OSSD News Room Archive

MAYSHOWCASE, 2006

Spring is always our busiest time at OSSD, and this year we went from one exciting event to the next non-stop. Now that we’ve finally had a chance to catch our breath, we wanted to show you some great photos and catch you up to date with what we were doing.

Check out what happened during MAY SHOWCASE, AWARDS NIGHT, or THE FRINGE FESTIVAL.

 
Select below to read
 
MAY SHOWCASE
AWARDS NIGHT
THE FRINGE FESTIVAL

 

MAYSHOWCASE, 2006

7 productions
3 venues

The Productions

May Showcase has become OSSD’s own mini festival of work. In order to create May Showcase, OSSD puts together production teams for each individual show. The personnel range from seasoned professionals to emerging theatre artists. Students learn sound theatre practices as we emulate, as much as possible, a professional working environment.
 
Most of our May Showcase productions were staged in our own facility – the new Natalie Stern Studio Theatre. This was a first for OSSD, and, as with all first time events, we all learned a lot. We hired the marvelous Jeff Manning as our first ever Technical Director. Jeff had to create very complex methods for hanging and cabling the lights and sound equipment. As each show was configured differently in the space, there was a great deal of planning and designing of new plots. In a feat of superhuman dedication, Jeff built seating risers one morning, for a show that was performing that evening!

With the support of Telus Communications, we were able to strengthen and develop May Showcase, thus increasing our students’ educational experience in numerous ways. This included:

  • Hiring a Production Manager to oversee all productions
  • Hiring 5 stage Managers for the different productions
  • Hiring a technical director for the Natalie Stern Studio theatre for 1 month
  • Hiring a lighting designer for “42nd Street”
  • Hiring a costume and set designer for “42nd Street”
  • Hiring a wardrobe mistress for “42nd Street”
  • Designing and building sets and costumes for “Tales form a Tokyo Verandah”
  • Building seating risers for the Natalie Stern Studio Theatre
  • Providing additional vocal coaching for Tales from a Tokyo Verandah”
  • Providing additional musical support for “Tales from a Tokyo Verandah”, “42nd Street” and Connections”
  • Providing additional acting training for “Work: Jobs in Progress”
  • 4 Student ASMs were trained
  • 3 Student SM were trained
  • Posters and programs were designed, and covers were printed in colour

135 students took part in May Showcase productions. We had a total of approximately 1200 audience members.

“Work: Jobs in Progress”  
In collaboration with CUPE, the Pre-Professional Acting Program students created “Work: Jobs in Progress”. Students researched scripts to create a unique theatrical review of monologues, scenes and movement pieces. “Work: Jobs in Progress” delved into working lives from miners to prostitutes, managers to waitresses -- people with power and people with none. It was a biting, sometimes comic, often piercing look at our love/hate relationship to our working lives. “Work: Jobs in Progress” was directed by Bruce Bissonnette with additional direction by Patricia Tedford and Peter Ryan. The show ran May 4, 5 &6 at 8:00 pm and May 6 at 2:00 p.m. in the Natalie Stern Studio Theatre.
“Work: Jobs in Progress” went on to become a part of the Ottawa Fringe Festival, the first time that OSSD has participated in the Fringe, and the first time that the Fringe has performed in Westboro.

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 “42nd Street”, by Harry Warren, Al Dubin, Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble
On May 4th and 5th, the OSSD Musical Theatre Company (23 students age 11 – 16, joined by an additional 20 musical theatre students as chorus members) presented the high-kicking musical "42nd Street". This quintessential musical is the story of young dancers and singers getting their first breaks on Broadway. Set in the Depression, the musical contrasts the glamorous high life on stage with the lives of the talented but struggling performers. Filled with show-stopping tap numbers and familiar Broadway tunes it was an evening where love triumphed over all. This was a very large show and required a great deal of production and technical support. With the support of Telus Communications, we were able to hire a designer and wardrobe mistress to create the “look” that is so essential to this period piece. A full length musical with numerous lighting cues, we also hired a lighting designer. Anyone who saw the show was amazed at this show, created by the team of Natalie Fraser Purdy (director), Emmanuelle Zeesman (choreographer) and Sally Robinson (Musical Director).
Aside from the dexterous Sally, we were able to hire an additional musician (Dave Moyer) for this show – between the two of them they created a sound that seemed like a full orchestra.
The show ran for two nights at 7:30, in the Alumni Theatre, Carleton University.

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“Tales from a Tokyo Verandah”, by David Overton & John Arnold
 “Tales from a Tokyo Verandah” is a moving journey through one man’s life. Inspired by Japanese tales, culture and song, the play allows ritual to help ease the pain of dying. After years of travelling the world as a freelance writer and journalist, Lafcadio Hearn settled in Japan, married, rejected his American citizenship and became a naturalized Japanese. The last years of his life were spent studying Japanese culture and trying to interpret it to turn-of-the-century America.
    As a collector of folk-tales, Hearn brought a Western eye to his writing, and this is reflected in the three ghost stories, or kwaidan, presented here. It is in this tension between opposites, between the Japanese tale and the Western telling of it, that much of Hearn's artistry lies. Hearn died on the evening of September 26, 1904. This play traces some of the events of that evening.
The play involves a series of Kwaidan and is almost exclusively presented through song. The performers complex harmonies to create the atonal sounds that evoked the Japanese atmosphere of these tales.
“Tales from a Tokyo Verandah” was directed by Barry Karp. Vocal training was by Sylvia Larass, and musical accompaniment was by Jamie Loback. The play was performed by the OSSD Performance Company (students age 15 – 18), May 17, 18 & 19, at 8:00, in the Natalie Stern Studio Theatre.

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“Connections (It Isn’t Much Fun for One)”
This production was a new venture for both OSSD and the Museum of Nature. After consultations with the museum, it was decided that the students in the Young Actors’ Company (age 13 – 14) would create an original theatre piece to focus on a new exhibit, “Fatal Attractions”. This exhibit, which opened at the museum in May, looks at the mating habits of a number of species. The challenge for the Young Actors’ Company was how to create a theatre piece that reflected the ideas in the exhibit, while also appealing to a family audience.
The result was the collective creation “Connections (It Isn’t Much Fun for One)”. This piece was primarily movement and sound based, and had little direct language, making it very accessible to a bilingual audience. It examined similarities between animal and human behaviour through brief scenarios of movement and sound. It was a piece entirely created by the students and director.
“Connections (It Isn’t Much Fun for One)” performed at the museum May 6,13 & 20 at 11:00 . It was directed by Kristina Watt, with musical accompaniment by James Richardson.

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“The Wiz of Ott”, a musical fantasy  
The Musical Theatre Studio course is made up of students 11 – 13 years old who wish to focus on their musical theatre training in a smaller class. These students are not ready for the major roles in the performance companies, but they are dedicated individuals who want the opportunity to develop a small studio production.
“The Wiz of Ott” was a contemporary re-telling of the Wizard of Oz story that used music from both “The Wiz” and “The Wizard of Oz”. Students were encouraged to create their own costumes and sets, and were directly involved in creating new scenes to set the play in Ottawa. Students in the studio course were joined by younger students in regular musical theatre classes who performed the roles of “munchkins and winkies”.
“The Wiz of Ott” was directed by Natalie Fraser Purdy with accompaniment by Faith Bishop. It was performed in the Natalie Stern Studio Theatre May 9, 10 at 7:30 p.m.

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“Help!”    
(A  collection - with scenes from  Blind Dates by Anna Fuerstenberg, The Girl’s Room, by R.L. Goodwin and Voices from the High School, by Peter Dee)
The Senior Page to Stage class focuses on understanding how to bring a script to life. They are not involved with a full production. Rather, they examine the nuances of working with script and developing their acting abilities. The performance involves minimal sets and costumes, as it focuses on acting abilities.
Every year a play is selected that gives the group an opportunity to build their particular set of skills. This year, the students worked on scenes from “Blind Dates” as well as a selection of other scenes and monologues on issues of young love and romance.
“Blind Dates” was directed by Beverely Wolfe and performed in the Natalie Stern Studio Theatre on May 2, at 9:00 p.m.

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 “Villains and Vixens”, a Shakespearean medley  
OSSD’s Shakespeare class chose to work on a selection of Shakespearean scenes. This gave them the opportunity to look at a number of different plays, as well as a chance to explore a variety of characters. By taking the theme of “Villains and Vixens”, the students were able to work on motivation in some of Shakespeare’s greatest characters in both his comedies and tragedies. As with the Page to Stage class, the focus is on the actors, not on production values.
“Villains and Vixens” was directed by Kristina Watt and performed in the Natalie Stern Studio Theatre on May 2 at 8:00 p.m.

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All of these photos are courtesy of Alan Dean Photography. Photo CDs of each show are available for purchase from Alan Dean Photography for $20.00. Each CD contains approximately 200 different photos. Contact Alan at alandean@magma.ca . Make sure to let him know which show you are interested in and how many CDs you’d like.

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AWARDS NIGHT


June 15 2006

This year’s Awards Night seemed to be one of the very best. There was a full house in the Studio Theatre of the National Arts Centre, where we were treated to performances of poetry, prose and song. There were some wonderful and generous presenters this year as well, each of whom had a few words of encouragement and congratulations to extend to our wonderful students.

If you weren’t able to make it to Awards Night, you can see who performed, who presented and who received awards.

PERFORMERS 2006

The Young Actors’ Company
FIREFLIES from “Connections (It Isn’t Much Fun for One)”

Alicia Fayet & Barry Karp
“ANNE” by Paul Ledoux

Cole Douglas
“Why God Why”, from Miss Saigon
by Alain Boubil & Claude-Michel Schoënberg

Saeyoub Mender
 “Lance” from Two Gentlemen of Verona,
by William Shakespeare

Rebecca Kalinger
The Little Match Girl,
by Hans Christian Anderson

Olivia Leblanc & Molly Reisman
“What is this feeling” from Wicked, by Stephen Scwhartz

Cameron Rufelds
Zaztrozzi by George F. Walker

Jordan Seeley
No Difference by Shel Silverstein

RECIPIENTS 2006

MUSICAL THEATRE AWARDS

The Harvey Glatt Award for excellence in Musical Theatre: Adrien Pyke
Presented by Amanda Lewis

Intermediate Musical Theatre: Emmie Page
Presented by Audrey Churgin, Executive Director, MASC

The Claire Miller Award: Judith Weist and Fiona Sauder
Presented by Claire Miller

ENSEMBLE ACTING AWARDS:

Creative Drama Award Recipient: Rebecca Tobin
Presented by Kathy MacLellan, Rag and Bone Theatre

Junior Award Recipient: Charlotte Connolly
Presented by Tim Wynne-Jones, author

Intermediate Award recipient: Andrew Moore
Presented by Alex Munter, writer, teacher and mayoral candidate

Senior Ensemble: Alix Tabet
Presented by James Richardson, Third Wall Theatre

ACTING SKILLS AWARDS:

Junior: Sandrine’s Gift of Life Award: Award Recipient: Solomiya Chaburska
Presented by Leon Gluzman

Intermediate: Mynra Barwin Award: Leandra Burke
Presented by Myrna Barwin

Senior Award Recipient: Laura Taylor
Presented by Pierre Brault, Sleeping Dog Theatre

SHAKESPEARE AWARD: Eveline Mate
Presented by Kate Hurman, Actor & Director

JANET IRWIN AWARD: Courtney Bamford
Presented by Janet Irwin, director

VOLUNTEER AWARD: Elaine & Daisy Wong
Presented by Leah Jones, Development Officer

DIPLOMA RECOGNITION: Steffi Di Domenicantonio
Presented by Amanda Lewis

ANDIS CELMS AWARD: Vicky Bleeks
Presented by Julian Celms

NATALIE STERN AWARD:  Jocelyn Ruano
Presented by Natalie Stern, Founder

CERTIFICATES OF MERIT IN MUSICAL THEATRE
Presented by Natalie Fraser Purdy, Emmanuelle Zeesman
Andrea Massoud
A.J. Moore
Erica Anderson
Julianna Krajcovic
Olivia LeBlanc
Christine Chesterman
Ben Sher
Fiona Sauder
Molly Reisman
Bailin Xie
Justice Tremblay
Jordan Seeley
Jake Hillary
Daria Mikloukhina

CERTIFICATE OF MERIT IN ACTING SKILLS: SHAKESPEARE
Presented by Kristina Watt
Skye Wilson
Ben Kingston-Cook
Ashley Adams

CERTIFICATE OF MERIT IN ACTING SKILLS: SPEECH & DRAMA
Presented by Kristina Watt, Sue Yendall, Nick Miller
Zoë Humphries
Maia Bourrie
Kate Mussett
Nicole Chassin
Julie Ekker
Ylan Chu
Marie France Lemire
Ashley Adams
Lisa McLennan
Laurene Tabet
Alexis Scott
Leah Morris
Conor Stinson O’Gorman
Emma Morris
Jordon McTaggart
Duncan McTaggart
Alicia Fayet
Jacob John Powell
Jordana Leader
Alexandra Black
Victoria Beales

CERTIFICATE OF MERIT IN ENSEMBLE ACTING
Presented by
Barry Karp, Kristina Watt, Sue Yendall, Nick Miller, Natalie Fraser Purdy

Mathew Box
Jesse Darroch
Liam McArdle
Patrick Leroux
Ian Geldart
Nicole Watson
Conor Patrick Dinan
Benjamin Lindsey Clark
Hannah Dudley
Chelsea Nelson

Anastasia Magendo
Luke Letourneau
Simon Pyke
Alexandra Beraldin
Ally Meahan
Melanie Rabay
Taylor Lynn Lowery

CERTIFICATE OF MERIT IN CREATIVE DRAMA
(Includes Creative Drama and Exploring Drama)
Moragh Mc Dougall
Freya Van Every
Amy Zeglinski-Spinney
Jeremy McCann
Meghan Burns
Natalie Lloyd
Nadya Pidtchenko
Rafael Fantacci
Ellen Russell

 

THE FRINGE FESTIVAL

June 20 – 25, 2006

For the first time, OSSD brought The Ottawa Fringe to Westboro. The 11 member cast of Pre-Professional students re-worked the show that they had created for May Showcase, adding new scenes and characters.

Producing a Fringe show meant working in a professional environment, getting public response and an involvement with the larger theatre community. “Work: Jobs in Progress” was a featured show at the Fringe, and came very close to winning “Best in Fringe”. All six performances were close to sold out.

Creating a Fringe show will become an annual feature of the Pre-Professional Program.

 

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