SISTER ACT at Stage West Calgary

After forbidding dancing as Principal Clark in last spring’s production of Footloose!, it’s great to be back with Stage West to kick off my Sunday shoes in Sister Act.  (Sorry) When we had the first reading/sing-through with the cast, I knew that this show would be a hit. Stage West has assembled an amazing cast and creative team, and the audience is going to holy-rolling the aisles (Sorry, again).

I’ll be playing Monsignor O’Hara, and when there are plans to close the church, well, I’ll have nun of it! (Actually, I acquiesce, but I can’t help making these jokes!). We open November 14th, hope you can make it to see this show, tickets at Stage West!

A reading of a MURDER MYSTERY

I love murder mysteries– in a strange way, I think watching them through the pandemic (everything from Agatha Christie, to Shetland, to Luther) is what kept my father and me sane. Maybe it’s the extra task of trying to figure out “whodunnit” along with the usual drama in the relationships that makes them so engaging. So, it would only make sense that, as the pandemic (finally) waned, I would start writing my own.

Thanks to a Theatre Creators Reserve Recommender grant through the Ontario Arts Council (and a recommendation for this grant from the wonderful Simon Joynes at Port Stanley Festival Theatre), I completed the first draft of a first act, and then completed a full draft just in time to start my MFA. As happens when you’re balancing many projects, the project sat on the shelf for a time, which is why I was so happy to have the opportunity to have it read aloud by a group of actors through the Breaking Cover series put on by the Red Deer Players Society. I also received some excellent feedback from the director, Lacey Olson, and the company’s dramaturg, Erin Vanderweg.

The reading went well– what was most surprising was the amount of laughter! My intention was for it to be a comedy, but I was surprised and very happy to hear all the joy it brought to the audience. Thanks to the Red Deer Players Society for this next step as I continue to develop this piece!

Stage Two Workshop at Lunchbox Theatre

I’ve had the opportunity now to have a play workshopped at Lunchbox Theatre three times through their Stage One Program (including the workshop of my musical Bingo Ladies, which went on to multiple productions), but this was the first time I’ve worked as an actor in the development of a new show. I was very lucky to be included in the second workshop of James Hart’s Rupert Land, a beautiful three-person show on themes of loss and healing. We were led by director Javier Vilalta (whom I worked with on Jekyll and Hyde at Vertigo Theatre in 2023), and we had a truly lovely cast. Here’s hoping that this workshop leads to a full production!