It was the most glaring example yet of the schism that has developed since September between North Frontenac Little Theatre (NFLT) and the Limestone District School Board.

The digitally controlled lighting system, which was purchased by the theatre company for $33,000 in 2005, was removed from the cafetorium at Granite Ridge last Wednesday (February 19th). The system included banks of lights on the ceiling in the centre of the room, and lights that were installed on the stage as well, 2 in all. They have been placed in storage and some of them will be used at the Oso Hall in Sharbot lake for the upcoming spring production of an award-winning original play, Ciara’s Coming Home, by Glenys O’Connell of Henderson.

Most of the money for the purchase of the lights came from the Trillium Foundation grant ($28,100) but the Limestone Board chipped in $500.

The lights were installed in the cafetorium at Sharbot Lake High School in 2005, just in time for the NFLT production of Guys and Dolls, and were re-installed at Granite Ridge Education Centre (GREC) when it opened in 2014. They were a physical symbol of the tight relationship between the theatre company and the school, a relationship that goes back to the founding of the company in 1979, mostly by teachers from what was then the Frontenac District School Board.

Here is an excerpt from a Frontenac News article published on April 11, 2005.

“The announcement was attended by Don Clark, a member of the Trillium Foundation’s grant review team, MPP Leona Dombrowsky, Central Frontenac Mayor Bill MacDonald, and Sharbot Lake High School Principal Tom Taylor, along with the drama class at the school.

“The relationship between the Little Theatre and the High School was highlighted. The High School has hosted the productions over the years, and students from the school have been involved with many of the productions, both on stage and behind the scenes. Tom Taylor also pointed out that the new lighting system will be set up in the High School and will be available for use by the High School as well.”

Last September, in line with ministry directives, the board began charging rental fees to NFLT for rehearsal on weeknights, and productions on weeknights and weekends. Until then, NFLT had free use of the facility.

The NFLT fall production of “A Christmas Story” went up in early December at GREC.

There's still time for hesitant but budding actors to strut their stuff in North Frontenac Little Theatre's spring production.

Although several roles have been allocated, acting opportunities are still available for male and female actors aged between 20 to 35 in the Irish-set, one act play, Ciara's Coming Home, to be staged in late April and early May.

 "Some of the remaining roles are relatively undemanding with few lines to learn and would present a really nice opportunity for young men and women who've prevaricated about acting, to get their feet wet in drama," said director, Adrian O'Connnell.

Production crews are already working on lights and sets for the comedy to be staged at Sharbot Lake's Oso Hall and rehearsals are set to get underway starting Tuesday, March 3rd.

The play will be preceded by a dramatic prelude exploring the Irish emigrant experience in narrative, song and story.

Production of "a gem" of a comedy set in the Emerald Isle is to start in Sharbot Lake this week.

North Frontenac Little Theatre is bringing a touch of the Irish to the area as it holds auditions for the North American Premiere of the award-winning drama, Ciara's Coming Home, written by international author and playwright, Glenys O'Connell.

The play, which NFLT President, Pamela Giroux, described as "a gem" will be staged in late April and early May at Oso Hall, Sharbot Lake, and the production will celebrate the theatre group's fifth decade in operation.

Auditions for aspiring actors between the ages of 11 & 60 years will be held on February 18 & 19 at Oso Hall (see details on page ...) and candidates with no prior acting experience as well as seasoned thespians are welcome, said Director, Adrian O'Connell

The play reveals with hilarious unpredictability, the chaos that ensues when a young, New York-based Irishwoman suddenly decides to pay a return visit to her rural Irish farm family home in the year 2004.

The play was penned by Arden resident, Glenys O'Connell, while she and her husband, Adrian, were on sabbatical in Ireland in the early 2000s and was staged in five regional theatres throughout Ireland at the time, picking up several awards along the way. Subsequently, after the couple returned to Canada in 2007, the comedy won first prize for original drama in North America in a contest jointly sponsored by the Government of Ireland and the North American Gaelteacht (Irish language) Association, based in Ottawa.

Said NFLT President, Pamela Giroux -  "We're really delighted to be able to present this play in the spring. I read the script and I just loved it. It's a real gem."

Rehearsals for Ciara's Coming Home will take place at Oso Hall throughout March and April, said Director, Adrian O'Connell, adding that the play presented a great opportunity for people who'd always wanted to act but never gotten round to it.

"Many people who have described themselves as basically shy, including, famously, the late Hollywood idol, Kirk Douglas, have gone on record over time, to say how performing on stage changed their lives for ever, making them far more confident about themselves and able to speak in public without fear," said O'Connell, adding that he himself had learned a great deal from professional directors who had worked on plays in Ireland, including those written by his wife, Glenys.

The North Frontenac Little Theatre production of ‘A Christmas Story’ captured much of the irreverent humour that has made the 1983 film of the same name such a popular Christmas classic.

The play is based on the movie, for which the characters and scenario are all lifted from the 1966 novel “In god we Trust, all others pay cash” by popular radio host/humorist Jean Shepherd.

Although fictional there are elements that are taken from Shepherd’s upbringing in northern Indiana. He had a brother Randy, there were kids named Shwartz and Flick registered in the school he attended as a kid, and in his radio broadcasts he sometimes referred to his father as ‘the old man’

The narrator or adult Ralph, in both the movie and the play, has a similar persona to Shepherd’s on the radio.

The success of the movie, and the production by the NFLT, hinged on creating a sense of nostalgia tinged with wit rather than caramel sweetness. The lead character Ralph, played by Llachlan Hammond, really, really wants a Red Rider BB Gun. He’s not a really good or a really bad kid, a really smart kid or a really heroic kid, he is just a kid who wants something specific for Christmas.

The production featured mostly young performers, supported by only three adults, Kelly Meckling, who played Ralph’s mother and also directed the play, John Stephens as the Old Man, and Brian Robertson as adult Ralph/narrator.

And, as so often happens, the kids stole the show. Although it was sometimes s struggle to get out the entire name of the rifle, Llachlan Hammond did a good job as Ralph, which was difficult because he was in most every scene and the play revolved around his quest. His friends, Schwartz (Bradey Merrigan) and Flick (Tristan Hammond) did fine work supporting his quest while dealing with their own concerns, which included submitting to Scut Farkas (Sloane Putnam) who was the picture of a nasty bully. The two girls, Helen (Anne Wooby) and Esther Jane (Jocelyn Tryon) were charming. Ralph’s brother Randy (Carmen Tryon) had a lot of opportunity for physical comedy throughout the play and took full advantage, and as the teacher Miss Shields (Hallie Hearns) did well to keep the students at bay during the classroom scenes.

Among the adults, Kelly Meckling was the voice of reason in the home as Mother, portraying a role that required much tolerance for both her husband and two sons. John Stephen had a great time portraying the Old Man as bombastic and foolish in equal measure, and Brian Robertson relished many of the double-edged lines in the narration.

The set design, by Brian Robertson and Jeff Siamon, and artistry/decoration overseen by Carol Pepper was very effective and versatile, helping to keep what is a rather long production to about 2 hours in running time, with a 15 minute intermission.

A delegation from the North Frontenac Little Theatre came to Central Frontenac Council last month to complain about the new fees they, and other community groups, must pay to use Granite Ridge Education Centre (GREC). They received a sympathetic response from council.

When contacted this week about the matter, the Limestone District School Board (LDSB) has once again pointed out that the fees are based on a cost recovery model that is prescribed by the Ministry of Education.

Jane Douglas, Communications Officer with the LDSB, said that the fees charged on school day afternoons and evenings before 10pm, when custodian crews are working whether or not the school is being used by community, are based on the extra cleaning that is required.

“There are still extra costs even if the custodian would be there anyway. Rooms need extra cleaning, and there are material costs. It is all based on calculations that were provided to the board by the ministry, it was not a local decision,” she said.

Groups that have been using the school for free for years, were informed that the change was coming a year ago, and received notification in June about the actual costs for the current school year.

Doug Steele is one of the organisers of Thursday night badminton at GREC. The fee was initially set at $50 a night in June, but the group was able to have the fee lowered to $24 for the use of the gym, because students under 18 play along with the adults.

“For now, we are all still paying the same amount each of us paid in the past, $5 per semester,” Steele said. “We have some money in the bank and can use that until it runs out. We will then need to raise fees or fundraise.” There are about 20 badminton enthusiasts paying the fee.

The costs to North Frontenac Little Theatre are higher because they rehearse twice a week and more often in the immediate run-up to the productions. The fees are much higher during the weekend of the run, and the entire package had put the future of the company at GREC in doubt.

The board had intended to keep community use of GREC free, for community groups, when the school was originally built, according to Jane Douglass.

“It was clear from the Program and Accommodation and Review process, that led to the Granite Ridge Education Centre build, that community use was a priority because there are not a lot of other similar facilities in the Sharbot Lake area,” said Douglas, but she added that “there was never any formal written agreement between the board and the township. The board kept to the agreement, and received ministry funding to cover the costs, until the Ministry of Education changed its policy.”

Douglas also said that as far as the board is aware, there was no formal commitment made to the township of Central Frontenac in exchange for the township’s decision to waive a portion of the building permit fees when the school was being built.

Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith said that the township forfeited about $50,000 in fees at the time. Smith was not the mayor at that time, but she was a member of council representing Oso ward, which includes Sharbot Lake.

From “Anne of Green Gables” to “Annie”; “Tom Sawyer” to “Aladdin”, children have always figured prominently in North Frontenac Little Theatre productions. To recognize this fact in this, our 40th anniversary year, students were invited to participate in a special poster contest so they too could celebrate and demonstrate their appreciation of our live theatre company.

Posters were to focus on the celebration of NFLT’s 40th Anniversary, were to have an original concept and design, and could not be computer aided.

The contest was open to students in Central and North Frontenac. All participants received a special anniversary certificate and the winners got monetary awards as well.

Submissions were dropped off at the Cardinal Café in Sharbot Lake and totalled twenty-eight by the May 1st deadline.

NFLT thanks all the contestants for honouring our theatre company with their art, and is pleased to announce the winners:

Intermediate Division - 1st Place: Samantha Driscoll, Harrowsmith Public School, Gr. 7; 2nd place: Sarah Powell, GREC, Gr. 7; 3rd place: Amy Watkins, GREC, Gr. 7

Junior Division - 1st Place: Jenna Rose GREC Gr. 6; 2nd Place: Sloane Putnam GREC, Gr. 6; 3rd Place: Isabelle Tryon, LOLPS, Gr. 4

Primary Division - 1st Place: Emily Parks LOLPS Gr. 3; 2nd Place: Ted Saunders, LOLPS, Gr. 3

The winning posters are on display at NFLT’s Tichborne Hall. The public is invited to see them, along with other memorabilia on Friday, 7:00 pm, August 16th, 2019 at the “Tichborne Hall Open House and Listen Along”. Please come celebrate with us, won’t you?

The Boy Wonder completed a successful four day run at Granite Ridge Education Centre on Sunday afternoon. The Mother’s Day matinee had a modest audience, but sellouts on the previous two nights and a very well-attended opening night on Thursday made it one of the most popular productions for the 40-year-old community theatre company in recent years.

The play was both an original work and a throwback at the same time. It was conceived, written and directed by long time NFLT lighting director, Jeff Siamon.

Siamon is a fan of old-time musicals of the 1930’s and 40’s that were often about putting on a musical. The Boy Wonder includes a play within a play, and is constructed around songs that were drawn from the post World War I era.

The Boy Wonder of the title is Guy Martin (Christopher Hall). At the beginning of the play, he is a few days from the opening of his make or break musical “A Woeful Love” when his star and lover, Deloris (Angela Cowdy), quits. It takes him quite a while to realise what the audience has known from the start: that the typist, Monica Jones (Danielle Hall), is destined to be the star of the show and of his heart. It will take a while, but in the end “A Joyful Love” ends up being destined for Broadway successful and Guy and Monica have become an item.

There is a point, about halfway through the play, when Monica tells Guy something that, in retrospect, Jeff Siamon was also telling the audience. In the scene where the title of “A Woeful Love” is ultimately changed, Monica tells Guy that he should turn his play into a revue, because the music tells the story anyway and the audience comes out for the music, not the storyline.

This was certainly the case with A Boy Wonder, which had 24 musical numbers, creating an opportunity for not only the two leads to sing several numbers, both together and apart, but for a number of secondary characters to perform one or two songs. The chorus, as well, took centre stage at one point.

The best thing about A Boy Wonder were the musical performances. The two leads, who are newly weds in real life, complemented each other well. Danielle Hall, well known to NFLT fans from when she was a youngster, has an ease on the stage and the comic timing to keep the action flowing, as well as the singing talent to navigate a wide variety of songs. Christopher Hall, who comes from a family that is steeped in music, seemed to hit every note effortlessly and beautifully. Together, they carried the play, and some of their performances (hers: Second Hand Rose, Melancholy Baby, his: Anytime, After I Say I’m Sorry and together: Put Your Arms Around Me) were among the highlights of the production.

Other major characters included Mitzi (Megan Hall - Christopher’s sister) and Summer Storm (Sarah McCullough). They are both first time performers who both fully inhabited their roles, Mitzi as the plucky theatre insider and confidant to Monica, and Summer as a burlesque performer looking for a way into the legitimate theater. They made the most of their scenes, and belted out their songs when the opportunity came.

NFLT veterans, Brian Robertson as Victor and Angela Cowdy as Deloris, also mugged their way through in admirable fashion, as did Braidey Merigan as Wendell Bradshaw. In non-singing roles, Greg Morris as Guy Martin’s unsupportive father, Terence Martin, was the picture of cold villainy, and Marc Veno as the gangster, Eddie Bradshaw, was in full comic book mode.

Martina Field and Virginia Beckett were positively ditsy as sister chorus girls without a lot of talent. The chorus: Pam Giroux, Joan Hollywood, Linda Bush, Margo McCullough and Carol Morris, added depth to many of the musical numbers. Rounding out the cast were Rudy Hollywood, John Stephen and Evangeline Michie as the porter, bartender, and flower girl, respectively.

The costumes (Geoffrey Murray), set design (Steve Scantlebury) and staging of the Boy Wonder were also effective, thanks to the efficient work by the stage crew under stage manager, Barb Scantlebury, who kept the numerous set changes quick.

The Boy Wonder ran long - almost 3 hours with two intermissions. Although it could have been shorter, the quality of the production numbers was at a very high level, keeping the audience fully engaged to the end during the Friday night performance that I attended. John Inglis on piano and Adam Parker on a programmed keyboard that simulated a fuller orchestration also did well, although on some occasions the music was too loud, making the vocal solos harder to hear.

The Boy Wonder was a massive undertaking for Jeff Siamon and the NFLT, a fitting kick-off for its 40th anniversary year.

Since January a group of creative children and adults have been hard at work rehearsing for the Spring production of “The Little Mermaid”.. It is a delightful little musical based on the story by Hans Christian Anderson. Rehearsing during winter months poses many challenges due to weather conditions and of course the common “cold”. Having dedicated parents on board to help out with bringing children to practices is essential. We are also grateful to have parent volunteers helping with set construction and sewing and creating costumes and props. Once again, Artistic Director, Brian Robertson, has chosen a show which engages the imagination and will lead the children into the world of make believe that will come to life on stage in the Spring.

Look for future updates on the progress of this production in future articles in the News.

Since January a group of creative children and adults have been hard at work rehearsing for the Spring production of “The Little Mermaid”. It is a delightful little musical based on the story by Hans Christian Anderson. Rehearsing during winter months poses many challenges due to weather conditions and of course the common “cold”. Having dedicated parents on board to help out with bringing children to practices is essential. We are also grateful to have parent volunteers helping with set construction and sewing and creating costumes and props. Once again, Artistic Director, Brian Robertson, has chosen a show which engages the imagination and will lead the children into the world of make believe that will come to life on stage in the Spring.

Look for future updates on the progress of this production in future articles in the News.

Canada 150 Finale

Canada’s Sesquicentennial is drawing to a close and the people of Central Frontenac should congratulate themselves for having staged a great year. We have marked the occasion with some truly memorable projects.

Each of our community institutions has come through with something special - a heritage video at Parham Fair, special demonstrations by the Arden Fire Department, a Trail day at the Railway Heritage Park in Sharbot Lake and commemorative public benches where we can enjoy our beautiful surroundings. The area’s churches held special services (indoors and out) and supported community events such as the Giving Thanks Dinner. The lake associations got into the act with flotillas on Kennebec, Horseshoe and Long Lakes and tree planting projects on Eagle Lake and Sharbot. And the Frontenac Heritage Festival had a distinctly 150 flavour this year. The Recreation committees made a special contribution to the year with a host of programs in Arden, a fantastic Canada Day in Sharbot Lake and a great Canada 150 float in the Parham Santa Claus parade.

Credit for some of the best projects has to go to the individuals who inspired them – Diane Lake’s 150 stories of 150 women, Virgil Garrett’s goal of 150 (now over 200) visitors to his grandfather clocks, Janet Gutowski’s display of 150 quilts and Jim MacPherson and friends with 150 Canadian songs on quiet evenings in the Oso Park. This one grew into a great evening of Canadian music at GREC – Covering Canada – with profits going to the school music program.

Rural Frontenac Community Services, The Child Centre, supported a focus on youth by partnering with Shabot Obaadjiwan and North Frontenac Little Theatre, in the first case for the Strawberry Moon Festival and the second for a picnic and workshop in the park. The Little Theatre also provided a great next-to-last Canada 150 event with this year’s fall production of Sunshine Sketches of Our Little Town - a delightful retrospective of our community and the wonderful things that happen in it especially those in celebration of our nation’s 150th Birthday.

The Legions started the year with a New Years Day levee in the Arden branch and will end it with a New Years Eve ball to be held in the Sharbot Lake branch. This final event of the year will be a traditional New Year’s Eve party with food, dancing, decorations and door prizes. It is jointly sponsored by the Legion branch and by the District #3 Rec committee. Profits will be divided between the two groups – the Legion share going to meals for shut-ins and the Rec Committee share to the rink project. One special activity will be a draw for the Canada 150 quilt shown in the picture. A few tickets are still available for the dance. They can be purchased at Gray’s Grocery or either Legion Branch. Quilt tickets can be purchased by calling Rosemarie Bowick at 613 279-3341.