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!

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!

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!

Well, how lucky am I? I was invited to take part in the National Arts Centre’s intensive (also known as the Super Duper Musical retreat) for two weeks at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. I was an actor in the workshop of the gorgeous musical Maudie (based on the movie Maudie) by Sarah Slean (composer/lyricist) and Kent Staines (librettist). We had such an incredible team, and as both an actor and a musical theatre writer, it was just a joy to be a part of the show’s development, while also getting to hang with a bunch of super talented folks in the mountains for a few weeks! Thank you to all the many organizations and folks who made this event possible; it was wonderful to be a part of.

I am so happy that my musical comedy, Bingo Ladies, will be playing at Rising Tide Theatre in Newfoundland this summer. I spent 10 summers performing with the comedy, and have written two shows specifically for them, and it is a place, community,  and theatre company I dearly love. I may not be able to make it out this summer due to commitments here, but if you happen to be in Newfoundland this summer and around Trinity, do yourself a favour and check out the talented artists who are putting this production together; you won’t be disappointed!

From left to right: Maggie Coady, Andrew Preston, (Thor the Troll), and Mallory Clarke.

I was busy on the day I was supposed to pick it up (doing a workshop, which is fitting) but it’s official: I have a Masters in Playwrighting from the University of Calgary. SO… if you’re in the Calgary area and you happen to be looking for a playwright, a composer, lyricist, librettist, dramaturg for a play or musical, or an actor, singer, dancer (been doing more of that in shows lately, and loving it), guitar player, or singer/songwriter… Let me know!!

What a fabulous run we had of FOOTLOOSE! at Stage West Calgary. It was a wonderful long run (April 18-June 22) and a great cast to get to share the stage with, whether as Principal Clark, or occasionally as an understudy when I’d show up hanging out with the teenagers behind the gas station, or as a backup dancer for “The girl gets around” as Principal Clark’s brother, “Uncle Lyle”. I also got to check off my bucket list of working with director Phil Nero and choreographer Jesse Weafer. This cast was an incredibly professional group who held it together through some illnesses and always kept things positive. Wishing you all good luck!!

While we were workshopping our new version of Remember that Song? for Lunchbox Theatre in Calgary, nearly at the same time, Smile Theatre in Toronto was closing their touring production of Remember that Song? which played from April 30th until June 7th, 2025. This show was originally developed with Smile Theatre (thanks for an Ontario Arts Council grant) and first toured Ontario and Quebec in 2016, and I was so happy to have it return home. Thanks Smile Theatre for all that you do!

“This has been a wonderful tour -40 performances in Retirement Residences, Long Term Care Homes, and Day Programs for those living with dementia. The incredible script, cast and creative team brought so much joy to seniors in Southern Ontario!” Tom Carson, Artistic director of Smile Theatre and director of the show.

Pictured (left to right): Allison Plamondon (choreographer), Briony Merritt (stage manager), Tom Carson (director), Michelle Piller (actor), Sam Rosenthal (actor), and Meredith Wolting, (designer). Not pictured: Music director Rosalind Mills.

I’m very happy that Lunchbox Theatre will be workshopping a new adaptation of my musical “Remember That Song” as part of their Stage One Development program. This script was first developed with Smile Theatre in Toronto, a company that specializes in bringing theatre to older adults who can no longer leave their residences/hospices. The piece was researched through interviews that Toni MaCrae and I conducted with focus groups of older adults in the Toronto area, where we asked them questions about their favourite songs and memories associated with those songs. Smile Theatre is currently touring a version of the piece through Ontario that is geared towards folks with dementia.

This new version of Lunchbox is a departure from the previous script, as I’m now integrating these songs into a more story-driven narrative while writing it for actors who are closer in age to the characters in the show. It’s very exciting to have the opportunity to explore how these changes affect the piece and makes it such a departure from the original! You can find information about the reading on Lunchbox Theatre’s website, here.

Thanks to funding from the Calgary Arts Development Authority (CADA), we conducted a workshop of my new musical, Susan’s Dream Date, at the cSpace studio theatre on January 12th. In this new musical (first conceived while working on my graduate degree at the University of Calgary), Susan is on a perfect date, only to discover her date is actually taking place within a dream she is having, where her two subconscious allies lead her through the labyrinth of her mind, challenging Susan to address her unresolved issues of being a caregiver to an aging parent and guiding her towards the life she truly wants.

Elinor Holt*, Robyn Ord, Eric Wigston*, and music director Konrad Pluta.

It was a wonderful experience to explore this piece with a room of talented collaborators for a full week before presenting what we had developed (a nearly sung-through 65-minute piece!) to an audience of theatre professionals, caregivers, and friends.

I’m currently planning the second workshop of this piece, funded by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, which will include arrangements by Konrad Pluta for a three-piece ensemble. Please get in touch with me if you’d like to be invited to our next staged reading.

* The participation of these Artists are arranged by permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the provisions of the Dance•Opera•Theatre Policy.