There are a few practical reasons why the North Frontenac Little Theatre were tempted to produce Nunsense II some 16 years ago, and Nunsense in 2010.

For one thing they are small-cast musicals, allowing for the audience appeal of a musical with a lot less of the complications of a full-scale, multi-set production. Secondly, all of the parts are for women, and it is always a struggle to find men to play roles in musicals, while talented and willing women singers tend to be easier to find.

Another thing about Nunsense, and this reason trumps the others - even though it had a bit of a hokey premise, the show really is a lot of fun. And that's why it has become a franchise of sorts, spawning a country version (Nunsense Jamboree), a Christmas version (Nuncrackers) a Fiddler on the Roof version (Meshuggah Nuns) and even a drag version (Nuns A-men).

It all began in 1985 when Nunsense started an improbable run in New York City and ended up becoming one of the longest-running off-Broadway productions of all time.

The North Frontenac Little Theatre production, which played to appreciative audiences last weekend, sets the play in a fictional convent in Sharbot Lake instead of Hoboken, New Jersey. The flimsy premise of the play is the same, however. A sedate order of nuns has been forced to “put on a show” when their cook, Julia, Child of God, inadvertently kills 52 nuns with a deadly vichyssoise. The surviving nuns can only afford to bury 48 of their dead sisters, and need to raise money to inter the final four. All of this is explained in short order by the Mother Superior, Sister Mary Regina (Deborah Spaar-Mueller) and the shenanigans begin.

The plot is not really the thing in Nunsense; it is really about performance and character.

Sister Mary Regina, at turns bossy and scatter-brained, is a force to be reckoned with by the other four sisters. Spaar-Mueller did an admirable job, seamlessly combining the singing parts with Sister Regina's role as a nemesis and foil for the other characters. She also showed herself to be adept at slapstick when Sister Regina suffers from a bit of a drug experience. You had to be there.

Sister Mary Leo, a young novice who has a not so secret desire to be a ballerina, was played by Shiloh Stephens. Stephens has been in a number of productions, and this was her best role yet. She had several feature solos, and did a great job in a couple of duets with Sister Mary Hubert, the second in command and the one who is in charge of the novices. She also capitalized on the comedic opportunities offered by performing ballet while wearing a habit.

Connie Shibley, as Sister Mary Hubert, is an experienced choral singer but a first-time actor. She was spot on throughout the production, playing the only level headed character in the convent. Her singing was excellent throughout, and her performance of the gospel number “Holier Than Thou” near the end of the show was easily the musical highlight of the performance.

Pam Woods has a way with Sister Mary Amnesia. Although she doesn't know who she is or what is happening, every once in a while Sister Mary Amnesia manages to cut through to the core weakness of the Mother Superior and the church itself, and Woods was able to get those points out while maintaining the oblivious haze of Sister Mary Amnesia.

Finally, Sister Robert Anne, (Danielle Quenneville) is the worldly one, and is the nemesis of Sister Mary Regina. Quenneville made it believable that Sister Robert could have just as easily been a criminal as a nun. She jumped into the performance, alternately showing Sister Robert's desire to be a star, her desire for a man sitting in the front row, and in a funny way showed a strong commitment to the church, a commitment that was really only matched by Sister Mary Hubert.

As a whole, Nunsense worked because the performances of the five players won over the audience. Early on in the production they made it easy for the audience to buy in to the mayhem and go along for the ride.

Also appearing as the world's smallest chorus were Lynda Boulter as Sister Mary Martin, and Ann Moore as Sister Mary Thomas.

Behind the scenes the greater Verona mafia were dominant, with Barb Rodgers producing the play and Jennifer Bennett as the musical director. Sharbot Lake's own John Pariselli was the artistic director. 

Cast of Land O'Lakes prodution of  The Little Mermaid

"The Little Mermaid” made waves and a big splash last Wednesday evening as Land O’ Lakes Public School presented its annual spring musical.

Based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson, the classic enchanted the audience with the magical story of how a mermaid (portrayed with charm and wonder by Cassy Lowery) overcomes all obstacles and rises to the surface of the sea to marry her Prince Charming, (played with skill by Cody Matson).

Strong supporting actors who added a good measure of comic relief included Jessica Desroches as Clem-Clam, Claire Willis as Georgina, Krysti Squibb as Clara, and Bailey Paddick as Borgy. As for the evil side, the Sea Witch (Jen Wisteard) and her two pet sharks, (Ophelia and Mikaela Cooper), produced a suitable aura of fear and creepiness.

The musical lived up to its genre with nine solos, including a moving “Part of That World” by Emma Brash, and a hilarious “Les Poissons” by Jacob Brash. Cassidy Savic

wowed the audience with an upbeat version of “Kiss the girl”. Mrs. McCullough did a fine job as music mentor for the singers.

The choreography, by teacher Ms. Kim Fournier and student Sadie Clarke, added to the spirit and joy of the production. Sadie Clarke led the sailors in a lively jig for the sea shanty, “The Crab”. “Under the Sea” featured the entire cast in a rollicking tribute to the undersea world.

Kindergarten teacher Ms. Jen Meulenaar coordinated costumes and props, and kept the stage crew (headed by Michaela Van Ness and David Scott) hopping. Tristen and Chase Veley with Adam Power did a fine job with lights and sound. Jade Walker and Alexandra Gillingham, along with parent volunteers Renée Richard and Erin Cooper, went all out with make-up and hair styles.

With scenery flats by Mr. Hull’s Gr. 7/8 class, murals by Ms. Kirkby’s Gr. 3/4 and papier mâché fish by Mr. G.’s SK/1, “The Little Mermaid” was a truly collaborative effort. A special aspect to this collective spirit came when two former LOLPS drama students, Nicole Domen and Krista Nieckar, along with classmate Rebecca Combe, designed and helped make the seven spectacular mermaid costumes. A very special thanks to Mr. Geoffrey Murray and his “Anything Fabric Fashion program” at Sharbot Lake High School, and fabricator Cindi Scott, for making this teamwork happen.

Land O’ Lakes Public School would like to give special thanks to North Frontenac Little Theatre for the use of their lights and costumes, and Liz Steele-Drew and Sharbot Lake High School for their partnership.

by Barb Rodgers and the cast of Nunsense

Nunsense is written by Dan Groggin. He wrote it because he wanted to share what he knew to be “the humour of the nun”. Each of the Sisters of the Sharbot Lake Convent contributes in her own way to this humour. Reverend Mother (played by Deborah Spaar-Mueller) states, “The other nuns make fun of me because I’m a little on the hefty side and like to be the boss. I’m trying my hardest to keep the Sisters in their places. It can be quite chaotic at times. After all, I am the Reverend Mother, not a musical comedy star”.

Sister Mary Hubert (played by Connie Shibley) says “I’m Mistress of the Novices at Our Lady of Sharbot Lake Convent. I’m also Reverend Mother’s right hand nun. It’s a good thing I’m here to help her out. She can get herself into a real mess sometimes.”

Sister Mary Amnesia (played by Pam Woods) says “I mean well, but I seem to dither and stumble through life at the convent. I’m a constant thorn in Reverend Mother’s side as I am so forgetful! I dreamt of life as a country singer, but I’m very happy as a nun.”

Sister Robert Anne (played by Danielle Quenneville) is very outspoken and will tell you “Not only do I drive the convent car, but I can strip it faster than any mechanic north of the 401. If only Reverend Mother could appreciate my incredible wit and exuberance and see me as a star instead of a simple nuisance.”

Sister Mary Leo (played by Shiloh Stephen), being a novice, wants you to know “I am the newest nun to join the convent and want to devote my life to God through dance. I want to become the first famous Nun ballerina. I find that being naïve gets me into trouble that is mostly initiated by Sister Robert Anne.”

Sister Mary Thomas (played by Ann Moore) and Sister Mary Martin (played by Lynda Boulter) are two novices. Sister Mary Thomas says, “Sister Hubert is my mentor and I look up to her. I like to help the other Sisters with day-to-day chores.” When Sister Mary Martin talks about herself, she says “I am a quiet, obedient, and mature novice. Reverend Mother feels that I am best suited for kitchen duty. My time in the kitchen was short lived due to a cooking error by Sister Julia, Child of God. With the complications associated with this error, my Sisters and I found ourselves ‘out of the frying pan and into the fire!’”

You will thoroughly enjoy an evening filled with comedy and music! Performances dates for Nunsense are Thursday, April 29, 7:30PM; Friday, April 30, 7:30PM; Dinner Theatre, Saturday, May 1, 6PM; and Matinee on Sunday, May 2 at 2PM. Tickets are available at Rona in Verona, Sharbot Lake Pharmacy, and Gray’s Grocery in Sharbot Lake. Adults: $12; Students: $10; Saturday’s Dinner Theatre: $27.

The Sydenham High School drama club almost passed on the Sears Festival this year when they could not pull together a production they had been planning. Instead, they split into two groups and brought 20 minute long, three actor pieces called Philistines and Farmers and The Poetics.

Both plays won awards at the Festival, and the production of Poetics, by Canadian playwright Jason Sherman, was one of three plays chosen to move on to the Regional Festival in Cornwall.

Philistines and Farmers starred Curis Law, Geoff Hull and Courtney Sproul. It was an ensemble directed piece. Courtney Sproul was the stage manager and Megan Tidman handled the lighting.

The Poetics starred Dylan Parsons, Ana Donefer-Hickey (who won an acting award of excellence) and Emelie Myles-Gonzales. Stephanie Brown was the stage manager, Julie Sleeth handled the lighting, and the piece was directed by the ensemble.

Dan Raponi runs the drama department at SHS, and he has been working with this same group of students for four years.

“They really are the best student group,” he said, “and they are all graduating this year.”

Most of the above listed people worked on last year’s SHS Sears production of “the Virtuous Burglar”, which also moved on to the regional festival and on “Our Town” last June. They have been hard at work on “the Importance of Being Earnest” which will be the culminating production of this school year.

“It’s going to be an incredible production” Raponi said.

The Philistines and Farmers and The Poetics will be performed at the high school within the next couple of weeks.

Danielle Nevins (L) and Andrea Dickinson (R) are the mother-in law/daughter in-law characters (sort of) in Drinking Alone, a North Frontenac Little Theatre Production that runs tonight and tomorrow night and Sunday afternoon at Sharbot Lake High School. Nevins character is actually an escort who is being paid to pretend to be engaged to the son of Dickinson’s character’s husband, who seems to be hiding something. But then all five of the characters in the play have a lot to hide, and a lot to reveal in this dark comedy by Norm Foster.

Photo: Marc Veno as Joe Todd and Kelli Bell as his sister Carrie

Family strife has been the stock in trade of theatre since the days of Euripedes and Aeschylus in ancient Greece.

They offer a recognition factor for the audience, as there are tensions on or just under the surface at some time or another in even the most highly functional families. They also offer a way in to some of the basic existential dichotomies of life/death and love/hate that are also universal. And the way to bring this all out is with a very particular and idiosyncratic story.

In Norm Foster's Drinking Alone, Joe Todd (Marc Veno) is so unnerved by a promised visit by his estranged father Ivan (John Stephen) that he hires an escort, Renee (Danielle Harding) to pretend to be his fiancée. Joe's sister Carrie O'Neill (Kelli Bell) shows up even though she said she wasn't going to. Not only does Carrie have her own issues with her father, she is also, unbeknownst to her brother, on the verge of divorce herself. Carrie also has an alcohol problem, as did her late mother Molly, which is why Ivan left in the first place. The fifth character in Drinking Alone, is Phyllis (Andrea Dickinson), Ivan's current wife, the one character in the play who can see through the facades that the other characters try to create.

Drinking Alone is set up like a situation comedy. It has a static set, Joe Todd's living room. The characters banter with each other, play to the audience for laughs, but unlike a sitcom, the layers of their relationships are peeled away as the play wears on, and the secrets that separate them are slowly revealed.

The play hinges on the performances, and the tone was set in the first scene by Veno and Harding. As they discussed how to carry off the ruse on Joe's father, they established their characters well. Harding used a few particular gestures and brought the right combination of hysteria and practicality to her character, while Veno played Todd, the owner of the family dry-cleaning business, as a man desperate to control his surroundings. Kelli Bell as Carrie arrived on scene next. She is a bitter, high functioning TV personality, and got many of the play’s laughs simply in the comedic timing with which she delivered a liberal number of swear words.

The tensions builds when the doorbell rings, but instead of Ivan, Andrea Dickinson as the soft-spoken, hard-questioning Phyllis comes in first. The way Dickinson played Phyllis, the audience knew immediately that she could see right through Joe and Renee's ruse.

The players are turned away when John Stephen as Ivan Todd arrives on stage, giving the audience the first chance to evaluate this powerful figure whose decision to leave Joe and Carrie behind some 15 years earlier was the formative event in their, and his life.

Once all five of the characters have arrived on the scene, the play unfolds as a series of revelations about the past, with the three family members finally building towards an understanding of where they have come from as a family, and perhaps an inkling of where they are going.

Essentially, Drinking Alone is a drama, not a comedy, but it uses the conventions of comedy to deliver its message, and the actors were up to the challenge.

On the night I saw the play, Friday night, there were a few miscues in timing between the actors that broke the illusion of dialogue once or twice (I heard later that Friday was the lowest energy performance of the run) but even so the performances struck that fine balance between comedy and drama, not quite sinking into farce but keeping the audience laughing through most of the play. Danielle Nevins did a particularly good job balancing the two extremes of her character, to great comic effect.

And Marc Veno reached a pretty good height when he kicked up his heels at the very end of the play, showing that the broken characters in Norm Foster's world are capable of something resembling joy.

Kudos for the set and lighting crew who once again had to deal with that small stage at the Sharbot Lake cafeteria.

In an awards ceremony slated for November the 16 (which some are dubbing the “It’s about time” awards), the North Frontenac Little Theatre will be honouring six of its own with Lifetime Recognition.

Randomly chosen from over two dozen qualifying members, who include such talented stalwarts as Pam Giroux and family, Nina Jenkins, Claire Graves, Pam Woods and Craig Godfrey, to name a few, this year’s recipients have demonstrated an outstanding contribution to the on-going success of the Little Theatre over an extended period of time.

Because of the high number of members eligible for the award, the plan is for the Recognition Evening to be repeated throughout the course of the next several years, honouring five or six members each year.

It is the hope of the organizers that the NFLT Lifetime Recognition Award’s Evening will deepen a sense of pride in the membership and encourage a new generation to continue to provide quality entertainment to our rural area.

The North Frontenac Little Theatre, in cooperation with the Limestone District School Board, has been presenting live theatre of all genres on the stage of Sharbot Lake High School since 1979.

Recipients of the NFLT Lifetime Recognition Award for the year 2013 include:

John Pariselli, Marjorie Fossey, John and Ann McDougall, Dawn Hansen and Peter Platenius.

All fans and members of the North Frontenac Little Theatre are invited to join in the celebration, which takes place on Saturday, November 16 at the Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake at 7pm. Entertainment and light refreshments will be provided, with a freewill offering at the door and/or a donation to our local food bank.

Photo: Principal Jim Horan (retired), Chantal Lafrance, Virginia Mayhew, Principal Val Arsenault, Janice Miles and Jim Boyce.

The North Frontenac Little Theatre's production of Maple Lodge was both well played and well received during its run at Sharbot Lake High School from Nov. 10 – 13 and it offered up the charms that only small town community theatre can.

The tiny cast of five definitely had their work cut out for them as they tackled Colleen Curran's award-winning and very dense script and they believably conveyed the complicated yet humorous relationships between three adult siblings who suddenly discover they have an older sister they’ve never known about. She was born when their mother was 16 and was given up for adoption.

The humorous play has its serious side and addressed some long time hushed up family secrets and the lies they gave birth to. In the end, it is the unknown intruder, another family secret herself, who when forced into the equation ends up bringing balance and truth, managing to make all things right. The first half of the play established each of the three siblings' long-defined roles within the family: Dennis, the musical, gay brother, still closeted to his mother, clownish, big-hearted and played impeccably by Marc Veno; his domineering, high strung older sister Tara who has her claws out from the moment she arrives on the scene, played with sting by Karen Steele; and the kind-hearted, more sensitive and easy going but lonely Heather, played soulfully by Sandy Robertson.

When the aloof and mysterious stranger, Noel, played with effect by Kelli Bell arrives later on the scene, the hijinks of this play are truly set in motion. A few lines were missed on Friday night's performance in the play's first half, causing a few awkward moments onstage plus one short spell of nervous giggles, but the cast managed to pull together and successfully placed the audience on the edge of their seats just before the intermission, when Noel finally laid bare the truth and burst out before the intermission curtain came down, “I AM YOUR SISTER!”

The second half of the play was when each player, including the soft spoken and believably caring Gilbert, played by John Stephen, truly had a chance to shine in what were the play's more intimate, one on one scenes. One felt the blooming of true love between Heather and Gilbert when they sat and spoke together, starry-eyed; one witnessed the eventual untangling of the relationship between Tara and Dennis when push came to shove during a touchy yet humorous game of Scrabble. And Noel let her true colors shine in the play's most successful slapstick scene when a bat made a surprise appearance, which added a hilarious and memorable touch courtesy of the set crew.

The music played from an onstage Victrola, a combination of older jazz and show tunes added a perfect touch to this homey play, which coupled with a simple yet effective front porch set of the long-time, well-worn family cottage allowed all of the action to unfold smoothly while adding a few creative special effects.

Hats off to the cast and all the behind the scenes wizards who once again managed to make little theatre big in Sharbot Lake.

NFLT presents a prize-winning Canadian play “Maple Lodge” is a winner of a Samuel French Canadian Playwrighting contest. Playwright Colleen Curran said that she was “surprised and amazed” when she was contacted with news of her win because she had forgotten that she had entered Maple Lodge into the competition.

Curran lives in Montreal and also spends time at a family owned country house in Vermont. This country house and her family activities there became part of the inspiration for Maple Lodge. She enthusiastically tells stories of her friends and family and other ideas that she used to create the play. But they cannot be told (except to the cast) until after the play has had its run. It can be said that a festival in Blyth, Ontario, an incident in Swanton, Vermont, a birthday party at the Rainbow Room in New York City and a television anchor interview all contributed to the creation of the play. She loves bringing ideas and surprises together for the enjoyment of her audiences.

Her advice for the Maple Lodge cast and audiences is “Have fun!”

Colleen Curran has written more than 20 plays. Her play “True Nature” is now running at the Centaur Theatre in Montreal. It has been described as “sassy, smart and sophisticated”. Colleen is the author of three novels and writes scripts for CBC radio. She is also an actress and performer.

The North Frontenac Little Theatre Company is presenting Maple Lodge at Sharbot Lake High School on November 10 through 13, with a dinner theatre performance on November 12 and a matinee on Sunday afternoon, November 13. Come and be entertained. For dinner theatre tickets, please contact Sally Angle at 613-279-2777.

Maple Lodge is an old family cottage. You know the kind - a wide front porch where people sit and watch the lake. The family has been coming to open the cottage on the long May weekend for generations. It’s the same every summer. But on this particular May weekend, secrets will be revealed that will change the family and Maple Lodge, perhaps forever.

In NFLT’s fall play, “Maple Lodge”, which will run from November 10 to 13, every member of the family gets the shock of their lives. Karen Steele plays Tara, the powerful and famous older sister. This is her big weekend. She has organized an EVENT to raise money to rebuild the area’s beloved covered bridge, burned down by vandals many years before. Tara bosses around her young brother Dennis, played by Mark Veno, and sister Heather played by Sandy Robertson, as if they were her servants. John Stevens is the loyal Gilbert, a longtime friend, especially of Heather. Rounding out the cast is Kelli Bell, playing the mysterious Noel who arrives suddenly and unannounced.

Doug McIntyre directs this touching two-act comedy-drama at SLHS on Remembrance Day weekend. Performances run from Thursday to Sunday with a Saturday night dinner theatre and Sunday matinee. Come and be surprised and entertained by the adventures of a weekend at the cottage. For Dinner Theatre tickets, please contact Sally Angle at 613-279-2777.