Articles for local newspapers

RON MASLIN PLAYHOUSE TO SHOWCASE
BEST ONTARIO THEATRE
JIM HOLMES
KANATA THEATRE

The best of Ontario's community theatre is coming to Kanata.

Kanata's Ron Maslin Playhouse will be the site of the annual Theatre Ontario Festival. This prestigious event is a showcase of outstanding community theatre productions from regional festivals across the province. It has never before been held in Ottawa.

Festival 2009 will be co-hosted by Kanata Theatre, the Eastern Ontario Drama League and Theatre Ontario. It brings together theatre lovers from all parts of the province who will take part in a varied program of productions, adjudications, workshops and playreadings.

The regional theatre organizations represented are the Association of Community Theatres-Central Ontario (ACTCO), Western Ontario Drama League (WODL), QUONTA, representing community theatres in northern Ontario, and the Eastern Ontario Drama League (EODL) of which Kanata Theatre forms part.

A full length play presented by the finalist in each these regions will be staged at the Playhouse. Each production will be publicly adjudicated by distinguished actor, director, author and educator Chris M. Worsnop. Worsnop will also be conducting workshops in theatre.

The four winning productions will be identified in April. Kanata Theatre is not entering a production in this season's Festival, and so subscribers to the Festival will be assured of not seeing a repeat of a show they may already have seen as part of Kanata Theatre¹s regular season.

Kanata Theatre is experienced with this kind of event. In 2004 it hosted the EODL Festival at which the Kanata Theatre entry was judged best production and went on to participate in that year's Ontario-wide Festival in Sault Ste Marie. The 2009 Festival is chaired by long time Kanata Theatre member Dorothy Beak.

The Ron Maslin Playhouse is an ideal venue for this festival. The Playhouse seats 350 and is fully accessible. Sight lines and acoustics are exceptional. Electronic hearing assist is available for those who need it.
The stage equipment is of the highest order thanks to Kanata Theatre's diligent attention since assuming the management and operation of the facility in 1996. There is generous work room space and a large rehearsal facility that replicates the playing area of the stage and doubles as an entertaining and studio space. Crews and actors can relax between scenes in a well furnished "green room".

The best news is that the four Festival productions are open to the public. The production dates are Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, May 13 to 16, 2009. Individual tickets are $20 and a subscription for all four productions costs $75. The Awards Brunch will be held on Sunday, May 17th at the Holiday Inn Select, Kanata for a cost of $25 per person. Tickets go on sale December 1st 2008 at the Kanata Theatre Box Office 613 831 4435. Curtain time at the Ron Maslin Playhouse is 8 pm.

The Ron Maslin Playhouse
 – home to Kanata Theatre and venue of  the 2009 Theatre Ontario Festival
 

Photo: Fred Cattroll

KANATA THEATRE:
FROM HUMBLE START TO FESTIVAL HOST
ANNMARIE WILHELM
KANATA THEATRE

In Greece, approximately 534 BC, Thespis appeared on the scene. He was a poet and the original Thespian, a name frequently given to actors. It was Thespis who first introduced an actor to talk to the Chorus. He had his own troupe, pulling his actors around in a cart which doubled as a stage. It was from these simple beginnings that the age of Greek drama began.

In Kanata, approximately 1968 AD, a few Thespians gathered in a neighbour's house. The group's aim was to foster interest in drama in the fledgling community and involve members in all theatrical activities for their mutual enjoyment.

It was from these simple beginnings that the age of Kanata Theatre began!

What motivates a group of people to unite and form a theatre group?

Amateur theatre sometimes provides the only live theatre in towns and cities. It is actually the amateur groups here in Canada, with their energy, that have contributed to the birth of professional theatre in this country.

From Kanata Theatre's humble beginnings when the first plays were presented in the Stephen Leacock school and then later at the Earl of March High School; with the hard work and dedication of its members and the continuous support of the community, a dream became a reality.

In 1996 The Ron Maslin Playhouse was built and is now the permanent home of Kanata Theatre. This, Kanata Theatre's 40th season, we celebrate a major milestone in its personal history and can be proud to note that we are also part of a worldwide tradition and have our own place in the history of amateur theatre.

As well as the ongoing loyalty and support of Kanata Theatre's audience contributing to the success of the group, members know that they also owe a debt of gratitude to Theatre Ontario. Kanata Theatre members have participated in acting, directing, lighting and costume workshops, to name but a few, presented by Theatre Ontario professionals.

Each year Theatre Ontario holds a festival - the annual showcase of the best productions in Ontario.

This year Kanata's Ron Maslin Playhouse will be the site of the Theatre Ontario Festival 2009. Kanata Theatre, together with Theatre Ontario and the Eastern Ontario Drama League (EODL), is proud to co-host this event. The best news is that the four winning festival productions from across Ontario are open to the public.

The production dates are Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, May 13 to 16. Individual tickets are $20 and a festival pass to all four productions costs only $75. Tickets are on sale now through the Kanata Theatre box office (613-831-4435).
Check out the website at www.kanatatheatre.com
 

Members of Kanata Theatre - Martha Johnstone and Dewi Williams - serve champagne to patrons at the Ron Maslin Playhouse - venue of Theatre Ontario's Festival
to be held in the spring of 2009

Photo: Fred Cattroll