Joelle Parr and Dayna Stone received Student Achievement awards; Tom and Eileen Christensen received Certificates of Merit; and Sarah Hale received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the North Frontenac Little Theatre (NFLT) last week.

The NFLT held its annual version of an awards show at their practice space in Tichborne last Saturday (September 26).

The hall, a converted church, was decked out for the occasion. There was wine, beer, punch and fancy finger foods, and many in attendance were dressed as if for the Doras. If it were not for the fact that the hall is serviced by an outhouse out back, it would have been the same as a fancy award show in Toronto or New York.

The afternoon was structured around videotaped interviews with the winners that were conducted by NFLT President Brian Robertson, who seemed to be channelling the late, great Brian Lineham in the videos.

The first recipient was Joelle Parr. Joelle has been involved in most of the productions where there are youth in the cast over the last seven or eight years, and most recently starred in Aladdin and Music Man. She has also been the student representative on the NFLT board.

She said that she has felt supported in all the productions she has been in, and also that she appreciates the role of student representative on the board because it gives her a sense that the younger members of the NFLT family have a say in what the NFLT does. When she was presented, live and in person, with a plaque and flowers, she gave a special thank you to her mother for encouraging her, and driving her to rehearsals, year after year.

Dayna Stone started acting in NFLT productions as a six-year-old in Oliver. She was a mainstay at NFLT for several years afterwards, acting in The Wizard of Oz, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Tom Sawyer. In 2012 she played the title role in Annie. In her interview she talked about all that she learned by acting with adults as a child, and about the acting she has done in Perth during and after her years with the Little Theatre. She is enrolled in a Theatre, Community and education Program at the University of Windsor.

In NFLT plays there always seems to be a role for Tom Christensen. He has played either a policeman, a fireman, a bouncer or a drunk in most of the productions over the last 17 years, and at the cast parties he has presented each cast member with a wood-burning of the play's program cover as a memento. Eileen has always come along with Tom to rehearsals and performances and each time she has ended up helping with the production in one way or another.

Sarah Hale said she looked at her lifetime achievement recognition as an award for her family as much as herself. She initially got involved because her daughter Julia was interested, and brought her late husband Lorne along for the ride. Lorne liked to sing more than he liked to act, although Sarah said playing the Mad Hatter in Alice in Theatreland in 1989 was a role he enjoyed. Sarah has been in many productions over almost 30 years, and has directed a number of productions as well. As her interview was being screened, there was a surprise cut to a short clip from her daughter Julia, now a teacher in Columbia, who talked about how much the Little Theatre had meant to her when she was young.

Over the years Sarah, an elder and lay preacher with the United Church in Arden, has played several nasty characters.

“I think it is good for a church elder to play an evil character on stage once in while,” she said. “Besides, it is so much fun.”

“The Miracle Worker” is an ‘interesting, absorbing and moving’ play, says the NY Post. It is also an intense and emotional drama about family dynamics and the unique challenges associated with raising a sensory-deprived child. In this case, the child became the famous Helen Keller, who eventually graduated, tirelessly and successfully promoted schooling and training for the blind worldwide, and befriended many persons of influence along the way. However, in her early life it was far from easy to imagine these results, when as a child, she lacked discipline, understanding, and three main senses - seeing, hearing and speaking. Enter Annie Sullivan, a seeing-impaired person herself who underwent multiple eye operations, not before, however, she lived a destitute life with her critically ill brother in a state institution for the poor. Her fear-based yet tough-as-nails approach earns her a hard-won place among the proprietary family of Helen at their Southern home in Alabama. With widely differing opinions on the raising of Helen, family dissension is strong, and many strong exchanges take place as a result.

It is a fantastically crafted play of a segment of these real lives, set in the 1880s, just after the American Civil War whose own theme juxtaposes nicely with the tumultuous family dynamics. The timelessness of family values and the needs for change, growth and expression can be related to by all. The North Frontenac Little Theatre's production of The Miracle Worker will be performed the last two weekends of November. www.nflt.ca

Hats off to the close to 60-member cast and crew of The Music Man, who remounted and brought to life one of the all-time musical favorites from the Broadway repertoire.

The play is being performed at Granite Ridge Education Centre in Sharbot Lake and Saturday night’s performance was a memorable one. The two leading players, Tim White as the lovable con man, Harold Hill, and Virginia Beckett as the prim and proper Madam Marion were stellar. Both demonstrated their triple-treat talents with White nailing the physical comedy, his countless lines and most challenging of all, the mighty mouthfuls of songs lyrics, as in “Trouble in River City”, for example.

Leading lady Beckett's experience as a singer made her mesmerizing and a delight to watch as she delivered her numerous show-stoppers including “My White Knight”, “Till There Was You” and more. Witnessing her character’s hardness soften under Harold's spell was also a delight.

On all counts this is not an easy play and instrumentally speaking it was the six-member orchestra under the direction of John McDougall that provided the glue that allowed so many vocal talents to shine. The impressive barbershop quartet with singers Ken Fisher, John Inglis, Tim Holmes and Allan Brown no doubt put in countless hours to get their challenging harmonies just right. Word play and physical comedy were a big part of this show and Paul Gosse's “phraseology” as Mayor Shinn got many big laughs, as did his wife Eulalie Shinn, played to great comic effect by Roseanna Redmond whose “fountain dance” antics as Ms. Liberty were a comedic highlight.

Janina Fisher as Marion’s sometimes meddling mom and Brian Robertson as Hill's confidant, Marcellus, both pulled off their supporting roles to great aplomb, as did Sydney Drew as Amaryllis. Everyone loves a loveable con man and while Harold sets out to swindle the folk of River City, he cannot help but simultaneously bring out the goodness in them. Hill helps turn bad boy Tommy Djilas (played by NFLT veteran Nic Alarcon) into the fine young man that Vaneeta Shinn (played by Gillian Hoffman) plainly sees. Congrats to Logan Cowdy in his first talking and singing role. He more than came out of his shell in the role thanks to Hill and nailed his solo, “Gary Indiana”, with his character’s lisp intact to boot.

The show was beautiful to look at with the quaint detailed set painted in pleasing earth tones, with neat and tidy era typography naming its prime places and topped off with an big American flag. The costumes were beyond exceptional, cotton laced long skirts, lacy aprons and gorgeous head gear for the gals; suspenders, caps and boots for the males with the youngsters looking especially cute. Charlotte Hilder, who played Gracie Shinn, informed me that she donned the same lacy blouse that Pam Giroux wore in the 1981 production.

Perhaps what was best about this production was its introduction of a plethora of newbies to the NFLT stage. These cast members of all ages formed the lively, colourful chorus of the show and included youngsters Joey Beckett, Amaya Silva, Rylee Beattie, Bobbie-Sue and Tristan Cowen, and the not as young Frank and Suzanne Gallagher, Ian Whillans and Betty-Anne Blyth, Nancy Hilder, Rudy Hollywood, Carol Raymo, and Linda Bush.

Of course a show cannot go on without the help of many unseen hands and minds behind the scenes, who no doubt had their work cut out for them in this huge production.

The show continues this weekend, on Fri. & Sat. March 8 & 9 at 7pm, finishing off with a 2pm matinee on May 10. Tickets are $14 for adults, $10 for children and are available at Sharbot Lake Pharmacy or by calling Nina Jenkins at 613-279-2945. Don’t miss it!

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By Andrea Dickinson

Spring has finally sprung and in Frontenac County that means another big production is in the works. North Frontenac Little Theatre’s 2015 spring production is “The Music Man” – a large musical production with a cast of over 40 local actors, including 15 local children and youth. Once again, I’ve had the privilege of watching this production come together during the cold winter months. Set in 1912, this play includes an entertaining storyline, fun choreography and music that everyone will recognize and enjoy.

Being part of a theatre production requires commitment and for a community as small as ours, it’s remarkable to see so many volunteers come out, including the parents of youngsters – to help get this play off the ground. Some of the children participating have been in past productions and for many it’s their first time. It’s never too late to start! It’s a fantastic creative outlet for children and youth and I’ve witnessed children evolve from being terribly shy to extremely confident over the course of the rehearsal schedule. I volunteer in the capacity of guiding and supervising the children in the play and I find the theatre program to be an important and worthwhile component of our community. The children and youth participating learn all about how a production comes together, how to work within a team and how to express themselves creatively. When interviewed, the most common response I received to the question, “What’s the best part about being part of this production?”, the answer was consistently, “the friends I have made.” In my experience, that’s what really matters to kids – having friends, being creative and keeping busy. After all their hard work and commitment, a big audience and loud applause is the payoff!

Don’t miss “The Music Man” – being presented at Granite Ridge Education Centre, over the course of two weekends – Friday & Saturday, May 1 & 2 at 7 pm, Friday & Saturday, May 8 & 9 at 7 pm as well as a Mother’s Day matinee on Sunday May 10 at 2 pm. Tickets: students $10, adults $14, are available at Sharbot Lake Pharmacy or by calling Nina Jenkins at 613-279-2945.

by Pat Fisher

The excitement is building. Rehearsals are underway. North Frontenac Little Theatre is at it again and this time in a very big way: big cast, many costumes, great sets, and much music. They are getting ready to perform "The Music Man" on May 1st and 2nd and May 8th and 9th at 7 o'clock and on May 10th for a final matinee at 2 at the Granite Ridge Education Centre. The cast is made up of 43 people. Seven of them are under 12 years of age, seven are teenagers, and they are our friends, relatives, and neighbours. If you meet the members of the cast and ask them about the play they will smile and say how much fun it is. They especially like the dance warm-up that starts off each night's practice. That's when you hear Tim White calling out above the music, keeping the beat. The stage is crowded with people moving. Barbara Agnew is playing the piano. Christina Wotherspoon directs the music. John Pariselli looks on with his director's eye. While that is going on, Peggy Muldoon is at the back of the gym with boxes and more boxes of costumes that have been used in previous productions. She is masterfully assembling outfits for all 43 people, many needing changes for different scenes. She relies on accessories and about 5% newly created costumes. Parents of young members of the cast are there, some with their tiny children. The youngest is 11 months old but there is a 21 month old, enthralled by the action. In the music room down the hall, assistant director, Carol Belanger is working on a specific part of the play with two cast members. The whole place is alive. I asked a question to many people: what is one word to describe this production and your experience? The answers: brilliant, amazing, impressed, lovely, chaotic, beautiful. Tim summed it up. He said all the people gathered and worked together and something great happened and is continuing to happen. He is thrilled. "It just wants to burst my heart".

Save the date that suits your schedule, invite your family and friends. You will be glad that you did.

by Pat Fisher

It's a musical. It has a big cast - actors of all ages. It will be staged the first two weekends in May at Granite Ridge Education Centre. It's The Music Man.

The Music Man was written by musician Meredith Wilson and his friend Franklin Lacey. It was rejected a few times before it was staged. They wrote 44 songs for the show but streamlined it to 18 of the best. From December 1957 to April 1961 it played on Broadway (1,375 shows) and was adapted for film in 1962, staring Robert Preston and again in 2003, staring Matthew Broderick. Theatre companies everywhere have performed The Music Man, including our own North Frontenac Little Theatre in 1981. A peek at the NFLT website will show you the programme and all those of our community who were involved in that production.

People love the music and although the story is old-fashioned (a con man is at work in a small town but love prevails), it has a charm that warms our hearts. Much more about this show will be written in the months to come. Mark your calendars for May performances. Get ready to enjoy an energetic show and the tune "Seventy Six Trombones". Visit www.nflt.ca

After months of rehearsals, North Frontenac Little Theatre presented the play "Aladdin" last weekend, from November 27 to 30

Kudos to the cast and crew, who pulled off what will be remembered not only as the inaugural musical extravaganza at Granite Ridge's cafetorium but also as a production that enraptured theatre goers of all ages, who came out in the hundreds over a four-day run.

The cast included a number of young thespians who made this production sparkle. Nick Alarcon played Aladdin with confidence and swagger. He not only saved the day by stepping into the lead role at the last minute, he did so with grace, mastery and modesty, making his first foray as the play’s leading song and dance man one to remember.

His love interest, Princess Jasmine (Joelle Parr), was both picture and pitch perfect as the sweet and sassy Jasmine who helps Aladdin win the day. She was assisted by her loyal maids, expertly played by Sidney Drew and Savannah Gosse. Emma Brash, who played Aladdin's neighbour, was a delight, as was the beggar Tom Christensen, who was miraculously transformed. Barb Matson as Aladdin's doting mom was hilariously expressive, as was Aladdin's sister Neela, deftly played by Ellie Larocque.

Charlotte Hilder, Gillian Hoffman and Annika Putman each perfectly performed their roles as the three exotic genies who were gorgeously bejeweled and who each brought their own unique brand of magic to the show.

Comedy was a big part of this production and the irascible Mason Moore as Alakazam, Aladdin's beloved monkey, nearly stole the show with his clever animated antics; his low down chin/toe/finger tip crawl across centre stage will long be remembered.

Cash Matson as the under-achieving executioner Chop Chop received multiple laughs and thankfully his giant silver sword never met flesh. Cayleigh Matson as the big-headed Ali Bubba also broke up the audience with his chronic whining. The huge dragon created by Mike & Jocelyne Steeves was a wonder to behold and was brought to life thanks to the expert voicings of Rob Moore.

This love story would have fallen short without villains and the production had a cast of evil doers in spades. Martina Field was almost unrecognizable as the evil magician Jammal and she pulled out all the stops as the conniving, singing, mustachioed mischief-maker who kept the plot moving along. Jammal was egged on by his equally evil sister, Halima, played by a darkly demure Donna Larocque with her crystal ball – together the two made much of the play’s mayhem.

Sarah Hale sparkled as always in her dual roles as narrator and the merchant woman. The play’s director Brian Robertson played the thick-bearded, hen-pecked sultan and with Karen Steele as his queen sultana, they amused the audience with their back and forth wife/hubby banter.

Musically the show was a delight and the trio of flute, piano and bass (Sandy Robertson, John Inglis, and Gary Giller) was just what was required. Musical highlights included a duet by Halima and Jasmine, with the two nailing one of the show’s most difficult and beautiful songs. Jammal's song while disguised as a pedlar was pure vaudeville and Aladdin nailed his show-stopping tune with aplomb. He sang the theme song throughout the play accompanied by the lungi-clad young chorus, whose dances were beautifully choreographed.

Visually, this production was stunning, with elaborate, colorful sets that included a beautiful background of far eastern spires and cupolas, curvy props and a plethora of silks and satins that together with the clever lighting made for a rich, textured stage. The costumes were of the highest caliber, each intricate and meticulous, with copious layers of satins and silks, lots of veils, vests and exotic head gear, and sparkling makeup and sequins that reflected beautifully in the gorgeous hues of the stage lights.

(There is a video with this item - check it out)

Aladdin (Nick Alarcon) seems to have caught the attention of Princess Jasmine (Joelle Parr) much to the consternation of the Sultan (Brian Robertson) in the North Frontenac Little Theatre's inaugural production at the Granite Ridge Education Centre Cafetorium. The play runs from Thursday to Saturday night this week, and there is a Sunday matinee.

By Andrea Dickinson

Aladdin and His Wonderful Magical Lamp is a big production that includes music, a large cast with many children of various ages, an elaborate set and exotic costumes. Mark your calendars – November 27, 28, 29 and 30 is when this project comes to fruition...not to be missed!

There are so many factors that must come together to create a few hours of entertainment. For a small rural community like Central Frontenac to have the dedication and talent of actors, director, stage manager, choreographer, wardrobe designer, set designers, lighting director, music director, musicians...is really quite awesome.

I’ve had the pleasure to work with the youngest group of actors in this play – better known as “Chorus #1” which is made up of six young girls. They range in age from six to nine years old and it been such a joy to watch them learn their lines, their dance moves and express themselves onstage. What a fantastic group of talent!

When asked what these girls enjoy most about rehearsing for a play, some of the answers were:

...“being in front of an audience performing makes me happy”, “I like dancing and acting”, “I like being able to act like a different person”, “I like being in a play because it’s so fun to sing and dance”...

It’s not all fun and games! These kids have to work hard and really focus at the end of long school days. Some of the comments in regards to what is most difficult about being in a play were: ...”the dance steps are hard to memorize”, “it’s hard to hit the high notes in the songs”, “it’s tiring when we practice late”, and “staying focused with all the excitement isn’t easy”....

It’s evident that it is a serious commitment for everyone involved in a theatre production and for these youngsters the commitment extends to their parents who diligently get them to practice twice a week. Their dedication will pay off when the audience is thoroughly mesmerized and entertained by this latest production presented by North Frontenac’s Little Theatre Company.

by Nina Jenkins

Things are a-buzz on the stage at Granite Ridge Education Centre on Tuesday and Thursday evenings as children and adults of North Frontenac Little Theatre prepare to stage their first production, Aladdin, in the new facility. Those involved are pleased to be working on a nicer, deeper stage and are getting used to working in the new space. Members of the theatre group are appreciative of the working relationship with the school administration and staff and the school board for allowing us to use the space to provide community entertainment to the surrounding areas.

Brian Robertson, who is directing this play, is pleased to have permission to include a stage extension to provide for scenes to be done in front of the curtain while a scene is being set up behind. Jeff Siamon assisted with installing it in the cafetorium.

For the first production at GREC, the theatre group has chosen the play Aladdin, a family type show with broad audience appeal, which involves young children, teens and adults. Robertson, who has directed many such plays while teaching at Land O' Lakes School, is very pleased with how rehearsals are going. The show has a lot of music and dance and so requires a good amount of practising “to get it right”.

Assisting Robertson is Andrea Dickinson who works with six of the youngest actors/dancers arranging choreography, practising lines and preparing costumes for them. Basically, she is responsible for the part of the show involving the young actors and it is amazing the progress these young people are making. Dickinson has been involved with a number of NFLT shows, most recently in My Narrator.

Also doing choreography with the other actors is Tim White who has a background in dance.

Jeff Siamon now has the theatre lights installed in the room and is grateful for the use of the “genie lift”, which allows him to reach the high ceiling to position and manipulate the lights. The process of setting up the lights to get them where you want them takes time and patience. Siamon has used a general placement of the lights which can be used not only for this play but for future plays and school activities with some minor adjustments. He is satisfied with the results and is now concentrating on fine tuning the lighting for this show.

We are happy that Andrea Jones, a newly retired elementary school teacher, is sharing her talents and is teaching the songs for the show. The songs are tricky with a lot of words and she is pleased with the progress of the actors, especially the young ones.

Rounding out the music for the show will be Gary Giller on Bass, Sandy Robertson on flute and John Inglis on piano.

Set design and construction is being done, once again, by Peter Platenius, Donna Larocque and Martina Field. Peter says that he is pleased with the space in the wings of the stage and is adjusting to the new space.

Sally Angle, house manager, is busy planning on how to set up the “house” and is planning for placement of the ticket table and refreshment site.

Costumes are being prepared by Peggy Muldoon who is busy finding the appropriate pieces, altering, tucking, embellishing and fitting them for each actor. John Pariselli and Nina Jenkins are co-producers for the show.

Aladdin will be presented at Granite Ridge Education Centre on Thursday, November 27, Friday, Nov. 28, Saturday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. and on Sunday, Nov. 30 at 1:30. So pick a date, get on your “magic carpet” and join us for an entertaining evening or afternoon. Tickets will be on sale soon at Sharbot Lake Pharmacy and Sharbot Lake Dollar Store. Watch for future ads in this paper and for posters in the surrounding area businesses.