Introducing the Cast and Creative Team of THE WOMEN!

3-WomenCAST:

Mary – Roseanna Sargent
Sylvia – Nicole Lemay
Edith – Jenn Robinson
Peggy – Mandy Stewart
Nancy – Sarah Van Tassel
Jane – Sadie Bowling
Mrs. Morehead – Syrell Wilson
Miriam – Katelyn Arthurs
Countess De Lage – Trish Van Doornum
Little Mary – Lilianna Coyes-Loiselle
Crystal – Julie Whelan
Maggie & Ensemble – Peg Young
Pilates Instructor & Ensemble – Sarah Spicer
Sadie & Ensemble – Wendy Shobe
Olga & Ensemble – Katie Elliott
Lucy & Ensemble – Chantal Rohovich
Miss Watts & Ensemble – Katrina Kunkel
Miss Timmerback & Ensemble – Tyra Watkin

CREATIVE  TEAM:

Director – Catherine Wenschlag
Production Manager – Steven Sobolewski
Stage Manager – Gaby Phaneuf
Dramaturg – Anne Marie Szucs
Fight Director – Julianne Murphy
Set Design – Leland Stelck
Costume Design – Mandy Mattson
Lighting & Projection Design – Jessica Poole
Sound Design – Erin Foster-O’Riordan
Hair & Makeup Design – TBD
Properties Master – Alayna Hunchak
Master Builder – Morgan Smith
Master Painter – Brooke Emberly
ASM(s) – Nic Juba & Cassie Duval
Lighting Operator – Fraser Thurston
Sound Operator – Glenn Cook
Dresser – Liz Cook

Meet the Cast of A DOLL’S HOUSE – Tim Marriott is Torvald!

IMG_5389What is your role in this production? I play Torvald, the husband of Nora. Torvald has just received a promotion in the bank where he works, and this new position is very important to him. He and Nora have been married for eight years and to others their home is “lovely and peaceful”. Torvald is concerned about appearances, but if anyone asked he would say that he and Nora have very successful and loving marriage,

What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? I have been around Theatre in Edmonton all of my adult life. This year is forty years since my first involvement with Walterdale.

What brought you out for this show? Why did you want to become involved? I think the play explores very effectively the difference between people’s assumptions about their world, and its reality. This is a very intriguing examination of this theme, in a compelling drama focused upon male/female, husband/wife relationships.

What do you think audiences will take away from the show? I think a modern audience will see this 19th century play as being very contemporary.

 

Photo Credit: Kristen Finlay
Photo features: Tim Marriott as Torvald and Nicole English as Nora.

Set Designer – Joan Hawkins
Costume Designer – Geri Dittrich
Lighting Designer – Richard Hatfield

Meet the Team of A DOLL’S HOUSE – Alex Hawkins is the Director!

1-DollsHouseWhat is your role on this production? My name is Alex Hawkins, and I am the director of A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, the first show of the 2017-2018 Walterdale Theatre season.  I submitted this play to the Walterdale Artistic Director and Board earlier this year, and I am very pleased that it was chosen for the season.  One of the reasons is that this play is often misunderstood as an old-fashioned, talky, domestic drama, featuring an oppressed doll-wife, a nasty husband, an even nastier villain, and an avuncular family friend who secretly has designs on the doll-wife.  But Henrik Ibsen was not only a good playwright; he was an extraordinarily gifted playwright, whose characters are complex, emotionally rich, textured with multiple motivations.  The situation in the play between Nora the wife and Torvald the husband is subtle and complicated, as is the character of Krogstad, whose actions toward Nora come out of desperation and despair, and not from some sort of evil plot to oppress her.  Nora and Krogstad actually share in the same back-story, and are more alike than they are different.  And the avuncular Dr. Rank is a genuine friend to Nora, but his clumsy yet well-intentioned effort to help her fails, and she is left to solve her own crisis.  My job as director was to manage a number of things:  to work with designers to determine the nature and look of the physical theatre space; to work with the production team to manage the progress of the characters — and the audience’s gaze — through that space; and to work with the actors to help them come to a rich understanding of their characters and their moment-by-moment progress through their story.

What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? I started in theatre in high school, by acting and singing roles in three Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, and I was exclusively interested in musicals for my first four years of theatre. Then in the Spring of 1965, I took a role as a “singing monk” in a production of the play Luther by John Osborne, at the MAC Theatre in Calgary — and I never looked back.  I have been committed to non-musical theatre ever since.  After studying theatre in university and graduate school, I have been in Edmonton since 1979, teaching drama at the UofA until my retirement in 2013.  Since 2004, I have directed seven plays at Walterdale Theatre.  For the past 13 years, I have been delighted to work in this wonderful community theatre, with so many talented and committed theatre workers — university/college students; Walterdale veterans; young people with an eye toward professional theatre; people from a wide variety of professions doing theatre at nights and on weekends; and many others.  It is a rich, diverse, dedicated, talented, and skilled community.  And the physical building, although somewhat small and unassuming, is extraordinarily well-equipped technically, with a wonderfully personal theatre space, and audiences that experience theatre close-up and intimate.

IMG_5416What do you hope that audiences will take away from the show? I wanted to deliver a well-known, but often misunderstood, modern classic play by one of theatre history’s greatest playwrights to an audience that I hope will see and appreciate the richness and complexity of the characters and their situations. I hope that audiences will be surprised at how relevant the play is to issues of class and gender conflict in our society today.

 

Meet the Cast of A DOLL’S HOUSE – Dave Wolkowski is Nils Krogstad

dave wolkowskiWhat is your role in this production? I play Nils Krogstad. A disgraced, former lawyer who is trying to put some respectability back into his life. He is often viewed as a scoundrel but I prefer to see him as someone with a heart. He only really wants the best for himself and his children. With those worthy intentions in mind, only good things are ahead for him.
What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? I was bitten by the acting bug 20 years ago when I was volunteering for Central Alberta Theatre in Red Deer. I was a Sound Operator at the time when I was asked to step in for an actor who became ill. The rest, as they say, is history. I’ve been in a variety of theatre, film and TV projects over the years. I have been a member of Walterdale Theatre for about 10 years and have a done a few shows in that time on our well trod boards.
What brought you out for this show? Why did you want to become involved? After a brief time living in BC I returned to Edmonton last year and was anxious to re-connect with the folks at Walterdale Theatre. When I saw the audition call for A Doll’s House I thought this would be an opportunity to get to work, once again, with all the many energetic men and women of this wonderful community theatre group. I lucked out and have landed in with a cast and crew of dedicated and talented souls for this production of A Doll’s House. I do feel blessed.
What do you think audiences will take away from the show? Every audience member will come away with something different from this show. If you have ever been in love, have ever been out of love, have had ups and downs from these experiences and from the things life can throw at you then you will be able to relate to the issues dealt with in this play by Henrik Ibsen. It doesn’t seem to matter whether it is 1879 or 2017. People are people and the struggles and the joys we face transcend the ages.
Let’s lighten things up a bit – got any funny stories about money? Is there anything funny about money? It has been called the root of all evil but most of us want more of it. I suppose the funniest thing about money is that here at Walterdale, like all community theatres, we do it simply for love not money.

Announcing the Cast of SHATTER

2-ShatterCAST:

Anna MacLean – SIAN GODSMARK
Jennie Maclean – YANIT TEREFE
Elsie Schultz – SAMANTHA WOOLSEY
Brian Davidson – BERKLEY ABBOTT

Ghosts: BRITTANY HINSE, DYLAN BRENNEIS, MIKAYLEE BOUTIN, VIKTORIA BRADLEY, STUART OLD, SYDNEY JINJOE

 

Shatter by Trina Davies
December 6, 2017 – December 16, 2017
Director: Josh Languedoc

Anna MacLean’s eye has been turned by all the handsome soldiers roaming about the streets of her hometown of Halifax.  She feels the promise of something great is lingering on the horizon for her. Those feelings are as fleeting as a dream.  With Anna’s mother, her best friend, Elsie Schultz are thrown into chaos when their world explodes around them. Based around the events of the Halifax Explosion of 1917, Davies’ intense and thought-provoking work paints a haunting portrait of the aftermath of tragedy.

 

 

Introducing the Cast of A DOLL’S HOUSE!

1-DollsHouseWe’d like to welcome the first cast of our 2017/18 Season:
A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen
Directed by Alex Hawkins
Cast:
Nora Helmer – Nicole English
Anne-Marie – Leslie Caffaro
Torvald Helmer – Tim Marriott
Mrs. Christine Linde – Marsha Amanova
Nils Krogstad – Dave Wolkowski
Dr. Peter Rank – Dale Wilson
Creative Team:
Alex Hawkins – Director
John Anderson – Assistant Director
JOAN HAWKINS – Set Designer/ Master Painter
Geri Drittich- Costume Designer
Jackie Lotery – Production Manager
Cassie Duval – Stage Manager
Pierre Valois – Master Builder
Alayna Hunchak – Props Master
Richard Hatfield- Technical Advisor/Lighting Designer
A Doll’s House runs from October 11-21, 2017
Tickets are available at Tix on the Square – 780.420.1757 or www.tixonthesquare.ca

Meet the Cast of FOLLIES! Christina O’Dell is Young Heidi and Sound Op.!

christineWhat is your role in this production? I am doing double duty this show; onstage I am playing Young Heidi, the recollected self of a once famous operetta star, and then as soon as I am offstage I scoot down to the booth to take my place as the show’s sound operator.  It’s my first time on the tech crew, which is very exciting! It’s also likely the first time a tech will be dressed a gown and tiara in the booth…

What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? After having basically grown up onstage, I took a 6 hiatus from theatre while I was at university.  I returned to performing after finishing my masters degree, and Follies will actually be my 18th show since graduating 6 years ago.  I’m beyond thrilled to be back at the Walterdale this time around too; it’s my third show here, and it always feels like coming home!
What brought you out for this production? Barb, our lovely director,  was the one who brought me to this show. Initially she just needed a sound operator, and as I was very interested in learning about the technical side of things, I jumped at the chance.  As the process unfolded, she ended up needing a soprano and also someone to do a bit of tap dancing, so I jumped into those roles as well; it really is quite exciting having both an onstage and an offstage presence in this show!
This show is about theatre and nostalgia – got any good theatre stories? What do you love about doing theatre? Honestly I love the sense of play that is inherent to theatre.  As adults we have so few opportunities to play and engage in story telling and make-believe! As for wild theatre stories: I was was once in a show called Titanic the Musical, and before one of our matinees a massive snow-storm triggered a power outage that resulted in our curtain time being delayed……we ended up having to cut half an hour from Act 2 on the fly; the Titanic sank very abruptly that day!
What has been the most challenging part of doing the show? I would say picking up the tap dance last minute…it has been an exhilarating challenge!
What has been the best thing about doing the show? The best part by far is being back with my Walterdale family; I feel so lucky that I get to come to rehearsal to play and explore alongside these wonderful and talented people.

Meet the Cast of FOLLIES! Alyssa Paterson is Young Carlotta and Co-Choreographer!

 Paterson HatWhat is your role in  this production? I’m in the ensemble as a memory girl (Young Carlotta), and I’m also dance captain and co-choreographer for the show.

What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? I grew up doing a lot of musical theatre, and took a long break from it before joining the cast of Chess at Walterdale last summer.  I had such a fantastic time that I knew I had to come back for Follies!
What brought you out for this production? I’ve always held a secret desire to be a showgirl, and this show lets me do that!  Plus the show contains some of my favourite Sondheim songs, and I knew that there’d be lots of great dancing.
This show is about theatre and nostalgia – got any good theatre stories? I was once in a show where I had to “die” onstage while holding my “baby” in my arms, which was a plastic doll wrapped in a blanket. One night during the scene, the actor who was supposed to scoop the baby out of my arms didn’t make it in time, and the doll started falling off of me and rolling onto the bed. I had to pretend to be dead, so I could only lie there, completely still, as I felt it happening! Thankfully the other actor just managed to catch the doll before it fell onto the floor…
What has been the most challenging part of doing the show? As dance captain, I get to sub in for the dances of missing cast members when they’re away. There’s plenty of dancing in this show, so it’s a lot for me to keep straight in my head.
What has been the best thing about doing the show? It’s been a long time since I’ve done any choreography, and I’ve really enjoyed collaborating with Barbara (the director and co-choreographer) to create and set the many dance numbers in this show.  I’ve also loved getting to know the fabulous cast and crew – this show is filled with talented and lovely people!

Meet the Cast of FOLLIES – Leslie Caffaro is Sally Durant Plummer!

leslieWhat is your role in Follies?  I play Sally, a former dancer attending a reunion of her fellow Weismann girls. She still tries to maintain a veneer of bubbliness, but is forced to face some dark realizations during the reunion.

What is your background in theatre? I didn’t start acting until I was an adult, taking some local classes and then doing a summer session at New Actors Workshop in NYC. A friend suggested I audition for the Walterdale, funnily enough I’d already seen shows there but hadn’t realized it was a community theatre. This is my 11th Walterdale show (not all of them musicals). I’ve also done shows with Abbedam, Two One Way Tickets to Broadway and Round Barn productions. In theory, I am still reworking a musical I wrote and co-directed for Stagestruck.

What brought you out for this show? It’s a musical! I had worked with Barb Mah before on Sweet Charity, my first real musical, which was a magical experience, and hoped to work with her again. I’d seen a show Michael Clark had done and was impressed by the characterization in the songs. The challenge of approaching these complex characters was also exciting.

What do you love about doing theatre? I love the open, accepting atmosphere in theatre and the sense of collaborating on a common goal, and of course playing and pretending and escaping my own little world for a while.

What is the most challenging thing about doing this show? I’ve never done a Sondheim show before so the music itself was challenging for me. Also, on paper, I didn’t find my character Sally to be very likeable but didn’t want this to interfere with presenting a multidimensional character.
What is the best thing about doing this show? The best thing about this show are all the people involved who constantly inspire me. As I’ve played with many of them before it’s almost like a reunion within a reunion and there’s also the joy of finding new partners in crime.

Meet the Team of FOLLIES! John Anderson is the Lighting Op!

john-andersonWhat is your role on this production?  I’m the Lighting Operator. When the actor comes on stage, and the lights shine on their faces, so you can see them, it’s because I’m somewhere in the back — pushing buttons, turning levers, spinning wheel pedals, pulling rope, shoveling coal, etc. You got to see those actors act, so my job is to make sure the lights go up on them, by any means necessary.

What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale?  I have been an Assistant Stage Manager for a couple shows at the Watlerdale: Jenny’s Story and Chess. I also recently volunteered as the Sound Operator on Elope Theatre’s production of Sweeney Todd.

What brought you out for this production? I wanted to get some experience in the booth, and have never taken on the role of Lighting Operator before, so I figured this would be a good opportunity to get that experience. Our director, Barbara Mah, and Lighting Designer, Brad Melrose, have both been very generous towards me, in allowing me to take on this opportunity, and learn from them.

This show is about theatre and nostalgia – what do you love about doing theatre?  What I like about live theatre is its transient nature. Unlike a film, for example – which can be watched anytime, anywhere – a play can only be seen in a specific place within a short window of time. Each performance is unique in its own way. You were either there when it happened, or you weren’t. That’s all. There’s something very special about that passing intimacy that you don’t experience in the more permanent and removed artforms of cinema and literature.

What has been the most challenging part of doing the show?  My experience so far with this show has been a very easy one, since the responsibilities of my role are only just beginning this week. Based on the talented and kind people involved with the show, I anticipate that our run will be a fun time.

What has been the best thing about doing the show?  Getting the opportunity to learn how the lights work at the Walterdale, and getting to watch our talented cast play their parts in rehearsal.