Thistle Theatre
Award of Merit
 
Sponsor:
Leise & Jim Peddie
Costume Colour Palate
 
Ruth Nigro and Bonnie Wallace, Jake's Women, Peninsula Players
Award of Merit
 
Sponsor:
Leise & Jim Peddie
Stand out Staging Moment
 
Linda Lloyd-McKenzie, Harvest, Paris Performers' Theatre       
The Kay McKie Memorial Award
 
Sponsor:
Pat Wiggins
Best Production Out of Festival
1. Voices of Vimy,  Ghost Light Players
2. Steel Magnolias, St Marys Community Theatre
3. Proof, Theatre Kent
 
Voices of Vimy , Ghost Light Players
The Kay McKie Trophy
Presented to the winner of Best Production Out of Festival
To be presented annually and kept by the winning group for one year.
Voices of Vimy, Ghost Light Players


2017 In & Out Of Festival Awards 

Award
Achievement
Nominees
Winner
The Hadley Award In Memory of Val and Fred Hadley
 
Sponsor:
Megan and Diane Hadley
Outstanding Performance by a Juvenile
 
 
1. Tai Hope, Sitting Pretty, Theatre Woodstock
2. Hannah Bellfontaine, Jake's Women, Peninsula Players
3. Alex Bish, The Nerd, Thistle Theatre
4. Carson Rutledge, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Kincardine Theatre Guild
5. Jared Petrie, Office Politics, Kincardine Theatre Guild
Jared Petrie, Office Politics, Kincardine Theatre Guild
The Theatre Kent Award
 
Sponsor:
Theatre Kent
Most Promising Newcomer
 
1. Amy-Lee Godbout, Sitting Pretty, Theatre Woodstock
2. Jason Geberdt, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Kincardine Theatre Guild
3. Colleen McGeough, Jenny's House of Joy, London Community Players
4. Julie Lafond,  Office Politics, Kincardine Theatre Guild
5. Larissa Vogler, Proof, Theatre Kent
Jason Geberdt, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Kincardine Theatre Guild
The Christopher Covert Memorial Award
 
Sponsor:
Audrey Hummelen and Marie Prout
Outstanding Cameo Performance
1. Phyllis Leighton,  Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Kincardine Theatre Guild
2. Rob Hargreaves (as Kemp) The Nerd, Thistle Theatre
3. Paul Dennis, Office Politics, Kincardine Theatre Guild
4. Peter King,  Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Kincardine Theatre Guild
Phyllis Leighton, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Kincardine Theatre Guild
The Molly Yearham Memorial Award
 
Sponsor:
Dundas Little Theatre
 
 
 
Best Visual coordinated Costumes of a non-rental Nature
1. Holly McAdam, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Kincardine Theatre Guild
2. Aiden Thomas, Jenny's House of Joy, London Community Players
3. Jane Brown, Ten Times Two, Theatre Tillsonburg
4. Judi McCuaig/Sara Dunbar, The Perfect Murder, Guelph Little Theatre
5. Ruth Nigro/Bonnie Wallace, Jake's Women, Peninsula Players  
Jane Brown, Ten Times Two, Theatre Tillsonburg
The Palace Theatre Award in memory of Ronald J. Logan
 
Sponsor:
Rick Verrette
 
Outstanding Lighting Design and Execution
1. Sean Goble, Ten Times Two, Theatre Tillsonburg
2. Ian Loft, Voices of Vimy, Ghost Light Players
3. Kathleen Cassidy, Having Hope at Home Owen Sound Little Theatre
4. Tricia Ward, Papers, Theatre Burlington
5. Bill McLaughlin, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Kincardine Theatre Guild
Bill McLaughlin, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor, Kincardine Theatre Guild
The Harmony Award
 
Sponsor:
Marion Smith
Outstanding Set Design
1. Dani Podetz, Papers, Theatre Burlington
2. Brodie McGruer, Having Hope at Home, Owen Sound Little Theatre
3. Brian Winterton, Willow Quartet, Theatre Sarnia
4. Dean Valentino, Voices of Vimy, Ghost Light Players
5. Sandra Bacon, Jake's Women, Peninsula Players
6. Jacqueline Tinus, Better Living, Ghost Light Players
Brian Winterton, Willow Quartet, Theatre Sarnia
The Kincardine Theatre Guild Award
 
 
Sponsor:
Kincardine Theatre Guild
Outstanding Sound Design
1. Sean Goble, Ten Times Two, Theatre Tillsonburg
2. Andy Mawdsley/Ed Williams, The Nerd, Thistle Theatre
3. Chris Rovers, Lion in the Streets, Kitchener-Waterloo, Little Theatre
4. Christopher McGruer/Larry Jensen, Having Hope at Home, Owen Sound Little Theatre
5. Joy King, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Kincardine Theatre Guild
 
Chris Rovers, 
Lion in the Streets, Kitchener-Waterloo, Little Theatre
The Catharine Brickenden Award
 
Sponsor: Sue and Dave Perkins
Best Production of a Canadian Play
1. Ten Times Two, Theatre Tillsonburg
2. Better Living, Ghost Light Players
3. Voices of Vimy, Ghost Light Players
Better Living, Ghost Light Players
The Catharine Brickenden Trophy
 
Sponsor:
Playwrights Canada Press
Presented to the winner of Best Production of a Canadian Play
To be presented annually and kept by the winning group for one year.
Better Living , Ghost Light Players

Theatre Ontario - Stage Management Weekend Intensive - March 25 to 26

By Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager at Theatre Ontario, brandon@theatreontario.org
Theatre Ontario is hosting a Stage Management Weekend Intensive with Maria Popoff in Kingston running March 25th and 26th.

  • What is the Stage Manager's role in managing the rehearsal, technical rehearsal and performance process, and how is it defined in the creative process?
     
  • What are some of the challenges that a Stage Manager encounters within their unique role?
     
  • How do they co-ordinate all aspects of a theatrical production to ensure the successful delivery of a performance while balancing the needs of both the creative and technical personnel?
     
  • What skills can the Stage Manager use to ensure that they maintain the artistic intention of a play?
We will explore how a Stage Manager collaborates and communicates with a variety of artists to ensure that everyone on the production has access to the most up to date information. Everyone recognizes the value of having a good Stage Manager. 

Workshop participants will come away with a deeper understanding of the art of Stage Management and what their role is as a creative participant in the world of theatre.

Preferred local accommodation rates are available.

Tickets and Accommodation for Theatre Ontario Festival 2017 Now Available

By Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager at Theatre Ontario, brandon@theatreontario.org
Tickets and accommodations are now available for Theatre Ontario Festival 2017 in Ottawa. Opening May 17, and running until May 21, our annual Festival is a celebration of community theatre featuring performances and workshops, and bringing together theatre lovers from across the province. Early-bird passes at a discounted rate are available until January 31.
 
Click here to book tickets and to get more information on the Festival. 
If you are Producing Canadian Plays this Season - Check This Out

The Playwrights Guild of Canada publicises productions of Canadian-written plays through its website, www.playwrightsguild.ca.

If you want a play included on the Canadian Play Map of Canada, click here to obtain an application form.

PGC also publishes a list of theatre companies that have an all-Canadian season. Click here to obtain a nomination form for this list.
Canadian Play Map of Canada

Each month the Playwrights Guild of Canada publishes a map showing which Canadian plays are being produced and where. To see the map for March   click here .
ONstage Theatre Listings

Theatre Ontario publishes an online list of current and upcoming productions by its member groups. To see what is on  click here.
Is your WODL Membership Information Up-to-date?

Are you on the board of a theatre group that belongs to WODL? If your group has:
  • A new President
  • New WODL delegates
  • A new Treasurer
Please let our membership chair, Sue Perkins, know at  membership@wodl.on.ca
Dates for your Diary


13 to 18 March 2017 WODL Festival 2017, Guelph
17 to 21 May 2017 Theatre Ontario Festival 2017, Ottawa
23 July 2017 AGM, place to be decided
12 to 17 March 2018 WODL Festival 2018, Sarnia
16  to 20 May 2018 Theatre Ontario Festival 2018, London
This newsletter was prepared by:  

Tricia Ward
Communications Coordinator
WODL

Western Ontario Drama League | communications@wodl.on.ca | http://www.wodl.on.ca