Author: Richard Young

A retired History and Politics high school teacher (1978-2008). Former Publisher/Managing Editor of The Beat Magazine (2009-2014). Freelance Writer. Proud Grandfather.

Meet Lesley Andrew of Into The Woods

by Richard Young

Meet Lesley Andrew. Lesley plays Rapunzel in Silver Spotlight Theatre’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods.

“Into the Woods marks only my second foray into the world of community theatre, both of which have been within the past year. My theatrical experience began with the Stratford Festival as part of the principal company, at the ripe old age of twenty-two (just a few years ago now). Since then, I have acquired a few more degrees and have been fortunate to tour the world as a freelance artist.

Currently, I keep busy running two studios, Dream In Progress Productions Voice & Drama Studios, in London and Windsor, teaching at various educational institutions, performing and directing. I love cooking, quilting, doing construction, and cuddling with my fur and feather babies in my spare time. Yes, I have a parrot. It’s no wonder I’m single!

I am blown away by the talent in Silver Spotlight Theatre’s production of Into the Woods! Having been on a personal hiatus over the past decade as I cared for my ailing mom, I am thrilled to have been welcomed into such a fabulous community and made so many new friends. I highly recommend getting involved in community theatre, especially as we cross the threshold into … gulp … middle age. It’s fun, a great way to meet people, and an awesome way to keep active physically and mentally.

Silver Spotlight Theatre is fantastic! I am honoured to be part of the team.”

Lesley

Silver Spotlight Theatre’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods, opens on November 21 and runs until December 1 at the Auburn Theatre. For tickets and more information, visit https://www.mtplondon.ca/into-the-woods

Meet Silver Spotlight Theatre’s Richard Crum

by Richard Young

Meet RICHARD CRUM who plays the role of Jack in Silver Spotlight Theatre’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods.

“This is my first foray into theatre in London and I am very excited about the opportunity. My theatre background started in earnest in Bracebridge, Ontario. I was newly married, and my wife was the Musical Director for the yearly musical, so I was drafted into the shows. We did Oklahoma, Guys and Dolls, Kiss Me Kate, The Music Man, Brigadoon and You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. I also did a show in Gravenhurst called On the Sixth Day and Fiddler on the Roof in Huntsville.

After moving to Newbury, Ontario, I participated in Something’s Afoot in Dutton, Joseph, and Jesus Christ Superstar in Chatham. I was also in Superstar, Joseph, Fiddler, and Guys and Dolls in Ridgetown with the Ridge Players. I got involved with a local Newbury group and did Oliver and Fiddler again. I also directed Godspell and The Music Man with this group.

I heard about Silver Spotlight Theatre through a friend, and I am so glad she told me about it. Although I wasn’t familiar with Into The Woods before auditions, it has become one of my favourites. I’m pretty sure I would not have had the opportunity to play Jack in any other theatre group. The cast and crew are amazing and very supportive.

If you’ve ever thought you might like to get involved with community theatre, join us. You will have a blast!”

Silver Spotlight Theatre’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods, opens on November 21 and runs until December 1 at the Auburn Theatre. For tickets and more information, visit https://www.mtplondon.ca/into-the-woods

All reactions:

Meet Cameron Johnston, Stage Manager for Silver Spotlight Theatre’s Into The Woods

by Richard Young

“Once upon a time, when I was waiting to go on stage for the first performance of my first acting role (I was the lead in a play called “To Die For” by London playwright Tim Bourgard), I was so intrigued by what was going on backstage that I forgot to be nervous about the prospect of spending the next thirty-seven minutes lying in a hospital bed, centre-stage, in front of a theatre full of people.

Fast forward to the present, and I find myself calling the show for Silver Spotlight Theatre’s most ambitious work to date – Stephen Sondheim’s fractured fairy tale, Into The Woods. I am chuffed to be working with such an enthusiastic cast and crew as we prepare for this, Sondheim’s most-performed, and perhaps most demanding stage production.

If there is one character I truly admire, not just in this production, but in the world of fairy tales, in general, it would have to be Jack, of Jack-and-the-Beanstalk fame. I am touched by his innocence and his bravado as he encounters and then slays the Giant. Jack also tries to be a dutiful son to his widowed (or abandoned) mother, but he is a lonely kid; his best friend in the whole wide world is a baffed-out cow named Milky White.

Being part of Silver Spotlight Theatre has changed my life as much as my first foray onto the stage did way back when. More importantly, the group has been a game-changer for community theatre everywhere. We have shown London and the world that there is still a lot of life, talent, enthusiasm, and energy left in these over-55 thespians.

SST has been such a hoot that I wish I had done it 30 years ago, but then, I would have been too young to meet the age-55 cutoff point. Some things really do get better with age!”

Cam

Silver Spotlight Theatre’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods, opens on November 21 and runs until December 1 at the Auburn Theatre. For tickets and more information, visit https://www.mtplondon.ca/into-the-woods

Rehearsals for Silver Spotlight Theatre’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods are in full swing.

by Richard Young

Rehearsals for Silver Spotlight Theatre’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods are in full swing and will continue throughout the summer and fall.

Into The Woods is a playful and enchanting yet perilous woodland adventure that follows some of the Grimm Brothers’ most beloved fairytale characters like Cinderella, Jack, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, a wolf, a giant, and even a handsome prince or two, as they search for their wishes. Their stories collide in the woods where things don’t always appear as they seem.

For more information about the play, visit mtplondon.ca

The play opens on November 21 at the Auburn Theatre (downstairs at the Grand Theatre) and runs until December 1. Tickets go on sale soon.

Do you recognize any of the following folks?

Doris and Ivy in the Home is classic Norm Foster

by Richard Young

Val Cavalini and I saw Norm Foster’s Doris and Ivy in the Home at Huron Country Playhouse on Opening Night, Thursday, July 11. After reading the description on the Drayton Entertainment site we didn’t know what to expect and hoped it would not be a play depicting seniors in a stereotypical, ageist light.

Instead, we were treated to a hilarious, but in places quite serious, play about the interactions between three very disparate characters in a posh retirement home in Canmore, Alberta.

Retired prison guard Doris Mooney (played uproariously by Valerie Boyle), Ivy Hoffbauer, a former champion skier (played by Elva Mai Hoover), and Arthur Beech, a dapper, retired academic (played by Rob McClure) keep the action and dialogue flowing for the play’s two hours.

As the Drayton Entertainment site says, it is a refreshing comedy and a testament to living each day to the fullest – regardless of age or stage.

Highly recommended.