Stage Door
March 2009
OKTC’S STAGEDOOR, MARCH 2009
EDITORIAL “Ninety-five percent of success is showing up.”
(Woody Allen)
“Put on a happy face.”
(A song from Bye Bye Birdie!)
This is a tough winter, and late February is the time that our body says “Hibernate.” So it was very exciting for me to be at Original Kids at 830am last Saturday to watch parents and OKids streaming in for the early morning redeye Godspell rehearsal. It has always been my belief that a solid training in theatre inculcates values well beyond acting, singing, and dancing, and that, at Original Kids, we offer that training as a natural part of what we do every day and evening of the week. Simple values like putting the common good ahead of your own selfish comforts, building trust and confidence in your reliability, and hanging tough when the going gets difficult, will pay off forever, whatever the OKids’ futures hold.
I love to speak before rehearsal to an OKid whom I’ve just seen yawning mightily and hear this:
"How are you feeling today?"
“Great! Can’t wait for rehearsal!”
There might be a bit of acting going on in that reply, but in Athletics, that is called “putting on your game face”. You see, good athletes act too. They put on a mask, so that no one sees them as weak, tired or “wimpy”. And as they wear that mask of courage and alertness and readiness to really go for it, the mask becomes the reality. They inspire those qualities in their teammates, and success is within their grasp. They all stand proud!
When I was a kid at school, my mom and dad gave me a little framed poem that I set on my desk where I could look at it while doing homework. It is still imprinted on my brain-
“Somebody said that it couldn’t be done.
But he, with a chuckle replied,
That maybe it couldn’t but he would be one
Who wouldn’t give up till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face, if he worried, he hid it
And he started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done -
And he did it!”
So everyone, parents, OKids, staff- LET”S DO IT!
BEAUTY & THE BEAST Jr. IS ALMOST HERE!
I visited a production of our opening show of 2009 last Monday night, and found an intent, focused cast of OK Juniors working with combat choreographer Rachel Needles on the scene where the villages break into the Beast’s castle. Here was a group out to set the world afire- in more ways than one! They are going to conquer one of the toughest shows of the season, and with the shortest rehearsal time of all. Out in the hall, the costume team was at work. Now, likely you know that B&B is one of the most challenging costume shows around! But these volunteers are really going for it! Do you know about Chip and his mother, Mrs. Potts? Well, you just wait until you see what costumes have been created for them, to say nothing of all those other Disney characters! Genius!
Here’s a great chance for you to entertain your neighbourhood kids during March Break. Just check the dates on www.oktc.ca, and enjoy 70 minutes of pure pleasure and creativity.
And think about these OKids, spending March Break holiday putting on a show! Gotta love ‘em!
BOX OFFICE LEADERS Most tickets sold so far: Beauty and The Beast- 350
Highest Junior % Sales: High School Musical / Yearbook 70% (Better buy this one fast!) This double bill is closely followed by the Triple Bill (which could catch it). This is a horse race.
Highest Senior % Sales: EVITA 25% closely pursued by FAME: REUNION AND REBIRTH (another horse race!). By the way, I watched a FAME rehearsal last weekend. That one is definitely going to be sensational!
SUMMER’S HERE IN FEBRUARY! We started enrolling for Summer Camp OK and Kamp Kidlets on Feb. 23, and registrations are rolling in! So many people were actually up early to get their first choice of sessions and shows. Predictions are that we’ll have about 200 Camp OK registrations by the time you read this. We can handle about 800 over the summer. So it is a hot start this year!
When you go to www.oktc.ca, you’ll find everything you need to know and registration access too. You can register online for Camp OK . For Kamp Kidlets, download registrations and mail or fax to addresses supplied.
MARCH BREAK KIDLETS STILL OPEN There are maybe 3 spots open for our March Break Kidlets. This is a morning session. Included is a special 1pm showing of our production of Beauty & the Beast, especially for the Kidlets! Again, check www.oktc.ca for info and registration. Or call 519-679-3316 (OK Hotline).
A 50/50 CHANCE AT A NEW LOOK! Some new fun will be added at each OK performance this season. We’re going to have 50/50 tickets and a draw! The exterior of the Spriet Theatre has become rather dowdy and out-of-date in the almost 10 years of our residence, and we want to celebrate 10 years here with a refreshed look and a new digital info board where the current plastic letters slide into the slots. So 50/50 will become the beginning of the fund-raising campaign for this new look! We’ll keep you regularly posted on our progress in raising this money. We’re still in the process of finding out where the $$ bar should be set for what we want.
But get in the spirit of the attempt, and go along with us- 50/50!
DONATING TO ORIGINAL KIDS Often people forget (or don’t even know!) that Original Kids is a registered charitable non-profit organization. Governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, we do not exist to show a profit –for anyone. We are pledged to use our finances to carry out the program we describe to our membership and to maintain our facilities. Without fund-raising and donations, it would not be possible for us to finance the full range of opportunities we offer and to care for the Spriet Theatre, because, by their very nature, non-profit organizations rely on the donations of individuals and the sponsorships of corporations and businesses to support their work and their financial viability.
To help us encourage these contributions, we are given the power of supplying tax receipts to those who donate to us or sponsor us.
Sometimes people wish to tie their donation to a specific project, let’s say the re-decorating of the theatre façade, or the Beauty and the Beast costumes expenses. Anything like this is possible. Then we’re glad to acknowledge the gift in any way that the donor finds comfortable, and turn over a tax receipt too.
Sometimes volunteers in costumes and props run up expenses and want to make those expenses a gift to OKTC. In that situation, the volunteers could submit their expenses and bills, and we would give back a tax receipt. That is called ‘a gift in kind.”
If you wish to know more about donating to OKTC, email art@oktc.ca and I’ll get you the information you desire.
AN ORIGINAL KID IN THE BIG WORLD OUTSIDE We just spent two weeks in England getting to know Bill Fidler, our month-old new grandchild. On returning, I had an arm’s length of emails in my Inbox. My hands down favourite came from OKid Stephanie Wojtowicz. Here’s an excerpt:
“Art!!!
Last Sunday my parents and I drove to Toronto for an audition for Karaoke Star Junior!!! …The producers of the show were to pick 5 people out of the whole 2,000! And guess what…I WAS ONE OF THEM!!!!!!!! I was SOOOOOOO excited!!!!!!…I’ll be airing on TV on April 13 at 7pm on YTV and CMT! I’m going to be on TV, Art!!!! A life-long dream!!!!…When the show finishes, they allow the people to vote and it is very important you vote for me!!! I would really love that!!! The person that the people vote for the most will go to Calgary for the showdown. I CAN’T BELIEVE IT… CALGARY !!!!!!!! Well, I’ll tell you the rest later because this email is getting kinda long!!
Stephanie.”
Well, Steph, I’ll watch you and I’ll vote for you and I’ll remind all of OK in the April Stagedoor to vote for you too!! We’re proud of you, and I’m basking in the sunshine of your open and youthful excitement! And keep that same excitement in rehearsing for our production of EVITA!!!!!! (Those “!!!!” are just for you, Steph!)
COMING UP AT OKTC A parent volunteer told me last weekend how she looks forward to the Stagedoor each month. She said that it is very exciting to know that her kid is a part of an organization where there is so much happening and so much a kid can do other than merely rehearse and perform a show. This was music to my ears, first, because I’m always ecstatic to hear that someone is reading my stuff, and secondly, because I know that she is right! OKTC is a big buffet, and anyone who just samples one dish is missing out on many tasty treats. And you can gorge on treats here, and never gain any weight!
Mar. 12: 49 New York Trippers are off to the big Apple for an action-packed week!
Mar. 30: The Junior Triple Bill opens. Go to www.oktc.ca and check out Godspell, Thomas and the Princess and Stone Soup.
Apr. 23: First Senior Show of an exciting bill- A Comedy of Errors, a classic farce/comedy by William Shakespeare.
May 26-31: Come to the Wolf Performance Hall in the Library to see a great OK cast take on the most exciting musical in decades- RENT!! Get your tickets now. An insider tip: Row J has the best seats in the house- even though there’s not a bad seat in that hall. Row J is an extra level above the row ahead.
Monday, June 1: The OK Grad Gala in the Wolf Performance Hall. Everyone is welcome at this inspiring event that honours our Grads of both Elementary and Secondary School, to enjoy some great entertainment, and to get an insider look at next year’s shows! Everyone loves this summing up of another great OK year.
Admission is free, although we might pass the hat for our façade redecoration fund-raising efforts.
Sunday, June 7: Tony Award Party. On this date, the Broadway Tony Awards for the best in Broadway Theatre are presented in Radio City Music Hall in NYC. So we’re going to have a “FUN-raiser” Tony party of our own. We’ll watch the event on a big screen, and enjoy special live entertainment during commercial breaks. The event is for adults and OKids both. We’ve acquired a very lovely and comfortable lounge room at King’s University College , and will have bar service for adults and catered goodies for all. All arrangements are in preparation and we should be able to tell you the details in the April Stagedoor. But mark it down, and be ready for some Broadway fun!
Late June: The London Fringe Festival is on, and we’ve got a very special and different production that will be in it. It is under wraps right now, but wait for word!!
Wed., Sept. 23: OK Trip to West Side Story, Stratford Festival. Bus and great seats only $50 for OK’s friends and family members. Also includes a professional workshop for our OKids with a cast pro. A lot of these tickets have been spoken for already, but get your name on the list by emailing art@oktc.ca.
Well, a lot to read this time, but the OK excitement is building as March and all our new shows come around again! Thrilling times!
Art
