Sudbury Theatre Centre

26 JAN 2012

STC’s Playwrights’ Junction Offers Free Public Showcase

At 7.30pm on Monday 6 FEB, STC will be presenting an evening of play readings by its writers’ group, the Playwrights’ Junction. Admission is free.

The evening features short pieces and excerpts from the works of Lara Bradley, Adric Cluff, Paulette Dahl, Amanda Darling, Cora Eckert, Catherine Jaftha, Janine Oloman, Cal Rodya, Michael Shepherd, and Lawrence Van Beek.

The showcase offers the rare opportunity to experience works-in-progress by writers developing their talents. A lovely old world romance on a subway, a nuclear disaster in a forgotten Northern Ontario missile silo, a speakeasy in prohibition-era Sudbury, the trials of learning to drive standard on your wedding night – these are just some of the exciting stories in an evening of both drama and comedy.

The reading, featuring local actors, will be hosted by Matthew Heiti, STC’s Playwright-in-Residence and coordinator of the Junction. “The evening caps off a tremendously successful first season for the inaugural playwrights’ group,” says Heiti. “It’s an initiative we hope to continue in future years.”

The members have been meeting weekly since the fall, in the pursuit of developing local voices and stories for the stage.

For more information contact Matthew Heiti, Playwright-in-Residence, at playwright@sudburytheatre.on.ca or call the STC box office at 705.674.8381 x21.

23NOV 2011

World of Fairy Tales at Centre of Art Exhibit

For those who love photographs of children and fairy tales, the current art exhibit at Sudbury Theatre Centre is sure to captivate. Photographer Peter Noble shares his perspective on The Little Mermaid, Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Little Red Riding Hood and more in the lobby at STC from November 17 to January 11.

At the centre of this magical exhibit entitled “Storytime” are arresting images, like Alice (in Wonderland) miniaturized under a forest of mushrooms or appearing through a keyhole.

Peter's children, Francis and Drew, were the inspiration for “Storytime”, his second exhibit with Sudbury Theatre Centre. “Storytime” features the photographs of many beloved storybook characters. Frankie and Drew are budding photographers themselves. Their surprisingly professional work is proudly displayed beside their father’s.

Born and raised in Sudbury, Peter Noble has always had his eye open for that perfect photo. Over the last ten years, his focus has shifted through various areas of photography: landscapes, nature, macro, urban decay and more recently, portraits. Besides photography, his hobbies include writing music and playing guitar. He is also inspired by the outdoors: fishing, camping, hiking, cycling.

Net proceeds from the sale of Peter's work will be donated to the 2012 Ride to Conquer Cancer benefiting the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. Direct donations can be made at www.conquercancer.ca/goto/peternoble2012.

To enjoy and/or purchase the works of Peter Noble and his daughters, visit STC at 170 Shaughnessy Street from 9 to 5 daily, or during the weekends of Beauty and the Beast, December 2 to 18. Call STC at 705 674 8381 x 21 for more information.

23 NOV 2011

A Christmas Carol on Stage at STC for Two Performances Only

Sudbury Theatre Centre and the Silver Birch String Quartet present Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol on stage at STC for two evenings only, December 8 and 11 at 7 pm. Adapted by Alex Eddington, the story is performed on the Beauty and the Beast set by costumed characters in a moving dramatic staged reading.

Police Chief Frank Elsner takes to the stage as Bob Cratchit with his daughter Katie as his stage daughter Belinda Cratchit. Mellaney Dahl of Q92 radio plays his wife. Scrooge is Markus Schwabe with his nephew Fred, Jason Turnbull, both of CBC Radio. For the December 8 performance only, well-known musician/singer Kevin Closs plays Fred. The ghostly Marley is Hot 93.5 Radio's Matt Sampaio with Amy Dodge of EastLink News playing his wife. Old Fezziwig is played by Councillor Ron Dupuis with the three ghosts portrayed by Scott Overton of Rewind Radio, John Kennedy of the Chamber of Commerce and Councillor Terry Kett. The show is narrated by Health Sciences North's Dan Lessard. The other children in the show are played by Alec Moyle and Kate Keaney, with Koby Kutchaw as Tiny Tim.

This colourful family holiday production is set against a backdrop of incredible music and sound effects by the Juno nominated Silver Birch String Quartet. Tickets for this fundraiser are $25 each with a family of 4 selling at $75.

Tickets are available through the STC Box Office at 705 674 8381 x 21 or online at tickets.sudburytheatre.on.ca.

16 NOV 2011

Beauty and The Beast Staged at STC

Sudbury Theatre Centre has a Beast on the loose, one who’s looking for love in all the right places.

The Beast (Jonathan Purvis) may be slightly scary at first glance, but he is just a lonely gentle outsider. Can we actually believe him when he says, “Do not be afraid. I will not harm you.” Beauty’s father, the gentleman Blotti (James R. Woods) becomes disoriented in the forest and comes upon the castle of The Beast. Before he is allowed to leave, he promises that his daughter Beauty (Erika Santillana) will come to The Beast’s castle. But, what will happen when she is under the power of this unpredictable Beast?

The tale, engagingly told by playwright Warren Graves, has captivated audiences both as a story book, a play and a movie. Even though the Disney version has become widely popular, it is certainly not the only way of telling this timeless tale.

Beauty’s less-than-charming sisters are played by Jessica Moss as Rougi and Helen Juvonen as Jonquil. Manello, who has eyes for Jonquil, is played by Stuart Constable.

Artistic Director David Savoy has invited Luisa Appolloni, from the Stratford Festival, to direct Beauty and The Beast as her directorial debut with STC. Eamonn Reil returns from Shaw Festival as Stage Manager with Shirley Stenabaugh serving as Apprentice Stage Manager.

There are exciting broad-sword moments in Beauty and The Beast that will have audiences marvelling. Award winning stage combat director and fencing expert Matthew Richardson joins the cast to create these edge-of-your-seat duels. Doug Robinson’s magical set design provides the director with the perfect stage setting to create a series of non-stop memorable moments. Costume designer Charlotte Robinson has surrounded herself with rich fabrics as she takes her characters from poverty to wealth. Travis Hatt returns to STC with another one of his hauntingly beautiful lighting designs.

Beauty and The Beast plays weekends only at Sudbury Theatre Centre from December 2 to 18, Fridays and Saturdays at 7pm, with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Ticket prices range from $18.50 for students and children to $24 for the December 2 preview performance, $29.25 for seniors and $34.50 for adults. There is a special family pack of four tickets for $70.

Tickets are available through the STC Box Office at 705 674 8381 x 21 or online at tickets.sudburytheatre.on.ca.

24 OCT 2011

The Wait is Over for Waiting for Godot

Dubbed the best play written in the 20th century, Sudbury Theatre Centre is thrilled to present Samuel Beckett’s iconic Waiting for Godot. Part of the allure of this masterpiece is that each audience member takes away something different. What is each of us waiting for? What keeps us moving forward through life? Does hope spring eternal?

The story of Waiting for Godot is simple. Two men wait at the side of the road for Godot. Will he come? Should they stay or leave? How do they fill the time? What do any of us talk about when we have hours to fill waiting?

Artistic Director, David Savoy, has cast two very funny actors to play the leads. It was Robin Williams and Steve Martin who were cast in the Broadway production. Savoy’s clever choices are Norm Foster (yes, that Norm Foster, famous comedic playwright/actor) and William Vickers. Foster plays Vladmir to Vicker’s Estragon. Foster was as hit on stage at STC in last year’s Skin Flick while Vickers brought the house down in STC’s Leading Ladies in 2009.

Recently in STC’s I Had a Job I Liked. Once is Brian Paul as Pozzo and David Gingerich as Lucky. Joining the talented professional cast are two Sudbury youths alternating the part of “The Boy”. Both Noah Carniello and Christopher McCormick have taken drama classes at STC.

Set Design is by David Court, who teachers at the University of Windsor and has worked with the Moscow Art Theatre School. Charlotte Robertson, who has been STC’s resident costume designer for two seasons, creates costumes while Travis Hatt, who has done several designs at STC, returns to create the lighting. Charlene Saroyan is Stage Manager for this, her fourth show at STC.

Waiting for Godot runs 3 to 13 at 8pm Tuesdays through Saturdays, with the Sunday matinees at 2pm. The Pay What You Can Sunday is 6 November at 2pm. Ticket prices range from $18.50 for students, to $24 for preview Thursday, $29.25 for seniors and $34.50 for adults. Call the STC box office at 705.674.8381 for tickets or book your own tickets on line by going to tickets.sudburytheatre.on.ca.

19 OCT 2011

Norm Foster is back at STC!

Sudbury Theatre Centre is pleased to welcome playwright/actor Norm Foster to the stage once more. Foster, the most produced playwright in all of Canada and who appeared in his own comedy Skin Flick last season at STC, plays the part of Vladimir in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, 3 to 13 November. Foster plays opposite William Vickers who was last seen on the STC stage in the comedy Leading Ladies.

7 OCT 2011

Mayor Declares Professional Theatre Week

TNO Artistic and Executive Director Geneviève Pineault, Mayor Marianne Matichuk and STC Artistic Director David Savoy To mark the 40th Anniversaries of Sudbury Theatre Centre and Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario, Mayor Marianne Matichuk has proclaimed 10 to 15 October, 2011, to be professional theatre week in the City of Greater Sudbury. Mayor Matichuck urges “all citizens to experience the outstanding work” of both companies “during the week and all season long”. For the occasion, STC will be presenting John Buchan’s suspenseful The 39 Steps, while the TNO will showcase the hit comedy Les Roger.

“The Mayor’s proclamation recognizes the past and on-going contributions of both STC and TNO to the quality of life of Greater Sudbury’s residents”, says Geneviève Pineault, TNO’s Artistic and Executive Director. “We owe our success to a few generations of local and regional theatregoers and art lovers, as well as artists that have found support and work in their hometown.”

STC’s Artistic Director, David Savoy, says, “one of the things that make Sudbury such an exciting city to live in is its strong artistic community. Having two professional theatre companies in a city the size of Sudbury makes it unique.” STC started as a dream by a group of dedicated and passionate citizens, and that passion continues, 40 years on. “We're proud to continue to bring the best in live professional theatre in English to our community. STC belongs to all of Sudbury.”

6 OCT 2011

STC Offers Free Public Reading of a New Matthew Heiti Play

At 7pm on Sunday 16 October, Sudbury Theatre Centre presents a free public reading of Receiver of Wreck, a new work by resident playwright Matthew Heiti. The play won Pat the Dog Playwriting Centre’s 24-hour competition last fall and was workshopped in Waterloo this past spring. The reading will be followed by an informal discussion with the audience, using this input to continue to develop the piece.

A shoe salesman chops off his foot with an axe. An aesthetician has hers amputated by an outboard motor. At opposite ends of the same country, staring out at two different oceans, two people each lose something on the same day and are sent crashing together toward the dark heart of Canada. Inspired by the Salish Sea human foot discoveries, Receiver of Wreck is a grotesque comedy about human waste and the mystic potential of change.

The evening features local talents Ron Tough and Marc Donato, Toronto performers Len Silvini and Melissa Dozois, and is directed by Toronto director Bill Lane, who currently teaches theatre at Thorneloe University.

Lisa O’Connell, Artistic Director of Pat the Dog Playwriting Centre, will be in Sudbury for both the workshop session and performance and is available for media interviews. There will be a special Trillium announcement after Sunday evening’s performance, 16 October.

Seating in STC’s rehearsal hall is limited to approximately 30.

RSVP with your attendance as soon as possible to boxoffice@sudburytheatre.on.ca . Seating will be allocated on a first-come basis.

For more information contact Matthew Heiti, Playwright-in-Residence, at playwright@sudburytheatre.on.ca or call the box office at 705.674.8381 x21.

5 OCT 2011

November Acting Classes for Adults at STC

STC plays host to a series of three Sunday evening acting classes for adults aged 18 and over, November 13, 20 and 27 from 6 to 9 pm. STC is thrilled to welcome Bill Lane, director of Toronto stage productions and over 200 original plays for CBC Radio. Lane promises a fun-filled, fruitful session for both the beginning actor and those who wish to add to their performance skill level. Cost is $60 for subscribers and $70 for non-subscribers. To register, call the STC box office at 705.674.8381 x21. Space is limited.

4 OCT 2011

Theatre Classic Waitng for Godot at STC in November

Waiting. We are all waiting for someone, something. For Samuel Beckett's Laurel and Hardy characters Didi and Gogo, it's Godot. Will he arrive? Voted the most significant English language play of the 20th century, Waiting for Godot plays at STC from November 3 to 13, 2011. Purchase tickets on line at tickets.sudburytheatre.on.ca or call the box office at 705.674.8381 x21.

12 SEP 2011

Sudbury Theatre Centre Seeks New Playwrights

STC is pleased to offer Playwrights' Junction, a new opportunity for aspiring playwrights. This group will meet weekly for 12 weeks, Monday evenings from October 17 until January. Anyone wishing to participate must send a cover letter, short bio and a maximum of 15 pages of written work to STC. Deadline for submissions is September 30. For further information or call 705.674.8381.

2 SEP 2011

STC's Comedy Thriller Opens September 29

Murder...train chases...spies...romance. Sudbury Theatre Centre's Hitchcock-meets-Monty Python play The 39 Steps has it all. Opening September 29 and running until October 16, this spy thriller was a hit on Broadway and London's West End. Will our hero save the world? Hang on for the ride! Runs until October 16.

1 SEP 2011

Sudbury Theatre Centre Requests Submissions from Playwrights

Sudbury Theatre Centre is inviting submissions from local playwrights and writers of all experience levels to take part in the inaugural STC Playwrights’ Junction. Complementing a theatre season packed full of exciting work, STC launches this fresh initiative to develop local voices in a workshop environment. A small group, selected by a committee of theatre professionals, will meet weekly in the pursuit of creating and developing new work instilled with a distinct Sudbury texture.

The group will come together in an exploration of the playmaking process, experimenting with different methods of inspiration and unearthing local stories. Each week, the writers will be given the chance to read their work aloud and discuss it in an open forum. During the 12-week program, writers will be encouraged to develop a one-act play and will have the opportunity to see this work read in front of an informal audience in January, 2012.

The workshop will be lead by STC’s Playwright-in-Residence, Matthew Heiti. Heiti holds a BFA in Acting from Ryerson and an MA in Creative Writing from the University of New Brunswick. His plays have been featured with Playwrights Theatre Centre (Vancouver), Lunchbox Theatre (Calgary), NotaBle Acts (Fredericton), and Pat the Dog Playwriting Centre (Waterloo), and Toronto’s Fringe and Summerworks festivals. His northwestern play about the Mad Trapper, I Drag My Coffin Through the Lonesome North, won the RBC Tarragon Under 30 Playwriting Competition in 2010. A founding member of Sudbury’s The Unweeded Garden Theatre Company, he also co-wrote the film Son of the Sunshine, which played at Cinéfest Sudbury in 2009.

Deadline for submissions: September 30, 2011. Selected playwrights will be contacted by October 12, 2011. The workshop will meet Monday evenings beginning October 17, until January.

30 AUG 2011

Sudbury Theatre Centre Invites the Community to its 40th Anniversary Open House

The Sudbury Theatre Centre is the place to be on Thursday evening, September 15 at 7 pm. STC rolls out the red carpet for the community to enjoy its 40th Anniversary Open House. Guests will enjoy a special presentation in the auditorium at 7 pm including two featured musical groups: "Tony's Girls", a group of local ladies who often performed in the musicals during Tony Lloyd's time as artistic director as well as vocal students from Sudbury Seconday School Performing Arts. After the formal presentation, guests will be invited to wander back stage to see some fascinating corners of the building seldom seen by the public. Subscribers are invited to pick up their season tickets at that time. Celebrate 40 years of Live Professional Theatre with STC.

29 AUG 2011

Sudbury Theatre Centre Announces Playwright-in-Residence

Sudbury Theatre Centre is pleased to announce Matthew Heiti as its Playwright-in-Residence for the 2011.12 season. An exciting new initiative, STC was the only theatre outside of Toronto and Ottawa to receive funding for such a position.

Born and raised in Sudbury, Heiti has a BFA in Acting from Ryerson and an MA in Creative Writing from the University of New Brunswick. His plays have been featured with Playwrights Theatre Centre (Vancouver), Lunchbox Theatre (Calgary), NotaBle Acts (Fredericton), and Pat the Dog Playwriting Centre (Waterloo), and Toronto’s Fringe and Summerworks festivals. His northwestern play about the Mad Trapper, I Drag My Coffin Through the Lonesome North, won the RBC Tarragon Under 30 Playwriting Competition in 2010. A founding member of Sudbury’s The Unweeded Garden Theatre Company, he also co-wrote the film Son of the Sunshine, which played at Cinéfest Sudbury in 2009.

During the residency, Heiti will be working on a full-length work based in and inspired by local mythology, as well as leading a playwrights’ group dedicated to developing new work by local writers.

This residency was made possible by a grant from the Ontario Arts Council.