musical – Page 2 – Richard's Blog

Meet Kate Milner of Silver Spotlight Theatre’s Into The Woods

October 1, 2024 by Richard Young

Meet Kate Milner. Kate plays the Witch in Silver Spotlight Theatre’s production of Into The Woods.

“From a magical first glimpse of Annie at the O’Keefe Centre at age eight, I was hooked on the thrill of live theatre. Gifted the cast album for Christmas, I memorized every line, and filled the house with show-stopping belting—sorry, Mom and Dad!

After spending high school staying off the stage as a stage manager, I stepped onto the stage for the first time at Queen’s University in Camelot, and the rest is history. I have had the opportunity to share the stages at Scarborough Musical Theatre, London Community Players, and more, while also sharing my passion behind the scenes as a director, music director, and vocal coach.

A couple of years ago, Art Fidler and Rick Smith shared their exciting vision for Silver Spotlight Theatre – a theatre company just for those over fifty-five. I was instantly on board! After a little wait, the stars aligned when auditions for Into the Woods fell on my fifty-fifth birthday. What better way to celebrate than diving into one of my favorite shows with a fantastic group of like-minded, creative souls? I couldn’t resist the opportunity!

To anyone considering the enchanting world of community theatre, I say: Jump in! Be bold! Embrace the unknown and let the magic sweep you away!”

Kate

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 Rick Smith, Director of Silver Spotlight Theatre’s Into The Woods

September 30, 2024October 2, 2024 by Richard Young

Meet Rick Smith. Rick is the Director of Silver Spotlight Theatre’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods.

“I feel like I have lived on or around the stage for the past thirty-plus years. It all started in Grade Two performing in a class skit in a school assembly. My only line was “soap soap soap“ but that’s all it took.

Since then, I have performed in a total of seventeen productions for Musical Theatre Productions, London Community Players, and the Port Stanley Festival Theatre, directed another nine shows, and held a seat on the MTP Board of Directors on three different occasions.

When Art Fidler mentioned the idea of having a theatre wing dedicated to people aged fifty-five and older, I was immediately excited about the idea. I was, after all, age-appropriate and had found that the roles were becoming fewer. With his brainchild in hand, I obtained grant funding from the Ontario Government, and off we went building an amazing community filled with delightful people. What a treat to partner with ‘Mr. Showbiz’ on directing Babes in Arms. It is an experience I won’t soon forget.

I have long wanted to direct Into the Woods. I caught a glimpse of it on the 1987 Tony Awards and it instantly became one of my favourite shows.

After directing Hello Dolly at the Auburn Theatre in the round, I felt this show deserved similar treatment. There is something more intimate about being surrounded by an audience. My goal is to have the audience feel like they are part of the production and fully engaged in the stories that are being shared. The music is distinctive, the characters are so unique, and the moral lessons we can take from these newly entwined stories can give us a moment to pause and relate them to our own lives.

I am excited to see Silver Spotlight Theatre continue to receive support from AdHome Creative, grow in membership, and expand its base of talent and experience.

Of all the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, the one I gravitate towards most is Hansel and Gretel. Perhaps it has something to do with a house made of cookies and candy with only a witch to stop the feeding frenzy that speaks to me most.

My advice for anyone age fifty-five or older who is looking for the opportunity to be creative, share their existing talent, or develop new ones, is to take that leap of faith and go for it. Silver Spotlight Theatre is the place for you.

Having been involved in all three Silver Spotlight Theatre productions, I can attest to the fact that it has established, nurtured, and prolonged long-lasting connections. As a result of being part of this community, life has changed for me as I knew it, for the better.

So be brave, be bold, and be ready to be accepted. You are all welcome as part of the Silver Spotlight Theatre family.”

Rick

Meet Silver Spotlight Theatre’s Sue McKone

September 27, 2024 by Richard Young

Meet Susan McKone. Sue plays Little Red Riding Hood in Silver Spotlight Theatre’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods.

“I have been a member of the London theatre community for over thirty years now. My passion for musical theatre started from my earliest memories of watching old musicals on TV on Sunday afternoons. Watching such great golden nuggets inspired me to sing and dance in my living room to my parent’s records. I remember my first ‘stage’ experience was at my best friend’s church Easter play. From that first applause, I was hooked and began my lifelong love affair with Musical Theatre.

I have been fortunate to be part of so many wonderful shows over my lifetime and to work with a plethora of amazingly talented people, making lifelong friends. My ‘showmance’ in 1994’s Musical Theatre Productions production of Pajama Game turned into a twenty-seven-year marriage to my drummer husband Wade, and together we have two amazing children, Zach and Aly, who also participate in the arts.

When Into The Woods was announced, I knew this might be my last opportunity to play one of my bucket list parts, Little Red Riding Hood. I had wanted to play her since seeing the original production on PBS decades earlier. I am very excited to be given the opportunity to play her and access my precocious side.

I am also excited to work again with our Director, Rick Smith. Friends since our first meeting in MTP’s 1991 production of South Pacific, I have been his performer, his producer, and fellow board member along the way. This is the fourth time I have had the privilege of being directed by Rick. I have always loved his collaborative nature and how he always makes me feel safe as a performer and lets my creative and crazy nature fly. This was no more evident than in how he mentored and supported me as co-director through my first directorial foray, Kinky Boots, this past Spring at the Palace Theatre.

Helping kick-start Silver Spotlight Theatre as a Board Member of MTP back in 2022-23, I knew that there were many friends I made along the way out there who no longer felt included in this big and wonderful theatre community in London. Silver Spotlight Theatre has provided a space where passion and opportunity do not have to end when the senior discounts kick in.

I am inspired to see seasoned on and off-stage people find their way back to the ‘boards’, and happy to see people who may have dreamed of performing, but never had an opportunity or the courage, or given a chance, to explore and learn about this amazing animal called Community Theatre.

Silver Spotlight Theatre is proof that you are never too old and that the arts truly are a lifelong possibility.

I say prop me up on stage when I am 90 – I will still perform with my usual flair!”

Sue

Meet Silver Spotlight Theatre’s Richard Crum

September 22, 2024 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!”

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

September 21, 2024September 22, 2024 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