Thanks for joining us for our production of Opening Night!
A Night You’ll Never Forget!!!
By Norm Foster
Directed by Tiffany Markwart
Produced by Claire Pinkett
Production Dates:
October 17-19, 2024 at 7:30pm
October 20, 2024 at 3:00pm
October 23-26, 2024 at 7:30pm
Synopsis
The madcap antics start as Jack and Ruth Tisdale celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary with an evening at the theatre. It's a dream come true for Ruth and an imposition for Jack who would rather be at home watching the World Series. However, after the events both on and off the stage that fateful night, their lives and those of all of those involved are irreparably altered.
Claire Pinkett, S43 President , Show Producer, Set Designer, Front-of-House, Social Media
Claire has been on the Board of Directors of Stage 43 for more than 20 years. She is passionate about keeping community theatre in the community and making it accessible for all. She is a producer, a stage manager, a set builder/painter, a set dec artist, a props mistress, an actress, and anything else a production requires. She is most likely to be seen in the lobby, greeting patrons or selling 50/50 tickets, or onstage before the show telling everyone to turn off their mobile devices…lol!
Message from the President:
Welcome to Stage 43’s Forty-Second Season! Here we are back at the Evergreen just after Thanksgiving, and we have so much to be thankful for this year! Mostly, we are thankful for you – our audience. At time when expenses are so high and discretionary income is so low, we appreciate you spending your hard-earned money on live theatre entertainment. Community theatre is exactly that – theatre by a community of like-minded, fun-loving volunteers for the community we live in. We couldn’t do what we do without you – our community.
We open the season this year with prolific Canadian playwright Norm Foster’s madcap comedy Opening Night. This hilarious look at a night at the theatre is followed by a re-imagining of Sherlock Holmes’ classic mystery Baskerville by Ken Ludwig. If you saw Stage 43’s production of Murder on the Orient Express last season, you would have seen Ken Ludwig’s work – a fast-paced mystery sprinkled with some great comic moments. Stage 43 will end our season with a tragic farce. The Father by Florian Zeller, and translated by Christopher Hampton, is a darkly humorous, deeply poignant tragi-comic mystery that presents a sobering and realistic family story. You may have seen the 2020 film version starting Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman. We are excited to bring this story to the Evergreen in May 2025.
Thank you again for your patronage and support of community theatre. Now it’s time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!
Tiffany Markwart, Director
This is Tiffany’s second time directing with Stage 43. She has previously directed with The Canadian Children’s Theatre Company in Toronto as well as writing and directing Echo and For the Love of God (Theatre Elysium), and assistant directing Vinci (Vagabond Players). Tiffany was last seen at Stage 43 as Connie in The Ladies Foursome, Madeline in Men are Dogs and Norma-Jean in Mamma Won't Fly. Tiffany is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan honours program with a BFA in Drama and was the recipient of the Naomi Ruth Arps Scholarship.
Message from the Director:
Welcome to Opening Night, a show that makes every director’s worst fears come true. Fortunately, that has not been my personal experience while working on this show, and I am very grateful to be part of a team with a fabulous cast and a brilliant crew. I want to thank them wholeheartedly for all their hard work, creativity, and positive attitudes. Also, I can’t thank my support system at home enough; I couldn’t have done it without them. Special thanks to Emily, Alice, and my husband Mike.
When I first read Opening Night, I immediately knew I wanted to direct it. It was so funny from the very start and I have had a marvelous time during all the rehearsals, tech days, and dress rehearsal. We’ve all had a lot of laughs during this journey, and we hope tonight you will too.
Having worked as both a director and an actor, I know how easily things can go wrong, but as they say in show business, the show must go on!
Karen Ostroff, Stage Manager
Karen welcomes the opportunity to be involved in this delightful play, Opening Night. Many thanks go out to Tiffany Markwart, a wonderful director, and to the warmly welcoming cast and crew, all of whom are truly gifted. She is thrilled to be returning to Stage 43, having managed many productions over the years, the most recent being The Elephant Man. She has stage managed for Pivot Theatre, for Emerald Pig’s Bard on the Bandstand’s production of King Lear, and for Vagabond Players’ The Last Romance. Her sincere thanks go out to family and friends who offer encouragement, strength and support. Enjoy the show!
Sue Davey, Assistant Stage Manager, Properties
Since joining Stage 43 Sue has acted, directed, stage managed, sat on the Board of Directors, and worked backstage. This production sees her backstage again in charge of props.
Cheryl Minns, Assistant Stage Manager
Cheryl is an experienced performer and writer who greatly enjoys working in community theatre, both on the stage and behind the scenes. She is thrilled to join Stage 43 for Opening Night. Her previous shows include The Mousetrap with Metro Theatre, Play On! and Our Town with Vagabond Players.
OPENING NIGHT CAST:
Corrine Out as Ruth Tisdale
This is Corrine's third show with Stage 43. Previously seen in Calendar Girls, and The Odd Couple, Female Version. It’s been a fun show to work on with a great cast and crew!
Thank you always to Scott for the support, and for watching the kids while mom goes out to play. Enjoy the show.
Liam Coughlan as Jack Tisdale
This is Liam’s first ever play in the middle of a Canadian Football League season, but he is thrilled to perform again with his local community theatre group Stage 43 and in his third Norm Foster production! You may have seen Liam in Stage 43’s production of Calendar Girls, or elsewhere, in Halfway There with Emerald Pig, in Sealed for Freshness with Surrey Little Theatre, in You Can’t Take it With You, Lend Me a Tenor or More Fawlty Towers with Vagabond Players, in Blood Relations, Return Engagements, Yesteryear or Mary, Mary with North Vancouver Community Players, or Hilda’s Yard with Theatre West Vancouver and in his youth, Fiddler on the Roof with Vancouver College/Little Flower Academy. Film credits include Altered Carbon, The Man in the High Castle, and Finding Mr. Right 2.
Amber McMunn as Cilla Fraser
Amber is thrilled to be joining Stage 43 and is grateful to everyone for being so welcoming. She was previously in The Play That Goes Wrong (Theatre in the Country) and Kiss the Moon, Kiss the Sun (White Rock Players Club) and is honoured to be taking on the part of Cilla. She hopes you enjoy the show!
Shaan Rahman as Richard Hyde-Finch
Shaan is delighted to premiere his first production with Stage 43 as the director of a crappy play within this joyful sitcom about relationships. He hopes Opening Night will have the exact opposite effect on you compared to the impacts of Whisper on the Wind. He is thrilled to showcase his work to the Coquitlam community for the first time and looks forward to meeting you after the play.
Trinity Sullivan as Libby Husniak
Trinity is an actor and singer who has trained in both Canada and the UK, and is thrilled to be performing with Stage 43. Previous credits include the award winning Moonglow (Pivot Theatre) and Snow White and the 8 Dwarfs (White Rock Players Club). She would like to thank her family and friends for all their love and support, and for forgiving her for never texting them back in a timely manner. Enjoy the show!
Harry Pering as Clayton Frye
35 years on stage, and I still love every second of it….. Excited to be doing my second show with Stage 43 as Clayton Fry in Opening Night. Other shows: God of Carnage, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Anything Goes, Beer for Breakfast, Lil Abner, Pirates of Penzance, The Odd Couple, Taming of the Shrew, 12 Angry Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me, I’ll Be Back Before Midnight, Murder by the Book, The Late Christopher Bean, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, and The Foursome. “OOPS… I’m doing it again!!!” LOL.
Michael Airton as Michael Craig
Michael comes to Stage 43 after appearing in a dozen productions of The Lawyer Show in Vancouver from 2005 to 2019. His previous stage credits under that banner include Hero in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Officer Barrel in Urinetown, and Jonathan Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace. He notes that he has been cast not-infrequently as characters who are at least somewhat unhinged, so he's understandably becoming concerned about typecasting, or that the directors he's worked with are trying to tell him something.
Luca Herring as Tom Delaney
This is Luca’s third production with Stage 43, after One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Lion in Winter, and The 39 Steps. This also his third time performing in a show that goes wrong after playing Robert in The Play That Goes Wrong with Theatre in the Country and Billy in Play On with Vagabond Players. So there seems to be a pattern here. You may have also seen him in The Stranger with Peninsula Productions and as Charles Condimine in Blithe Spirit with White Rock Players. Luca insists he doesn’t have anything in common with Tom who is an aspiring actor constantly seeking the attention of directors to get a part. Enjoy the show!!
A SMALL FEW OF OUR OPENING NIGHT CREW:
Stuart Chaplin, Lighting Design, Lighting Operation
This is Stuart’s fourth show with Stage 43. Stuart’s theatre background at Douglas College in their stagecraft program led to a summer internship at the Banff Centre for the Performing Arts and a six-month contract with Royal Caribbean as a Sound and Light Tech. Like many others before him, Stuart made his way back to theatre and is looking forward to continually contributing to Stage 43’s performances.
Colleen Bignell, Sound Design, Sound Operation
Colleen tends to jump back and forth between the booth and the stage. The last show she created the projections and sound for was The Elephant Man, as well as playing the part of Mrs. Kendal. She created and operated the sound for Murder on the Orient Express. Tonight, she hopes you will enjoy all the work the cast and crew put into Opening Night.
Joy-Ann Lee, Costume Design
Currently the Treasurer of Stage 43, Joy-Ann first joined in 2004 when her neighbor asked if she’d be interested in doing costumes, as she loved to sew. Joy-Ann soon became the Costume Mistress for Stage 43, designing, making, and selecting costumes for actors to wear while performing, ensuring they capture the required effect for their roles. Costumes are an integral aspect of stage production, which helps producers and actors to tell their stories. From 2004 to 2023, Joy-Ann has worked on a total of 32 productions, including our current production of Opening Night, and past productions of Footloose, M*A*S*H, The Elephant Man, and many more. “I have enjoyed these many years with Stage 43 and have met so many talented actors and crew and am privileged to have the trust of the group when it comes to costuming the actors.”
Sharon Notarrigo, Front-of-House, Lobby Display, Social Media, Virtual Program Design
Sharon has been a regular fixture at Stage 43 since 2010. Most often seen working Front-of-House with Claire, she also contributes to social media and marketing in promoting our shows, but has been known to help in any way necessary to get a production to the stage.
Occasionally, Sharon has treaded the boards herself. Favourite roles include Ouiser in Steel Magnolias, Jane in Murder on the Rerun, and Doris in Bare Bear Bones.
She’s looking forward to once again returning to the stage in our January show, Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery.
She thanks you all for continuing to support live theatre – have a blast at Opening Night!
Lori Sutherland Burns, Set Decoration
Lori is the owner of Studio Ten, an interior design company, and has a background in part-time acting classes at the Vancouver Institute of Media Arts. After auditioning for a theater production, Lori was unexpectedly offered the opportunity to contribute through set design, blending her expertise in design with a love for the stage. Now, with a keen interest in both design and theater, Lori looks forward to discovering where these two creative paths will lead.
Acknowledgements:
Stage 43 would like to express sincere thanks to the following:
The staff and volunteers of the Evergreen Cultural Centre for their support of community theatre and always making it a fun place to play.
Krista Pavane and the technical operations staff of the Evergreen Cultural Centre for their technical expertise and mentorship.
Jessica Fowlis and Emily Bayrock of the Evergreen Cultural Centre for their assistance in promotion.
David Berrouard for signage assistance.
And, of course, YOU - our patrons - for your kind support of community theatre!
Production Team:
Producer – Claire Pinkett
Director – Tiffany Markwart
Stage Manager – Karen Ostroff
Assistant Stage Managers – Sue Davey & Cheryl Minns
Lighting Design & Operation – Stuart Chaplin
Sound Design – Colleen Bignell
Sound Operation – Colleen Bignell & Pat Prigge
Costume Design – Joy-Ann Lee & Jennifer Strazhnik
Properties – Sue Davey
Set Design – Claire Pinkett
Set Decoration – Claire Pinkett, Lori Sutherland Burns
& Sharon Notarrigo
Backstage Crew - Susanne Hale, Sue Davey & Cheryl Minns
Graphic Design – Lydia Rogers
Virtual Program Design – Sharon Notarrigo
Social Media & Publicity – Claire Pinkett & Sharon Notarrigo
Front-of-House Coordinators – Claire Pinkett & Sharon Notarrigo
Lobby Display – Sharon Notarrigo
We are also thankful for our volunteers who spend countless hours creating and rehearsing the magic of live theatre. Did you know that it takes about ten weeks to put a show like this together? Apart from the three rehearsals a week for actors, hours of design and execution go into the set, the costumes, the soundscape and the lighting, and then there are the hours of promotion, marketing and content creation. It is a truly and labour of love. Some of the greatest friendships you can make happen in community theatre. If you are looking for a new hobby, check out our Volunteer Page for more information on how to get involved. Bonus points if you have carpentry skills, since sadly we lost our long-time friend and builder a year ago.
