Where age is just a number... a musical theatre number!
Registered Charity 74862 6272 RR0001
We're delighted to share the video recordings made during our project, Socially Distant but Staying Connected, funded by the Federal New Horizons for Seniors Project grant for 2022-23. We received wonderful submissions chock-full of theatre anecdotes, life experiences, first jobs, personal histories, and more.
The videos are divided into sections and new videos will be added as they're edited with finishing touches in place.
We're eager to build on the success of this project and will continue to accept recordings until the end of 2024.
Please contact us for details.
ALL MATERIAL IS OWNED AND PROTECTED BY COPYWRITE BY THE ORIGINATORS OF THEIR PERSONAL STORIES AND MATERIAL
AND USED BY PERMISSION FOR THIS PROJECT.
Special thanks to our Editors - Video: Trish Adams, Audio and Music: Mark Cassius.
and to Francesca Peppiatt for her invaluable advice.
AUTOMATED CLOSED CAPTIONING IS AVAILABLE ON ALL THE WSP YOU TUBE VIDEOS
BY CLICKING ON "CC" ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT OF THE SCREEN
PERFORMING ARTS LODGE (PAL) TORONTO https://www.paltoronto.org/
FACILITATORS: Trish Adams, Valerie Boyle
“PAL Toronto is a creative community of imaginative, outgoing, resourceful, accomplished, sometimes unconventional, possibly eccentric, but mostly warm and generous folks – who share a lifelong passion – a career committed to the professional performing arts.”
Click HERE for PART ONE (30:21) of a compilation video to give you an overview of the wonderful life stories we recorded at Performing Arts Lodge (PAL) Toronto.
Click HERE for PART TWO (27:25) of a compilation video to give you an overview of the wonderful life stories we recorded at Performing Arts Lodge (PAL) Toronto.
FULL INDIVIDUAL VIDEOS:
PAUL AMATO - "playing a Russian spy, the nuns, and other memories" (12:59)
MARYE BARTON - " the first line at the Shaw Festival"("Oooooh! - a cry of pain) and other memories (32:28)
VALERIE BOYLE - 1968, London, audition for a new record label" (3:23)
GRANT COWAN - "a people actor" and memories of his life in show business (40:42)
DANIEL EBY - Gatsby's Restaurant and memories as an entrepreneur and teacher (11:10)
STAN ENDERSBY - child actor, musician, and the kismet of connections (28:38)
ELVA MAI HOOVER - " The first time I felt old" (11:45)
NINA KEOGH - A third generation puppeteer and artist (59:25)
ARLENE MEADOWS - selections from her memoirs - "12 dollars and fifty cents should get you a couple of years of lessons!" (35:35)
VIVIENNE MUHLING - memories of an extraordinary life in the theatre and other stories (30:59)
LOUISE NICOL - selections from her book "It's All About Me" (9:11)
PATTY GAIL PEAKER - coming soon
SMILE THEATRE http://smiletheatre.com/
FACILITATORS: Kate Barris, Jim Betts
Smile Theatre is a charity that delivers unique, professional, live musical theatre performances to seniors and other vulnerable people living in care. These are stories from some wonderful people who have worked with Smile Theatre.
MARK ALLAN - The Van Story (4:40)
LORETTA BAILEY - "it was about the connections and the intimacy" (5:29)
CHARLENE SHIPP and JANELLE HUTCHISON - Remember their time with the Smile Theatre Company (22:34)
TONI MacRAE - Smile brings magic to people (4:27)
MICHAEL MULROONEY - coming soon
MEMORIES OF WORKING AT THE CAMBRIDGE MOTOR HOTEL, Toronto, Ontario - affectionately known as "THE MOHO"
FACILITATOR: Karen McDonald
BOB AINSLIE - "fired and Mary Pitt's going away gift" (3:16) *Coarse Language and Mature Content*
DOUG BALFOUR, AYSUN BASARAN, KYVN BERGSMA, SCOTT HURST (19:05) - memories of A. Frank Ruffo *Coarse Language and Mature Content*
MARY PITT, FRED PITT, THERESE PITT - memories of the MoHo (and Mary's gift to Bob Ainslie) (15:59) *Coarse Language and Mature Content*
MICHELLE JELLEY, JULAIN MOLNAR, MARIANNE WOODS - memories of the MoHo - our training ground. (29:45)
GERRY FARRELL, KATHY O'BRIEN, KAREN McDONALD - more memories of the MoHo - and lasting friendships (45:17)
MEMORIES OF WORKING AT RAINBOW STAGE, Winnipeg, Manitoba
BRENDA GORLICK - memories of working in WInnipeg, getting to Rainbow Stage in a dinghy, and more! (12:49)
JOANNE PARKER GIBSON and DAVID GIBSON - Rainbow Stage memories (17:49)
STAN LESK - a retrospective of Stan's decades of work (4:24)
MEMORIES OF THE CHARLOTTETOWN FESTIVAL, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
FACILITATOR: Lesley Ballantyne
BOB AINSLIE - Confederation Centre, Wayne & Shuster revue, and related stories1964 (15:36) *Coarse Language*
BOB ASHLEY & PATRICK YOUNG - "Aimee!: A Musical Suggested by the Life of Aimee Semple McPherson" (33: 35)
SCOTT SMITH - auditions for Alan Lund (4:35)
THEATRE MEMORIES AND ANECDOTES
FACILITATORS: Larry Herbert, Kiri-Lyn Muir, Lesley Ballantyne
BOB AINSLIE - Early years training and performing in Australia (6:50)
- working with Ann-Margaret at CBC (1:38) *Coarse Language*
LESLEY BALLANTYNE - coming soon
JOHN F. BROWN - memories and stories from his career, Charlottetown Festival, Lesley Gore, Liza Minnelli, and more... (38:29)
DOUGLAS CHAMBERLAIN - memories of a lifetime of work (23:08)
- edited version of memories and favourite role at Charlottetown Festival (6:53)
DENISE FERGUSON - coming soon
LORRAINE FOREMAN - "a lifetime of theatre memories"(40:50)
CAROL (BAGGOTT) FORTE - embarrassing memory of working with Dame Maggie Smith at Stratford Festival and more!
BARB FULTON - memories of the Canadian production of CATS and other theatre memories (21:09)
PAUL SHILTON - coming soon
CHARLENE SHIPP - "Blue Champagne" East coast tour with 2 hr rehearsal! (2:54)
REID SPENCER - memories and connections with Kitchener Waterloo Musical Productions, Stratford Festival, and WSP plus a "rebuttal" from Scott Smith (9:11)
MEG WALTER - reminisces about working with Jack Cole, Joe Layton, Brian Mcdonald, Dizzy Gillespie, Betty Grable, and more.
Programs from My Fur Lady, Drat the Cat! and the Crest Revue (30:54)
SUSAN WESSON - memories of Les Miserables and Graham Campbell (4:15)
STEPHEN WITKIN - memories of Griffin Theatre, Barrie Ontario (3:05)
INDIVIDUAL STORIES & SONGS on a variety of topics
FACILITATORS: Trish Adams, Lesley Ballantyne
PAT ADAMS - memories of working as a female musician and singer across Canada, in the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Canadian Opera Co., and the National Ballet of Canada (10:30)
JERELYN CRADEN - original song, "Killing You is Killing Me" (3:54)
- an original song "Chi Chi Chi Chango" (2:53)
DALIA GESSER - family history - "My Ukrainian History" (2:59)
- "Sadie's Fishheads" - (5:26)
JACKIE MILLS - "Verily a Virus" - an original song on the ever-shifting Covid restrictions (4:40)
DENISE NORMAN - "Anubis" (6:35) ... the Egyptian god who weights you after death. *Coarse Language*
NORM REYNOLDS - "Canada Packers" - memories of a first job that didn't last too long! (6:54)
SCOTT SMITH - "Missed, Met, Married" (8:44)
more coming soon...