VOS THEATRE is pleased to announce that Anne of Green Gables will come to life under the direction of Joel Varty (Artistic Director) Angela Main (Vocal Director) and Jill Baker (Orchestra Director). This talented team will be holding auditions the end of March.
A Certain Singing Teacher opens Friday, February 10th. If you haven’t yet reserved your seats, call 1-855-372-2210 or Book Online now.
The cast of A Certain Singing Teacher in rehearsal
The Cast
Allan Fairfax
Christopher Spear
Hillary Carlyle
Heather Town
Francine LaSalle
Kristiane Black
Antonio Pasquali
Liam Cragg
Sam Saller
Stephanie Koomen
VOS Theatre caught up with the cast from A Certain Singing Teacher and here’s what we found out.
Liam Cragg & Kristriane Black in rehearsal for A Certain Singing Teacher
Tell us about yourself in two sentences or less.
Kristiane: I’ve been a resident of Cobourg for the past 11 years, and I love living, working and playing in this town. My passions include my partner Dave, our children, my work as a United Church minister, gardening, cooking and playing the piano.
Liam: I got up the nerve to get on stage in 1999 and haven’t looked back since then.
I love taking on bigger than life characters and Antonio Pasquali is no exception
Heather: I am a colour consultant at Colour Your World in Port Hope. I’ve been involved in lots of VOS musical productions – I love singing and dancing. I’m a board member with VOS THEATRE and long time volunteer.
Christopher Spear in the PTG Production of Hedda Gabler
Many of you have been involved in large musicals with 30 or more cast members and equally large production teams. What’s great about a smaller ensemble?
Kristiane: It’s a lot easier to feel like family and work out little glitches – it’s really fun to know that we’re all in it together, with all of us doing the heavy lifting together!
Christopher: It is good to get to know everyone in the cast and to see what everyone is doing before the dress rehearsal.
Liam: The great thing about a small cast is that everyone is integral to the show.
It’s a tight knit group and we rely heavily on each other.
Stephanie: What I love about a smaller ensemble is that you get to know each individual person. With a cast of 30 or more you don’t really get to bond with every person in the cast.
Heather: I’ve enjoyed that the entire cast is part of every rehearsal. We’ve all been able to watch each other’s characters develop from the start, and watch the show come together like the production team of a larger show does!
Liam Cragg prepping for Grandpa in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Which popular sitcom character is closest to your character in the play?
Kristiane: Maybe a cross between Maude, Rhoda and Mary Tyler Moore in the newsroom? It’s hard to find anyone quite like Francine in contemporary sitcoms – she’s completely a product of her era – the 70’s and 80’s
Christopher: No Satellite and no cable so I’m afraid I don’t know sitcoms
Liam: Massimo from the movie, ‘The Wedding Planner’, and I’ve used a bit of Homer Simpson (but an Italian Homer Simpson)
Stephanie: The first character that comes to mind is Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory but I don’t think my character is quite that extreme. I’m not too familiar with any neurotic phobics on television.
Heather: I actually don’t watch much sit-com type TV so I’m not really sure.. to pick a movie character from (somewhat near) that time period, I think I’d say she has a little Connie Conehead in her! Tough on the outside, kind of trendy but individual. really just a softie romantic on the inside though.
Stephanie Koomen in rehearsal for A Certain Singing Teacher
Is there a moral to the story – does Singing Teacher have a message?
Kristiane: It’s a story about second chances and the hard work that it sometimes takes to make a relationship last – along with love, you need trust, commitment and the ability to forgive and move forward…
Christopher: Your sins will find you out but you may get forgiven……or you may not. And possibly that hard work gets its reward (in one way or another) in the end.
Liam: Follow your dreams. You may not realize them but you’ll find something interesting along the way.
Stephanie: I think that there are many messages throughout the story and that they are told through each character. For my character, Sam, I believe the message is to take advantage of every opportunity you are given because something great might come of it.
Heather: I think Singing Teacher encourages individuality, and independence.
Heather Town & Kristiane Black in rehearsal for A Certain Singing Teacher
This production is set in the 80’s. Favourite 80s culture detail?
Kristiane: Being an 80’s show, there’s a lot of material that would have been quite forward thinking, not the least is that Francince and Alan lived together for 18 years without being married. You gotta love the portable phones of the time, and since you couldn’t text in those days, a lot of the miscommunication between Allan and Francine works: in the play they do have to rely on either face to face or live phone calls to get a message across!
Christopher: Has to be the “cell” phone
Liam: The 20 minute workout on TV
Stephanie: I wasn’t even thought of in the 80’s so I couldn’t really tell you.
Heather: Go big or go home! The big hair, the big jewelry!
This show is a romantic comedy and we hear it’s something everyone will enjoy Valentines weekend. True?
Kristiane: If you’re a Cobourger, you get a chance to support local talent, including most of the cast, production team and the playwright. If that’s not enough, you can relax as you sit around a table with friends enjoying the fun. And if all that isn’t enough, you get to enjoy some silliness along with some heart-warming and bittersweet moments. Personally, I think Francine is just a great character, and I’m loving getting to know her better with every run of the play!
Christopher: Hints of naughtiness, a touch of desparate longing, unfaithfulness and jealousy, lovers spats, some good laughs and a happy ending – all life is here.
Liam: Yes! I feel there are many genuine ‘laugh out loud’ moments in this show. It’s the perfect way to do something special with your special someone.
Stephanie: Yes, it’s a great show to see Valentines weekend. It’s dramatic and funny, and it’s even funnier if you know the actors personally. I hope that everyone gets a chance to see it.
Heather: I’d say so! Also a great girls’ night show.
A Certain Singing Teacher opens Friday, February 10th. If you haven’t yet reserved your seats, call 1-855-372-2210 or Book Online now.
We had a conversation with the Director of A Certain Singing Teacher over the weekend, and we thought we’d share it with you. Here is Florence Fletcher.
VOS: Why did you choose to direct this play? Directing is a huge time com
mitment and we know it’s easier if you love the script you’re directing. Florence Fletcher: I was fortunate enough to be chosen to read the part of Francine LaSalle, the singing teacher, in the VOS Play Reading series last season and I enjoyed the play so much that when it came up as a possibility to be chosen as one of the play to be performed this season I jumped at the chance to direct.
VOS: What is it you like so much? FF:The characters, they are so diverse and interesting. I could see lots of comic possibilities coming out of the script.
VOS: How did you choose your cast? FF:Having participated in the play reading of “A Certain Singing Teacher” last year I had a good appreciation for the story and how the characters interacted and fit together. I had some ideas about who might possibly fill the roles. We held auditions and then still had to call a couple of people before we had a full cast that worked together with the correct ages and attributes to make it all work. I have an amazing cast who are a joy to work with, a wonderful team.
VOS: How has it been working with a playwright who is local? FF: Linda Hutsell-Manning has been wonderful to work with. This will be the first time the play has been performed so we have been able to do a little work shopping of the script during the rehearsal process. Linda has attended some rehearsals and has been extremely helpful in working out any little issues we have come across. Linda has a great deal of experience as a published author and as a published children’s playwright so she brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. I am thoroughly enjoying the experience.
VOS: We hear you did some tweaking of the characters in casting. FF: Having tried a couple of possibilities I found that just the right young man was not available to play the part of Sam Saller. I re-read the play and then contacted Linda with a proposal for her to consider. Would she consider changing the sex of the character Sam Saller? After all the name Sam could just as easily be short for Samantha as for Samuel. We discussed the ramifications, decided that it was certainly possible and Linda gave me the go-ahead to make the change. Other than changing some references to Sam from him/he to her/she there has been virtually no change to the script in order to accommodate the switch and Linda is actually going to make that change in her script so that the part could be played by either a man or a woman.
VOS: How are things going this week in the count down to Opening Night on Friday? FF: We have now moved into the Concert Hall at Victoria Hall, the set is built, furniture, piano, props, costumes and equipment are all on site ready to go. There are a few last minute touch ups and finishing touches required on the set which will be completed by Dress Rehearsal. We will be rehearsing on the set this week, working out any little glitches and getting comfortable with our surroundings. The team is working very hard to make sure that everything runs smoothly for the cast and the cast is having a ball making sure that we are all ready for Opening Night!
VOS: What is next on the horizon for you Florence? FF: After the show we will be taking a little trip, away from the cold for a couple of weeks, and then back to Cobourg. No doubt I’ll be getting to work on some aspect of the next VOS production – Anne of Green Gables, the Don Harron musical version, which is going to be performed in July this year from the 13th to the 22nd in the Concert Hall at Victoria Hall. Actually tickets for that show are already a hot item and are selling well. The play of course is such an iconic Canadian play, it was a natural for us to choose to perform it during Canada’s 150th celebrations.
Get your tickets now for the VOS Premiere Production of A Certain Singing Teacher
VOS Theatre 