Dec. 10
St. Patrick’s High School: There’s No Place Like Home
Dorothy, Toto, a tornado – oh my! What really happens in Oz? Who is truly to blame for the misfortunes of the young girl and her friends? Is the Wicked Witch of the West as despicable as she seems, or is she simply a victim of bad press? There’s No Place Like Home brings a new perspective to an old tale.
Dec. 10
Cairine Wilson Secondary School: Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet
What happens when an awkward young professor’s assistant gets sucked into her own research? Constance Ledbelly, obsessed with the mysterious Gustav Manuscript, finds herself as an extra character within William Shakespeare’s Othello and Romeo and Juliet. With sword fighting, cross-dressing, and a ton of misunderstandings, Constance has her hands full navigating these once familiar tragedies now turned comedies.
Dec. 11
Ottawa Jewish Community School: Arsenic and Old Lace
Take all you know about a dysfunctional family and throw it out the window, because the Brewster family redefines the word dysfunctional. Leading the family are two lovely, charitable old aunts with one slightly odd characteristic about them: they poison lonely, old men to take them out of their misery and, of course, without their consent. These aunts live with their nephew, Teddy, who conveniently shares the same name as President Roosevelt. Convenient, because Teddy is quite the nutcase who sincerely believes that he is, in fact, the president. The aunts receive a wonderful surprise as their estranged nephew, Jonathan, shows up with his non-licensed German plastic surgeon friend, Dr. Einstein. Jonathan is also a serial killer (seems to run in the family), however his intentions are much darker than those of his aunts. The last nephew of the bunch, Mortimer, seems to be the only normal person around. Mortimer is engaged to be married to the intelligent and beautiful Elaine, a minister’s daughter. While all this is occurring, Mortimer tries to cover up his aunt’s murders while cops filter in and out of their house. Chaos ensues over the course of one long night as this dark comedy unravels.
Dec. 11
Ridgemont High School: Black Comedy White Liars
The White Liars: Sophie is a psychic who has inherited her powers from her mother. After a dry spell, of customers, finally two friends, Tom and Frank, come to have their fortunes told. Frank, however, has a different idea altogether – he fears his girlfriend is being taken away by Tom and convinces Sophie to fake a fortune. Throughout this dramady we discover things about all three of the characters. Black Comedy: Brindsley, a down-on-his-luck artist, and his lovely Debutant fiancé, Carol, are happily engaged. They organize an evening for Bamberger, a rich multi-millionaire, to come take a look at some of Brindsley’s art. They want to impress this man, so they concoct a scheme to ‘borrow’ fancy antiques from their neighbour Harold as he is out on vacation. However, a blackout occurs and everything that can go wrong does. Brindsley is left in the dark in this one act farce. Chaos and comedy go amazingly together and will be sure to make you laugh.
Dec. 12
Mother Teresa High School: Alice’s Wonderland
2014 is the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll writing the famous Alice in Wonderland. In cerebration of this, we, as the Mother Teresa High School Drama Production Team, are taking it upon ourselves to put on a dramatic adaptation entitled, Alice’s Wonderland. In using the original novel as inspiration, we have written the script to take the audience on a journey through Alice’s mind while she experiences the extraordinary hallucination of Wonderland as a byproduct of her schizophrenia. The large majority of the proceeds being raised through our show’s ticket sales will be donated to support those living with schizophrenia. The production is being put on with the intention of bringing light to a serious mental health subject while keeping the wittiness and cleverness of the classic fairytale in mind.
Dec. 12
All Saints High School (1st Show): Jungle Book
Mowgli, a young girl that was raised by a pack of wolves, has to face her biggest fear, Shere Khan, the tiger. Fortunately she receives a little help from her friends, Balloo, a big, old bear, and Bagheera, a loving panther, who teach Mowgli to fight, live in the jungle, and, most importantly, find true courage. Through this journey of self-discovery, Mowgli overcomes her fears and most of all figures out where she truly belongs.
Feb. 20
Woodroffe High School: Into the Woods
Into the Woods is a show about realizing our hearts’ desires, even when we haven’t really reflected upon the implications. It is a show about wishes and choices, about re-visiting our choices or re-examining how we come to make them in the first place. A baker and his wife set forth to obtain four items required by the “witch from next door” in exchange for the reversal of a curse that prevents them having a child. In the woods, they encounter Little Red Riding Hood, Jack (of beanstalk fame), Cinderella and Rapunzel, all of whom possess articles the witch needs to overcome her own affliction. The first act, full of humour, adventure, suspense and romance, introduces princes and wolves, grandmothers and step families, as our leading characters seek true happiness. Act two, however, brings the giant’s widow seeking justice. How does a community determine what is right? With the novelty of love past, what differentiates relationship from duty? When fidelity is lost, is identity also forsaken, and for which party? Although dark, the show manages to bring a message of hope and survival in the face of realities that are never as clear as a “happily ever after” might imply.
Feb. 26
Ashbury College: The Wizard of Oz
This year, Ashbury College proudly presents Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz. The adventure begins when Dorothy is swept out of Kansas and lands in Munchkinland, where she is welcomed by Glinda the Good Witch and the Citizens of Munchkinland. They throw a celebration in her honour after her house lands on The Wicked Witch of the East, before sending her on her way to Oz to meet the Great and Powerful Wizard. Along the way she meets a Scarecrow, Tinman and the Lion who join her on her journey, hoping the wizard will give them a brain, a heart and nerve. This musical tells the tale of four friends working together to accomplish their goals, exploring new lands and meeting new people as they try to help Dorothy find the way back to Kansas!
Feb. 27
Merivale High School (1st Show): Singin’ In the Rain
Based on Gene Kelly’s classic movie of the same name, Singing’ In The Rain brings comedy, romance and musical numbers to the stage. It’s the roaring 1920s, and Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont, Hollywood’s silent movie star sweethearts, have been challenged to create a new style of film: a ‘talkie’. But there’s a problem; Lina’s voice can scratch the chalk off a clapperboard. A chance meeting with the lovely struggling actress, Kathy Selden, has Don singing in the rain with new hope and a wacky idea that just might work.
Feb. 28
Elmwood School: The Madwoman of Chaillot
On a seemingly beautiful day in the stately quarter of Chaillot, situated somewhere between the Champs Elysees and the Seine, a group of ne’er-do-wells plots to take over the city of Paris in pursuit of a profitable prize they believe gushes beneath the streets – oil! What they do not count on, however, is the cleverness of the Countess Aurelia, who positions herself firmly between their greed and her passion to save the world from the cupidity of prospectors. Supporting the countess in her efforts to stop these antagonists in their tracks is a lively collection of Parisian misfits; including – among others – a rag-picker, a king-of-the-sewers, and a pair of young lovers who will go to any lengths to preserve universal goodness. Written in 1944 by French playwright, Jean Giraudoux, The Madwoman of Chaillot is a lyrical satire that will delight audiences, while encouraging our collective contemplation of a world continually on the brink of imminent disaster!
Mar. 5
Sacred Heart Catholic High School: To Kill a Mockingbird
As Jean Louise Finch remembers it, Maycomb County, Alabama was a lethargic, colourless old town downtrodden by the Great Depression. To Kill A Mockingbird, based on Harper Lee’s Pulitzer-prize winning 1960 novel of the same name, is the timeless account of a young girl’s exposure to the racial injustice that defined an era. A woman reminisces back to a time when she was simply called Scout. Atticus Finch, defense attorney and the father of Scout, is assigned the case of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of the rape of a local white girl named Mayella Ewell. Scout, along with her brother Jem and her friend Dill, must defy the pervasive ignorance and hypocrisy of their own neighbours as they explore the nature of ignorance and discrimination, discovering that the most innocent and the most culpable are not quite as obvious nor as segregated as they once surmised. A heart-warming tale of courage and compassion as it is equally a cautionary tale of racial, gender and socioeconomic prejudice, To Kill A Mockingbird remains a classic story that is just as applicable to contemporary life as it was a half-century ago.
Mar. 8
Earl of March Secondary School: Fiddler on the Roof
Apr. 10
Immaculata High School: The Giver
Jonas’ world is perfect. Everything is under control and safe. There is no war or fear or pain. There are also no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. But when Jonas turns 12, he is chosen for special training from The Giver—to receive and keep the memories of the community. The Giver is the only person who holds the memories of real pain and real joy. Now Jonas will learn the truth about life—and the hypocrisy of his Utopian world.
Apr. 11
Lisgar Collegiate Institute: Kiss Me Kate
Backstage antics lead to onstage tension in this play-within-a-play among the four lead actors in the musical version of The Taming of the Shrew. Fred, the producer (Petruchio), is married to Lilli, a famous movie actress (Katharine), who has a reputation for being difficult. Lois Lane (Bianca) is the love interest of both Fred and Bill (Lucentio). Bill has a gambling problem that sends the mob looking for him, but he has signed Fred’s name to his IOU. The fun really begins when the gangsters show up to collect the debt. Kiss Me Kate, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, features songs such as “Another Op’nin’, Another Show,” “Too Darn Hot,” and “Brush Up Your Shakespeare.”
Apr. 11
St. Paul High School: Nosemaker’s Apprentice: Chronicles of a Medievel Plastic Surgeon
A father tells his daughter a bedtime story about the history of his profession, plastic surgery. It all started with the trade of a “nosemaker,” a person who made noses using materials such as sheep guts and pig ears. This was how noses were made in medieval times; that is, until a certain nosemaker’s apprentice revolutionized the art entirely. Follow the adventures of a small-town boy as he meets crusaders, villains, enemies, and… the queen of France?
Apr. 16
Colonel By Secondary School: To Kill a Mockingbird
In To Kill a Mockingbird, presented by Colonel By Secondary School, the frightening issues of racial equality and the reality of bigotry are experienced first hand by the young protagonist, Jean Louis ‘Scout’ Finch. The production is based on the book by Harper Lee and adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel. Scout, alongside her older brother Jem, are raised by their father and distinguished lawyer, Atticus Finch. Racism in 1930s Maycomb, Alabama, is widespread, which becomes especially relevant when Atticus agrees to take on the case of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white girl. Both Atticus and his children face harsh disapproval from the community, but Atticus’ conscience compels him to defend an innocent man. Including the mysterious Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley, irritable Mrs. Dubose, and vengeful Bob Ewell, To Kill a Mockingbird explores the innocence of children in relation to the tumultuous inequality of the American South in the 1930s.
Apr. 16
Philemon Wright High School: TBA
Apr. 17
Lester B. Pearson Catholic High School: The Sound of Music
Maria is a young woman in the process of becoming a nun in Salzburg Austria in the 1930s. She is a free spirit and is having some difficulty with conforming to the restrictions of the abbey. When the recently widowed sea captain, Baron Van Trapp, is in need of yet another governess for his seven children, Maria is sent to fill the job. The Captain is often not home, but when he is, he runs his household like he runs his ships, with military proficiency. In need of love and understanding, the children initially are reluctant to accept Maria and think that she is just another in a long line of governesses. However, they are quickly won over by her warm and fun-loving nature. Maria and the Captain are at odds when it comes to raising children, but despite their differences, they begin to have feelings for each other. Realizing this, Maria returns to the Abbey. She is soon persuaded back to the Von Trapp home to complete her responsibilities. Soon, the Captain and Maria are married, but their happiness is overshadowed by the looming threat of Nazi Germany and the possibility of the Captain being drafted into the German Navy. Not willing to compromise their beliefs and risk staying in Austria, the family decides to make the courageous and dangerous trek over the mountains and into Switzerland. With some of the world’s most well known and loved songs such as “Do Re Me”, “Climb Every Mountain”, “My Favourite Things” and “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” The Sound of Music is a musical for the entire family to enjoy.
Apr. 17
Brookfield High School: Play On!
What could be better for a small theatre company than getting a free script from a local playwright? When the script comes from the pen of Phyllis Montague, the answer is almost anything! Join the cast and crew of Murder Most Foul from rehearsal to final curtain as they struggle through multiple script changes, multiple miscues, and multiple mishaps. This play-within-a-play will have you cracking up as our ill-fated thespians try their best to break-a-leg. Their play won’t be great, in fact it will probably be a disaster, but the show must go on, so … Play On!
Apr. 18
St. Mark High School: Brokenville
Seven strangers, five teens, a child, and an elderly woman, all survivors of an unnamed apocalyptic event, are drawn together by a haunting lullaby. They gather amid the rubble of an abandoned family home to seek shelter, and to answer to a single question: “What has happened to our world?” In an effort to comfort a terrified child, they tell stories. At first, each is reluctant to engage in telling fairy tales, but something magical happens as this group begins to build these fictional worlds. Through the sharing of language, the construction of story leads seven disparate, desperate people to reconstruct their own world, to reshape themselves as individuals, and to rebuild their space into a community. From simple, stilted words elaborate nuanced narratives evolve, which shape themselves into complex theatre. As each tale unfolds and each participant becomes the character in each tale, they rediscover what it means to be human.
Apr. 18
Sir Robert Borden High School: TBA
Apr. 22
Notre Dame High School: Dracula, The Vampire Play
Apr. 23
Holy Trinity Catholic High School: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
From war and hate, to peace and love, A Midsummer Night’s Dream tells the stories of a multitude of characters, including star-crossed lovers, a group of amateur actors, fairies, and a duke and duchess. The tale takes place in a colourful, magical forest in Athens, Greece with a unique twist of being set in the 1960s. The lovers: Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and Helena, all find themselves falling in love with the wrong person. The actors try to perform a play for the Duke’s wedding, but fall behind when Nick Bottom, their lead, is transformed into a donkey. Causing these strange events is the mischievous sprite, Puck, who works for the king of the fairies, Oberon. Oberon meanwhile faces his own struggles with his queen, Titania. The two rulers of the fairies are fighting over the ownership of a changeling child. While Oberon wants the child as his servant, Titania wants simply to take care of the boy herself. The many seemingly dramatic stories all weave together with comedic characters and moments to form William Shakespeare’s classic comedy of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Apr. 23
Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School: TBA
Apr. 24
A.Y. Jackson Secondary School: The Addams Family – A New Musical Comedy
Hidden deep in Central Park, NYC is a very strange house, with even stranger occupants. Not your average family, the Addams family lives for death, decay and desolation (with occasional outbreaks of spontaneous dancing). That is until eighteen-year-old bow-and-arrow-wielding Wednesday Addams falls in love with, and wants to get married to, a decidedly average boy. With true love on the line, can Wednesday’s Uncle Fester and the ghosts of the Addams’ dead ancestors help resolve this dilemma, or will this unconventional romance destroy everything the Addams family holds dear? Come dance the “Rigor Mortis” with them and find out in The Addams Family – A New Musical Comedy.
Apr. 24
Longfields Davidson-Heights Secondary School: The Laramie Project
When prejudice is deeply rooted, humanity is questioned. What if an unthinkable act occurred in your town? The Tectonic Theatre Project creates a theatrical collage showcasing the varying opinions and reactions to a tragedy that hits the community of Laramie. After the kidnapping and beating of Matthew Shepard, a twenty-one year old gay student from the University of Wyoming, the reality of the incident conjures emotions from the town’s citizens. The audience follows their contrasting responses to the occurrence that has rattled the town.
Apr. 25
Redeemer Christian High School: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
All of Athens is astir with preparations for the upcoming nuptials of Theseus and Hippolyta. The youth of Athens, however, are struggling with their own wedding woes. Meanwhile, hidden deep within the majestic forest trees, is a magical fairy world teetering on the brink of disaster. Rooted in shattered relationships, furious revenge plots catapult the fairy world into chaos and wreak havoc upon the unsuspecting mortals who venture within. Join Redeemer’s drama club for a magnificent midsummer night’s dream bursting with mistaken identities, delightful weddings, bumbling tradesmen, and thunderous clashes between the reigning forces of Team Oberon and Team Titania.
Apr. 25
All Saints High School (2nd Show): TBA
Apr. 25
Gloucester High School: Cue For Treason
Apr. 29
Merivale High School (2nd Show): Moo
Moragh MacDowell is just an ordinary girl – until she gets shot in the head at the age of 19. She then weds Harry Parker, but due to the oppressive sexist society of 1960s Toronto, Harry cannot handle her assertive nature and deserts her. Moo must travel to find her estranged husband and closure. Gin, cigarettes, asylums and postcards engulf her world of obsession and desperation. Will she ever be free?
Apr. 30
St. Patrick’s High School: Noises Off
A small company of actors travel the roads to little towns to perform their production of Nothing’s On. Backstage intrigue and personal dramas interfere with onstage performances until chaos ensues.
Apr. 30
Glebe Collegiate Institute: Unspoken For Time
May 1
St. Francis Xavier High School: Hunchback of Notre Dame
Travel back in time to 15th Century Paris, France, with the Coyote Cast and Crew, as they present Tim Kelly’s theatrical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s classic, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This less macabre version of Hugo’s original is great for the whole family, driven by the inspirational message of inclusion and acceptance. The plot is tripartite: the story of a lonely Hunchback and his bourgeois guardian, the Archdeacon Frollo; the regal Captain Phoebus, heartthrob of France; and the Court of Miracles – the underbelly of Paris. All three are merged together by the mutual object of their affections, Esmerelda, a beautiful and caring gypsy. Come join this large cast of memorable characters on their harrowing journey of love, imprisonment, murder, and sacrifice.
May 1
St. Joseph High School: TBA
May 2
John McCrae Secondary School: TBA
May 3
Almonte and District High School: Confusions
Confusions is a series of five short one act plays that have little to do with each other, aside from the fact that each act is linked to the next by a common character. The plays range from the pathetic yet funny Mother Figure, to the side-splittingly hilarious farce of Gosforth’s Fete. This full-length ensemble of stories promises entertainment throughout, as author Alan Ayckbourn lets us laugh (riotously at times!) at the obsessions, the loneliness, the scrappiness, and the tragedies of our daily existence.