EGANVILLE: Stone Fence Theatre had a big year in 2017, and the company is gearing up for an even bigger one in 2018. To launch its next season, the company is holding its annual meeting on Wednesday, November 15 and auditions for next year’s productions on Wednesday, Nov. 22.
Both events happen at Eganville Public School. The annual meeting is at 7 p.m. and the auditions start at 6:30 p.m.
At the annual meeting, the company will elect a new board of directors and report on its 2017 season.
“It was a very successful season for us,” saidIsh Theilheimer, the company’s producer. “We made a lot of people happy and brought a lot of new people, especially younger ones, into our company.”
In January of this year, Stone Fence Theatre completed its High Times at the Heart Institute tour, which raised more than $20,000 for Ottawa Valley health care. This year’s musical comedy, Stick Out Your Tongue and Say MOO, was performed 14 times and seen by about 2,300 people in six Ottawa Valley communities. It also produced a concert of Cape Breton music with Andrea Beaton that sold out.
“We couldn’t do all this without an exceptional cast of characters, including volunteers, sponsors, performers, our brilliant director Chantal Elie-Sernoskie, and, of course, our audience,” said Mr. Theilheimer.
He is particularly pleased with the number of young people who became involved both onstage and backstage with the company this year.
“Our company is 15 years old, and if we’re going to continue, we need to keep bringing in new blood,” he said.
To enlist more talent, the company is holding auditions for next year’s productions on Wednesday, Nov. 22. The company is casting for a new musical called “I Come From the Valley! Times and Tales of Joan Finnigan,” so mature women are especially encouraged to audition, though there will be a variety of other roles. In addition, the company is planning other theatrical projects, and it is eager to meet all adults (musicians as well as actors) who want to work with us (auditions for children will take place at another time).
Those wanting to audition should email a resume or at least a few sentences about themselves to [email protected], giving information about their experience and availability. At the audition, they will be asked to sing a song of their choice, do some dance moves under direction, read some lines, and demonstrate any other skill they might have, such as playing instruments, dance, technical skills, etc.
There is no performance schedule yet, but “I Come From the Valley!” will probably be performed on weeknights in summer and weekends throughout the fall, approximately 15 or more performances in Renfrew County and other nearby places including Shawville, Ottawa, Kingston and elsewhere.
For more information, please visit the website www.stonfence.ca
