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Saturday, 27 September 2014
Wednesday, 24 September 2014
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Monday, 22 September 2014
Meet the Cast - Kyle Dickie
Kyle Dickie
Kyle
is likely a familiar face to theatregoers in the Durham Region. Most recently he played the Man of Many
Roles (Prince Herbert, Not Dead Fred, etc.) in the Scugog Choral Society’s
production of Spamalot; but, since his rather humble beginnings as an actor, he
has been constantly performing in this area for almost a decade.
“I started
participating in Community Theatre in 2005 in Uxbridge Youth Theatre’s
production of Footloose. Originally I
volunteered for back stage help, but was placed in the chorus due to lack of
cast. Ever since then, I’ve been hooked!”
When he first learned that the Borelians
and Port Perry Town Hall Players were producing The Drawer Boy, Kyle rushed out
to buy a copy of the script so that he could prepare for the audition. He loved
what he read in the script and was enthused at the prospect of working
on such an iconic piece of Canadian theatre. Needless to say, he got the role!
“I am playing the
role of Miles in this production. Miles is a young, energetic actor from Toronto
who has come to Clinton with a group of actors to learn about farming. Miles
stays with two farmers, Morgan and Angus, while he learns about the ways of the
farm and attempts to write his share of a collective play. Over the course of
the show, through Miles’ questions and comments, we begin to learn the
intriguing story of Morgan and Angus.”
Kyle’s character is based on a living
person, Miles Potter, who was part of the Theatre Passe Murialle collective
that created The Farm Show, an historic achievement in Canadian Theatre. The
Farm Show has long been seen as an example of how theatre can have a social
impact and even change the lives of its participants. By the sounds of it, theatre
has made some strong impressions on Kyle, too.
“Every show I've
been a part of leaves a lasting memory on me, mostly due to the fantastic
individuals that I get to meet and work with and all of the friendships that
are made.”
Life in the theatre has helped Kyle to
experience things he never thought possible and he has also learned to value the
unique perspective that actors are privy to.
“Before each
show, right before you go on, is probably one of the most nerve-wracking
feelings for me. During my first show in University, I had a fellow actor state
that if you’re nervous before a show, it’s because you really care about it.
It’s one lesson that’s stuck with me. Theatre allows you to experience the
vulnerability of each character and then step back inside yourself.”
The Drawer Boy will mark the first time
that Kyle has performed on stage with the Borelians and he couldn't be more
thrilled to be a part of the season. Watch
for him this October when The Drawer Boy hits the stage at Town Hall 1873 in
Port Perry, Ontario.
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Friday, 19 September 2014
Tuesday, 16 September 2014
Meet the Director - Helen Coughlin
Helen
Coughlin
Borelians
Community Theatre is delighted to have Helen Coughlin as The Drawer Boy’s
director. When the group first started
considering the play for their 44th theatrical season, it was clear from the
very beginning that the script had special meaning for Helen and that it had been an important
part of her life for quite some time.
"I have always loved The Drawer Boy. I first saw the Toronto
production over a decade ago and really wanted to direct the show once I saw it. After
pursuing that dream with Theatre on Main in Newmarket, [that production became]
the first community theatre group in Canada to obtain rights to perform the
play in 2002. Coincidentally, The Drawer Boy was part of the Grade 12 English
curriculum that I was teaching at the time, so I was also able to bring it to
my students…. They loved it!"
Although
this is Helen’s first time directing with the Borelians, it is certainly not the
only time she has worked with the group. In recent years, Helen has volunteered her
talents as Stage Manager for the Borelians production of Drama at Inish, and
she also worked backstage and in the sound booth on Wait Until Dark.
"I love the excitement of theatre....group collaboration, creative energy
in all aspects of the production from designing the set, directing or acting in
a show. Seeing the transformation from written script to live production is
always awesome! It can be all consuming and takes you to a different place. It
is lots of work, but you can see your results evolve. Then there's the rush of
adrenalin on opening night!!"
Helen
sure has had her fair share of opening nights!
Some of her fondest theatre memories are from acting in productions
like, The Memory of Water (for Theatre on Main in Newmarket) and Here on
the Flight Path (for Newmarket Stage Company). She has honed her skills
as a director on several other productions as well, such as Having Hope at Home
(for Theatre Aurora) and Beauty and the Beast (for the American School
of Kuwait).
Helen
seems right at home working on The Drawer Boy. She seems deeply connected to the play and
watching her in rehearsals gives the impression that the story and characters
have formed a constant part of her life in theatre and in Port Perry.
"The play really speaks to me on a number of levels: it is both drama and
comedy, features delightful characters, and is so human. I never get tired of
seeing it, and I am always moved by it. I am always delighted to work on a
Canadian play, particularly one that features rural Ontario."
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Thursday, 11 September 2014
Director of "The Drawer Boy", Helen Coughlin, getting a feel for farm equipment at the John Deere depot in Utica, On.
via Instagram http://ift.tt/1oyt1g6
Monday, 8 September 2014
Meet the Cast - DAVID GEENE
David Geene
David Geene will be playing the role of Morgan, a
farmer who lives with his close friend on a small farm in Clinton, Ontario.
When asked to describe his character,
David said,
“I (Morgan) am in my fifties, and have
lived on this farm with Angus since 1942. We bought the place after coming back
from the war. Unfortunately Angus had been injured in a bombing raid and needed
looking after. He had lost his memory you see, so he needed some help with
remembering. So, we’ve raised some cows, chickens and eggs, pigs, and we grow
crops, including hay. It's not an easy life:
working 24/7, not making much money, and not having any family or sons
to pass the farm down to. That makes me a little cantankerous. But there is even
more that unsettles me. There was a woman in my life, an English girl I met
during the war. Her name was Frances, and she came back with me to live here in
Ontario… She hasn't been around for quite some time…. There's a story behind that, but you'll have
to come and see the show to hear it.”
David may be a familiar face to theatregoers
in the Port Perry area. He has performed
in many Borelians productions in the past, such as A Streetcar Named Desire, in
which he played Mitch; and Our Town, in which he played the Stage
Manager. For both of those roles, he was
nominated for ACT-CO (Association of Community Theatre-Central Ontario) performance
awards.
“My
first show in this area was in Uxbridge and I have particularly good memories
of taking on two difficult roles: Lenny in Of Mice and Men, a developmentally
delayed large man; and last fall I took on the role of contemporary artist Mark
Rothko in the play Red, a challenging megalomaniac, full of himself, but
fragile too.”
For the role of Mark Rothko, David also received
an ACT-CO nomination for Best Male Actor in a Leading Role.
“What I do on stage comes from working with a number of great directors and cast mates, being passionate about learning my character and my role, and working with a wonderful community of actors.”
When not seen on-stage, David can often be found backstage where he has worn many hats. For their 2013-2014 season David designed the sets for the Borelians’ production of Wait Until Dark, and he was producer and set designer on Drama at Inish. In Uxbridge, he was the musical director for Into The Woods, which garnered him another ACT-CO nomination.
Surprisingly, the theatre didn't find
David until 2004. Before that he was a
community musician as well as a professional tuba player in London and
Toronto. He is also an active singer and
has sung in several semi-professional and professional choirs and church
choirs.
“I have no training in theatre, except for
living the life I do ... Believe it or not, I am an introvert, deep down.
As a kid, I was very shy (not the same thing, but related). I have had lots of
anxiety about being in front of people. But at the same time, I have learned to
put myself out there, to be prepared, and become more and more comfortable and
confident in a presentation setting, whether in my role as a school
administrator, a speaker, a chair person, a musician, or as an actor. I still
get nervous of course. I am also a reader and a thinker, and being involved in
plays has allowed me to explore in a very hands-on way the depths of a
character, the world he lives in, the people with whom he interacts. I find
that totally engaging and transporting.”
You can
see David Geene in the role of Morgan beginning October 16th, 2014, when the
Borelians Community Theatre and Port
Perry Town Hall Players’ production of The Drawer Boy hits the stage.
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Monday, 1 September 2014
The Drawer Boy at the Port Perry Fair!!
This Labour Day weekend was the annual Port Perry Fair, a much anticipated, yearly celebration of agriculture and local talent!
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Speaking of local talent!! We found Helen Coughlin, director of the The Drawer Boy, out and about at the livestock pavilion of the fair doing research for the show!! She had a chance to meet some fascinating people (some cows too!) and ask some questions about farm-life and what it is like to work with the animals.
Here's Helen with farm-staff from Elmcroft Holsteins, being introduced to a cow we are pretty sure was named Daisy.
Did you know that, in the play, young Miles, a theatre performer from Toronto, has travelled to a smalltown farm to learn about farm-life for a play he is writing? He meets Morgan and Angus, two farmers that teach him what it is like to work on a farm and raise livestock.
Perhaps Helen's visit to the Port Perry Fair was a case of life imitating art!
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