Tag: port dover

News

For Immediate Release: Lighthouse Festival presents Murder at Ackerton Manor as the second production of the 2024 summer season

Posted on June 3, 2024

Production runs from June 12 to 29 in Port Dover and from July 3 to 14 in Port Colborne

June 3, 2024 – Port Dover, ON | Lighthouse Festival is thrilled to announce its 2024 summer theatre production, Murder at Ackerton Manor, a murder-mystery comedy written and directed by acclaimed Canadian playwright Steven Gallagher, as its second production of the season. This side-splitting, suspenseful play promises to keep audiences on the edge of their seats and rolling in the aisles from June 12 to 29 in Port Dover and from July 3 to 14 in Port Colborne.

Steven Gallagher brings his latest creation to life with an exceptional cast and crew. “In the case of Murder at Ackerton Manor, I feel like I understand this genre very well, and I know how I want it to be played,” says Gallagher. “I wrote this play for my mom. It’s an homage to the first summer stock plays she brought me to and to all the Agatha Christie novels she had stuffing our bookshelves. My goal is to combine my love of murder mysteries with my love of Mel Brooks, and I hope audiences enjoy the ride along the way!” 

Murder at Ackerton Manor writer and director Steven Gallagher.

The play features a talented ensemble cast, each of whom play multiple roles. Adrian Shepherd-Gawinski, who takes on the character of Curtiss, among others, is excited about the production’s many roles. “I’m a simple man who loves doing silly voices, and switching between them is just like learning a dance, a knitting pattern, or driving stick. The real challenge with playing multiple characters is making sure I’m not having so much fun with the silly voices that I forget to think about them as real people.” Shepherd-Gawinski was last seen on the Lighthouse stage in 2023’s groundbreaking production of Bed and Breakfast, which received rave reviews from patrons and theatre critics alike.

Andrew Scanlon, who portrays Roger Ackerton and other characters, echoes this sentiment. “Steven is an old friend and one of my favourite theatre artists to collaborate with. Much like the work he creates, he is thoughtful, creative and incredibly funny. When he invited me to join the company of his joyful, original, zany play at Lighthouse, I immediately jumped at the chance!”

Eliza-Jane Scott rounds out the cast as Ariadne Ackerton and various other roles, demonstrating remarkable adaptability and humour. “The comedy aspects of the play definitely drew me to this role,” says Scott. “It’s such a fun and zany comedy….it’s absurdity at its best and I so love comedy!” Her performance is sure to captivate and amuse!

Maquette of the set for Murder at Ackerton Manor designed by Megan Cinel.

The story of Murder at Ackerton Manor is set in a gothic manor with a dark past. The plot thickens as secrets are unveiled, and the body count rises. With its blend of mystery and comedy, the play keeps the audience guessing until the very end. Gallagher’s direction ensures that the humor is sharp, and the suspense is palpable.

“What I love about new plays is their constant evolution during rehearsals,” says Gallagher. “Working with great actors helps me shape a new play, and the prospect of changes always keeps me on my toes. I’m often fine-tuning scenes and dialogue right up to the opening night, and even during the run, I’m observing and making mental notes for future drafts.”

Murder at Ackerton Manor set designer Megan Cinel

The set, designed by the talented Megan Cinel, brings the gothic manor to life with stunning detail and atmosphere. “Megan’s design is a character in itself,” says Don Kearney-Bourque, Lighthouse Festival’s Marketing & Communications Manager. “The set’s intricate, gothic elements add an eerie backdrop that enhances the overall experience. It’s a visual feast that that will keep audiences enthralled.”

Tickets for Murder at Ackerton Manor are now on sale, with performances running from June 12 to 29 at Lighthouse Theatre in Port Dover and from July 3 to 14 at Roselawn Theatre in Port Colborne. Don’t miss this unique theatrical event that combines mystery, comedy, and masterful performances in one unforgettable show.

Cast

Andrew Scanlon as Roger Ackerton + others
Eliza-Jane Scott as Ariadne Ackerton + others
Adrian Shepherd-Gawinski as Curtiss + others

Creative Team

Director: Steven GallagherPlaywright: Steven Gallagher
Set Designer: Megan CinelCostume Designer: Alex Amini
Lighting Designer: Steve LucasStage Manager: Daniele Guillaume
Assistant Stage Manager: Sara Allison 

About Lighthouse Festival
Lighthouse Festival is a charitable organization devoted to the development and production of new and existing Canadian plays. Lighthouse Festival strives to be artistically excellent, support and encourage local and regional artists, and be a source of enjoyment and pride in local communities while promoting local tourism. Located in two beautiful towns on Lake Erie, our theatres operate on a central policy of hospitality, accessibility, and affordability for all.

Media Contact
For media inquiries, cast interviews and further information, please contact:

Don Kearney-Bourque
Marketing & Communications Manager
Lighthouse Festival Theatre Corporation
don@lighthousetheatre.com
Direct: (226) 290-0070
Cell: (289) 541-7410


News

Review: It’s all about the laughter with Norm Foster’s ‘Doris and Ivy in the Home’ (Hamilton Spectator)

Posted on June 1, 2024

This late-life look at love and companionship is funny, well-acted and smartly directed.

By Gary Smith | Special to the Hamilton Spectator

Saturday, June 1, 2024

You won’t find a funnier playwright than Norm Foster. He’s written close to 80 comedies over a long and prolific career. And he’s still on his mark as far as laughter goes with “Doris and Ivy in the Home,” a late-life look at love and companionship.

Doris is a retired prison guard from a tough correctional facility who has lived in a mostly imperfect marriage. Ivy, soon to become her good friend, is a shamed skier who 54 years later is still trying to live down a disastrous finish in the big downhill competition in her native Austria.

Brigitte Robinson and Melanie Janzen in Lighthouse Festival’s production of Norm Foster’s “Doris and Ivy in the Home.” Don Kearney-Bourque Lighthouse Festival photo.

They meet in a classy retirement home where the residents are treated to sushi nights and art classes.

Ivy is rather sweet, but has a bit of chip on her shoulder. Doris is abrasive and nosy and has absolutely no social filter.

They stand on the back patio of the Paradise Village Retirement Home, an unfortunate nomenclature for a home where folks are closer to the end than they are to the beginning.

They spy on residents out in the garden having ferocious coitus in the cucumber patch. They trade stories, and sometimes insults, about life in general and Doris, ever a meddler, soon makes it her prerogative to fix up Ivy with Arthur, the home’s handsome and available nice guy.

Most of Foster’s play is concerned with how this is going to happen, since Ivy is just not attracted to handsome Arthur in “that way.” After all, she’s been burned three times by unholy marriages.

Oh, and did I mention, poor Arthur, though looking robust and healthy, has only two years, or is it months, to live?

For all this, “Doris and Ivy in the Home” is a very funny play. It perks along at a crack pace in Jane Spence’s nicely staged production.

It’s played on an attractive set from William Chesney, complete with light-up gazebo and comfy furniture and the cast is clad in costumes by Alex Amini that suit their personalities and look lived in.

If you go to see this laugh-fest be ready to laugh right out loud. It’s that kind of play.

Troubles don’t actually start to creep into the narrative until the second act, when the play detours a bit too much from reality trying to foist a happy ending on the characters and on us.

Foster is in fine fettle with the comedy but unlike his better plays like “Halfway There” and “Jonas and Barry in the Home,” he’s so much in laughter mode he veers toward comic laugh lines at the expense of truth.

Now, what do the actors at Port Dover make of Foster’s play? Well, actually quite a bit.

Director Spence has assembled a first-class cast that lob home the comedy and laugh off the weaker aspects of Foster’s story.

The best performance comes from Brigitte Robinson’s, nicely balanced Ivy. She gets her laughs without working too hard. In truth, she has the best written role in Foster’s play.

There is something vulnerable and sweet about this Ivy, so beneath the chit-chat and the need to time a comic line, Robinson creates a believable world of a woman who has made the best of bad luck and choices. Any production of Foster’s play requires someone like Robinson to provide a necessary balance.

Melanie Janzen is a tremendous comedienne. She has warmth and plenty of zing. She gets her laughs and then some.

Her Doris, however, has a tad too many facial tics and kinetic wriggles and jiggles for my liking. Yes, it’s hilarious, but she doesn’t let Doris settle down enough to let us see as much of her undercurrent of vulnerability as necessary. She does however suggest brilliantly a woman who is always “on” because she doesn’t know who she is and what she wants.

Ian Deakin, a fine actor, has the task here of trying to flesh out a mostly underwritten role. We don’t learn quite enough about this Arthur so Deakin is saddled with being a plot function, rather than a real person.

After all this, you might be wondering whether I liked “Doris and Ivy in the Home?”

Well, yes I did. It’s funny, well-acted and smartly directed. What it isn’t is a play that finds its feet in its final act to provide a serious enough counterpoint to the laugh machine that has been driving it for two hours.

For folks who just want to have fun, I’d say you’ll find it with Doris, Ivy and Arthur. Go laugh yourself silly.

Gary Smith has written about theatre and dance for The Hamilton Spectator, as well as a variety of international publications, for more than 40 years.

Doris and Ivy in the Home

Who Lighthouse Festival Theatre

Where Lighthouse Festival Theatre, 247 Main St. Port Dover. Roselawn Theatre Port Colborne. 296 Fielden Ave. Port Colborne

When At Port Dover until June 8. At Port Colborne June 12-23. Evenings at 8 most days with matinees at 2 p.m. some days. Call the box office to check on performance details.

Tickets Port Dover $51, at Port Colborne $45. Students and equity members reduced to $18 at both theatres. For either theatre, call 1-888-779-7703 to purchase.

News

Review: DORIS AND IVY IN THE HOME (The Slotkin Letter)

Posted on May 30, 2024

By Lynn Slotkin | The Slotkin Letter

May 29, 2024

THE PASSIONATE PLAYGOER

Norm Foster is an equal opportunity writer, with a huge heart. He first wrote a play called: Jonas and Barry in the Home about two vastly different men who meet in a senior’s home and become friends. He says he had such fun writing it he wrote another play, Doris and Ivy in the Home,  this time focusing on two women. The plays are not carbon copies of the other.

“Doris and Ivy in the Home is about two women who are from different parts of the world. Doris is a boisterous retired prison guard from Alberta. Ivy is a disgraced Olympic skier from Austria. These two women are as different as the day is long, but as always happens, life throws us a curve and we befriend people we never expected to get close to. And so it happens with Doris and Ivy. “

Both women were married at one point. Doris stayed married to her husband but it seemed a loveless marriage until he died. Ivy married often and not successfully. Ivy is being pursued in the home by Arthur but she is not ready to accept his ardent advances, but they are friendly.

As with all his plays, Norm Foster sees the humour and humanity in the ordinary, easy-going situations in life. Doris, as played by Melanie Janzen is lively, flamboyant—perhaps a bit too much so—and offers her own charm. As Ivy, Brigitte Robinson is elegant, sophisticated and gracious, except when having to correct Doris when she keeps thinking Ivy is from Germany and not Austria. Both women form a bond that plays off the other. They find a common ground and appreciation of the other.

As Arthur, Ian Deakin plays him as a robust man, an intellectual and curious about the world. He is smitten by Ivy and gently but steadily pursues her. It’s touching not predatory. The whole production is directed with sensitive care by Jane Spence.

William Chesney has created a lovely set that is serene, calm and depicts a well-cared for patio. Alex Amini’s costumes are casual for Doris and Arthur and a touch elegant for Ivy.   

Doris and Ivy in the Home is a sweet play about two characters you would never imagine would be friends, and when they do, it’s as natural as anything.

Lighthouse Festival presents:

Plays at Port Dover until June 8.

Plays at Port Colborne from June 12-June 23, 2024.

Running time: two hours (1 Intermission)

www.lighthousetheatre.com

News

Review: Lighthouse summer season off to a solid start with ‘Doris and Ivy’ (The Haldimand Press)

Posted on May 30, 2024

By Mike Renzella | The Haldimand Press

May 30, 2024

PORT DOVER—Each year, Lighthouse Festival Theatre’s summer season offers the community a passport to laughter with a heaping portion of heart, and that is the perfect description of this year’s season-debut, ‘Doris and Ivy in the Home’, written by renowned playwright Norm Foster and directed with sure hands by Lighthouse stalwart Jane Spence.

Melanie Janzen, Ian Deakin & Brigitte Robinson in Lighthouse Festival’s production of Norm Foster’s Doris and Ivy in the Home.

The play introduces us to Doris and Ivy, two women of a certain vintage, who find themselves sparking up a friendship together after meeting one day in the garden of the retirement village they both call home. 

With biting humour, the pair slowly help each other untangle the pile of regrets amassed throughout their lives, while Ivy attempts to fend off the romantic advances of Arthur, another resident of the home living with a terminal cancer diagnosis.

The show marks the Lighthouse debuts of Ian Deakin as Arthur and Brigitte Robinson as Ivy, while Doris is played by Melanie Janzen in her fourth appearance on the Lighthouse stage.

All three have great chemistry together, with Janzen’s Doris displaying an abrasive, but charming, lack of social awareness colliding head on with Robinson’s Ivy, a disgraced Austrian athlete who has spent her life attempting to outrun her failures on the field.

Deakin imbues his character with a gentle vulnerability, making no attempt to hide his desire to experience true love one more time before shaking off his mortal coil.

Spence directs the play with a light touch, allowing her performers to take centre stage. The story takes place over the course of a year, with light changes to the set and lighting relaying the changing seasons effectively.

Brigitte Robinson & Melanie Janzen in Lighthouse Festival’s production of Norm Foster’s Doris and Ivy in the Home.

“This play is a heartfelt exploration of friendship, courtship, resilience, and unyielding spirit,” said Spence on what drew her to the material. “Norm Foster’s writing, rich with humour and poignancy, reminds us of the importance of seeking out meaningful connections at whatever stage of life we find ourselves.”

The show is something of a spiritual sequel to another show Foster penned in 2015, ‘Jonas and Barry in the Home’. He shared, “I had so much fun writing that play, that I decided to write another play with the same setting. Only this time, the two leading characters would be women.”

While the two stories are not connected, they share thematic similarities – namely, they are both about “people who care about other people. And how that care can affect each of their lives.”

‘Doris and Ivy in the Home’ is playing at Port Dover’s Lighthouse Festival Theatre until June 8. From there, it will move to Port Colborne’s Roselawn Theatre, running from June 12-23.

For tickets and more information about the show, and Lighthouse’s upcoming exciting summer season of shows, visit lighthousetheatre.com.

After studying journalism at Humber College, Mike Renzella desired to write professionally but found himself working in technical fields for many years. Beginning in 2019 as a freelancer, he joined the team full-time later that year. Since then, Mike has won several awards for his articles thanks to his commitment to presenting an unbiased, honest look at the important news and events shaping our community.

News

Review: Foster’s Doris & Ivy in the Home kicks off Lighthouse’s 45th season (Port Dover Maple Leaf)

Posted on May 29, 2024

“…The audience is taken on a roller coaster ride of laugh out loud one-liners to dips into sadness through the reflections on lives well lived…”

May 29, 2024

Port Dover Maple Leaf

By Donna McMillan

There is no better way to kick off the Lighthouse Festival Theatre’s 45th Season Anniversary than with a fun play by Canada’s premier and most prolific playwright Norm Foster. Following on the heels of Jonas and Barry in the Home (2015) that took audiences from hilarity to sadness on daily life in a retirement home comes a totally different story with a comedic female perspective of “Doris and Ivy in the Home.” Quickly, the audience is taken on a roller coaster ride of laugh out loud one- liners to dips into sadness through the reflections on lives well lived and the unique perplexities and angsts of the lead characters.  And no, sex doesn’t end when one enters a retirement home and chooses “living in a controlled environment.”  While walkers may be lined up three abreast in a hallway, others in the home were “hitting the sheets” or being ogled in their back garden, behind the compost heap, lovemaking.

Doris and Ivy in the Home on stage at Lighthouse Theatre stars from left, Ian Deakin as Arthur, Melanie Janzen as Doris, and Brigitte Robinson as Ivy.

As Norm shared “Doris and Ivy in the Home is about two women who hail from different parts of the world…. These two women are as different as the day is long, but as often happens, life throws us a curve, and we befriend people we never expected to get close to.”

Doris Mooney, a retired Drumheller prison guard, has just moved into Paradise Village retirement home in Canmore, Alberta. She suffers from a fatty liver disease.  Ivy Hoffbauer, married and divorced three times, is well known as a winning Austrian skier whose career on the slopes ended in a humiliating and injurious crash.   Arthur Beech, a retired Dean of Arts at the University of Calgary, is a real ladies’ man who is not letting a cancer diagnosis slow him down.  

No wilting violet, Doris crassly and brazenly shoots her mouth off questioning Ivy’s marriage and career failures while admitting she stayed in a loveless marriage. Her witty quips included keeping mum about the “D” word, referencing a “dry water pistol” and much more.  A popular veteran at LFT, Melanie Janzen is indeed hilarious performing as the brash Doris.   She has performed 7 seasons at the Stratford Festival and 5 seasons with The Shaw Festival.   Great to see her back in Port Dover.

Brigitte Robinson, acting in numerous past Mirvish and Shaw Festival productions, made a welcome debut on the LFT stage as Ivy. She was the perfect graceful, empathetic foil to Doris and her run of the mouth.  

Ian Deakin, who has performed in a number of Shakespearean plays at Stratford Festival as well as Netflix and FXX offerings, is also on the LFT stage for the first time. He was an authentic charmer in the role of Arthur.    

LFT Associate Director Jane Spence directed Doris and Ivy in the Home, inviting the audience “into the lives of three people navigating the trials and tribulations of life in a retirement home.”

Once again William Chesney created a beautiful outdoor setting, complete with gazebo, for the Doris and Ivy in the home set. Kevin Fraser was Lighting Designer; Alex Amini Costume Designer; Laura Grandfield Stage Manager and Ben Tuck Assistant Stage Manager.    

Three members of the Paris Port Dover Pipe Band heralded the 45th season opening with a brief marching performance, which marked their 30th year to bring their pipes to the theatre, Derek Ritschel, Artistic Director shared in his welcome to the audience.

To catch another Norm Foster stage hit, running in Port Dover from May 22 to June 8, contact the theatre at their Main and Market Box Office, visit www.lighthousetheatre.com or call 519 583 2221.

News

REVIEW: Doris and Ivy in the Home explores aging with heart and humour (Intermission Magazine)

Posted on May 27, 2024

By Janine Marley | Intermission Magazine

Thursday, May 27, 2024

A university dean, a corrections officer, and a disgraced athlete walk into a retirement home…except there isn’t really a punchline. 

Instead, Norm Foster’s Doris and Ivy in the Home, directed by Jane Spence, is an exploration of friendship, love, and intimacy amidst the inevitable process of aging. Featuring Foster’s signature wit and delivering laugh after laugh, Doris and Ivy in the Home is an uproarious way to kick off Lighthouse Festival’s 45th season. 

Melanie Janzen as Doris & Brigitte Robinson as Iris in Lighthouse Festival’s 2024 summer season production of Norm Foster’s Doris and Ivy in the Home.

Doris and Ivy in the Home takes three unlikely companions on a journey through illness, relationships, perhaps even some romance, and the occasional snoop on another senior couple who like to, uh, get busy in the garden. Doris is a former corrections officer with a tough exterior, Ivy is a former skier who fled to Canada after a career-ending run, and Arthur used to be a dean, but he prefers to think of himself as a teacher. Arthur only has eyes for Ivy, while Ivy is afraid to fall in love again after three failed marriages. After much meddling and the occasional heart-to-heart, the three end up totally inseparable as they settle into their new lives. 

Foster’s script proves why he’s such a mainstay of Canadian comedy; Doris and Ivy at the Home is one well-placed joke after another, with plenty of callbacks to previous quips as well. A striking element of the writing is that Arthur likes to make up little poems based on his friends’ conversations, essentially little limericks. They’re brilliant and witty, and they punctuate the text perfectly. This flourish takes the creativity of the work to a whole new level while also giving Arthur a unique, delightful quirk.

There’s also a very delicate balance between the light and dark elements of Foster’s play. The world delves into real issues while keeping the overall essence of the play lively and fun. Getting older is a prevalent source of anxiety for most people, and yet Foster doesn’t shy away from talking about the realities of getting cancer or arthritis, or any other number of ailments. However, this play also reinforces how those things don’t have to define us as we get older. Each of the three characters finds something, or someone, new to live for over the course of the play. Whether that’s love, or a grandchild, or finding your independence after a long, loveless marriage, they all find something new about themselves. The ability to change our lives over and over again, no matter what age we are, is part of the beauty of being human, and Doris and Ivy in the Home directly speaks to that humanity.

The cast of Doris and Ivy in the Home is a trio of veteran actors who deliver exceptional performances in this piece. Melanie Janzen gives a bold and animated performance as Doris. Her physicality so fully embodies her character, and I couldn’t help but be reminded of Katharine Hepburn as she’d brush back her bangs in her plaid shirt and capris. Playing opposite Janzen is Brigitte Robinson as Ivy, whose poise and elegance are a perfect foil to Doris’ brashness. Robinson gives Ivy a sweet, maternal nature while also showing a deeper, more troubled side to the character. Ian Deakin’s Arthur is the final of these three musketeers. Deakin gives an earnest and heartfelt performance while leaning into his character’s idiosyncrasies. The chemistry and expertise of these three actors makes this production such a joy to watch; they’re so clearly having a good time with one another, and that radiates through their performances. 

William Chesney’s set design for the production is instantly recognizable as a retirement facility: the building’s large automated lobby doors, patio furniture, and gazebo create an ideal ambience for the play. Outdoor planters which change from bright flowers to hearty ferns help denote the passage of time, a choice that’s simple and effective. Alex Amini’s costumes wholly embody the characters; each has their own unique style that fits their personalities to a T. Ivy’s cardigans and flowy shirts, Doris’ colourful plaid shirt, and Arthur’s earth tones let us know immediately who these characters are. 

Doris and Ivy in the Home is a lighthearted story that’ll leave you looking forward to the future — whatever it may bring.

Doris and Ivy in the Home runs in Port Dover until June 8 before moving to Port Colborne from June 12-23. Tickets are available here.

News

Meet the Cast of Doris and Ivy in the Home – Brigitte Robinson as Ivy Hoffbauer

Posted on May 23, 2024

Lighthouse is pleased that Brigitte Robinson is making her debut on our stage as Ivy Hoffbauer in Norm Foster’s Doris and Ivy in the Home, on stage in Port Dover from May 22 to June 8 and in Port Colborne from June 12 to 23. She played Frau Schmidt in Mirvish’s production of The Sound of Music, and in productions at Young People’s Theatre, Shaw Festival, and Manitoba Theatre Centre. We talked with Brigitte about what has been her favourite role, what drew her to the character of Ivy, and what are the challenges and rewards of live theatre as opposed to other forms of acting.

Brigitte Robinson as Ivy Hoffbauer

Lighthouse Festival (LF): What has been your favourite role to play and why?

Brigitte Robinson (BR): Viola in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at Young People’s Theatre in Toronto.  I had the good fortune to perform in this play in Toronto and all over Ontario for two years in the early ‘80’s with a remarkable group of actors who have remained close friends to this day. For this have Richard Greenblatt to thank: he hired me, directed the play and brought me into the world of professional acting.

(LF): What drew you to this character in Doris and Ivy?

(BR): I thought “Doris and Ivy in the Home” was Norm Foster at his best.  Not only is it very funny but it shines a light on the lives and relationships of women and men as they age.  What also drew me to play the part of Ivy was the chance to work with the director Jane Spence with whom I had acted in Calendar Girls at the Mirvish Theatre in Toronto and with Melanie Janzen whose work I had always admired in our days together at the Shaw Festival.

(LF): What are the challenges and rewards of live theatre as opposed to other forms of acting?

(BR): The biggest difference between acting in theatre and other forms of acting is that you are performing before a live audience.  Every night is different as every audience has its own character and energy – anything can happen.  This is what makes live theatre so exciting for the actors and audience alike.  Film and television is a different story.  Actors don’t have the benefit of developing their character over the run of a show.  Once they’ve shot their scene, that’s it – no second chances, unless they have the good fortune of a recurring role in a series.

(LF): How do you approach character development for a complex role?

(BR): I begin by reading the script five or six times, noting first what other characters say about me and what I say about them in the context of the play. Then I break down the script into “beats”, which represent the stages of progression of my character’s journey through the story told by the play. “Beats” are my guideposts to developing my character. 

(LF): What’s the best piece of acting advice you have ever received?

(BR): Two pieces of advice that have stayed with me throughout my career:

“N.A.R.” – (“No acting required”) – in notes to the cast, “Petrified Forest”, 1995 Shaw Festival, from Neil Munro, the renowned director, playwright and actor. 

“You’ve done the work – now give it away.” –  from Christopher Newton, posted on the Call Board at the Shaw Festival on opening night of “Cavalcade” and other plays during his tenure as Artistic Director of the Shaw Festival from 1980 to 2002.  

News

Meet the Cast of Doris and Ivy in the Home – Melanie Janzen as Doris Mooney

Posted on May 23, 2024

Lighthouse favourite Melanie Janzen is back at this season in Norm Foster’s Doris and Ivy in the Home, on stage in Port Dover from May 22 to June 8 and in Port Colborne from June 12 to 23. She made your roar with laughter in last season’s Where You Are and she’s been in a number of Lighthouse productions over the years. We chatted with Melanie about what challenges exist when working in the theatre, what drew her to the character of Doris, and what’s the best piece of acting advice she’s ever received.

Melanie Janzen as Doris Mooney

Lighthouse Festival (LF): What is the most challenging aspect of working in theatre?

Melanie Janzen (MJ): One of the most challenging aspects of working in the theatre is the sporadic, fleeting nature of acting contracts. I love the work, and am always eager to secure the next gig.

(LF): What drew you to this character in Doris and Ivy?

(MJ): Doris is very much ‘what you see is what you get’. I like her brashness and her confidence. There’s no beating around the bush with Doris…I could stand to be a little more like her.

(LF): What’s the best piece of acting advice you’ve ever received?

(MJ):   ’Pick up your cues!’ ‘Act on the line!’ ‘A pause must be earned!’ All of these are helpful reminders not to leave ‘dead air’ on stage.

(LF): What role has had the greatest impact on you personally?

(MJ): The real-life role of being a mother to my daughter. It’s by far the most challenging and fulfilling role I’ve had to date. 

(LF): What inspired you to pursue a career in theatre?

(MJ): I’ve always adored being on stage and I relish the chance to tell a story theatrically – there’s a wonderful feeling of connection with an audience that satisfies like no other. 

News

Summer theatre returns this week

Posted on May 23, 2024

“Summer theatre has returned. The numbers are growing again, which is extremely encouraging.”

May 22, 2024

Port Dover Maple Leaf

By Jacob Fehr

LIGHTHOUSE Festival’s summer season starts this week with the opening of Norm Foster’s Doris and Ivy in the Home on Wednesday, May 22, at Lighthouse Theatre in Port Dover. The Maple Leaf spoke to Lighthouse Festival artistic director Derek Ritschel to learn more about the lineup.

Asked what audiences can expect from Lighthouse this summer, Mr. Ritschel said, “Variety for sure. This year, especially with the inclusion of Mary’s Wedding in the playbook, we’re taking audiences on a bit of a rollercoaster.”

The season opens with one Norm Foster comedy and closes with the world premiere of another, Lakefront. Both promise to provide the playwright’s blend of humour and heart.

Between those shows, audiences can enjoy the farcical whodunnit Murder at Ackerton Manor, the season’s second play. Next is Mary’s Wedding, a “guaranteed tearjerker” about love, hope, and survival during World War I. The season’s fourth show is The Sweet Delilah Swim Club, a comedy about friendships over time.

In Mr. Ritschel’s opinion, it’s good for Lighthouse to diversify its plays. “You never want to repeat yourself—always looking to keep it fresh,” he said.

Jane Spence & Derek Ritschel in front of Lighthouse Festival’s Port Dover theatre.

Surrounded by comedies, Mary’s Wedding sticks out for its serious tone and topics. Mr. Ritschel admitted it is “not what people would come to recognize as summer theatre in Port Dover—[it’s] more heart than comedy.” But he thinks audiences will appreciate it.

“There are certain shows you need to do regardless of the type of show,” he said. “[Mary’s Wedding is] so bloody good it doesn’t matter what genre it is; the audience deserves to see it.”

Mr. Ritschel is directing Mary’s Wedding, which he said is his “favourite play of all time by far” and “a piece of Canadian literature that is really special.” He emphasized the show has a beautiful message and said he’s excited about working on it.

“I can’t wait for people to see it. I really can’t,” he said.

Although he thinks variety benefits Lighthouse, he also thinks it’s good for Lighthouse to know its strengths and emphasize them. That’s why it now brands itself as the “home of the Canadian sense of humour.”

“Some theatres naturally evolve to certain styles,” he explained. For example, the Blyth Festival has a rural audience and puts on many plays appealing to rural people. Over time, rurality has become part of Blyth Festival’s identity.

“When people come to Dover, they’re getting a hot dog, ice cream… [and] they’re having a great time, so just naturally Lighthouse evolved to be a place you go to see thrillers, comedies etc.,” he said. In this way, comedy is part of Lighthouse’s identity.

Lighthouse will lean into its comedic legacy with Doris and Ivy in the Home. Jane Spence, artistic associate for Lighthouse Festival, is directing the season opener.

“From all reports it’s coming along great,” Mr. Ritschel said. He shared the show’s fittingly funny origin story.

While staying briefly at a retirement home, Mr. Foster was shocked and amused to discover staff had shut down hot tubs and saunas because residents’ behaviour was “out of control” and spreading venereal diseases. The experience inspired him to write Jonas and Barry in the Home, a play about two men living in a retirement home.

Mr. Ritschel said the success of Jonas and Barry in the Home motivated Mr. Foster to further explore its setting with Doris and Ivy in the Home, which is about two women living in a retirement home.

“It’s from a female perspective so there’s equity in laughing at the experience of living in a retirement home,” he said.

He also shared an enthusiastic update about Lighthouse Festival’s ongoing rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, which halted all its productions from 2020–2022.

“Summer theatre has returned. The numbers are growing again since COVID-19, which is extremely encouraging,” he said. “It’s nice to know Lighthouse is going to be around for a long, long time.”

“We’re headed way in the right direction, which is thrilling,” he said. “If people love and support this theatre, she’ll make it, no problem.”

News

Lighthouse Festival launches summer season with Norm Foster comedy

Posted on May 20, 2024

Norm Foster’s comedic hit Doris and Ivy in the Home kicks off the 2024 summer season at Lighthouse Festival in Port Dover.

May 19, 2024

The Stratford Beacon Herald

By Postmedia Staff

Directed by Lighthouse Artistic Associate Jane Spence, the production runs from May 22 to June 8 in Port Dover, followed by shows in Port Colborne from June 12 to 23.

The play is a heartfelt comedy that examines friendship, age, and the transitions of life in a retirement home setting.

“Norm foster’s writing, rich with humour and poignancy, reminds us of the importance of seeking out meaningful connections at whatever stage of life we find ourselves,” Spence observed. “Through Doris and Ivy, we witness a dynamic and touching journey of self-discovery and companionship.

“Our talented cast brings a wonderful blend of authenticity and warmth to their roles, embodying the essence of Foster’s characters with grace and charm.”

Actor Ian Deakin portrays a charming retiree named Walter.

“I’ve known playwright Norm Foster for decades and have appeared in several of his productions,” Deakin explained. “My character in Doris and Ivy in the Home is an eccentric and heartfelt role, but essentially fulfills the playwright’s promise of lots of laughs too.”

Actress Melanie Janzen stars as the wise and witty Doris.
“Doris is very much ‘what you see is what you get.’ I like her brashness and her confidence. There’s no beating around the bush with Doris,” Janzen shared. “I could stand to be a little more like her!”

Brigitte Robinson portrays the ever-optimistic Ivy, and said she was drawn to the role for the chance to work again with director Jane Spence with whom she had acted in Calendar Girls at the Mirvish Theatre in Toronto, and with Janzen whose work she admired in their days together at the Shaw Festival.

“I thought Doris and Ivy in the Home was Norm Foster at his best,” said Robinson. “Not only is it very funny but it shines a light on the lives and relationships of women and men as they age.”

Tickets are available now at lighthousetheatre.com, by calling the box office at 1-888-779-7703 or by visiting the theatre.

News

Murder at Ackerton Manor pays homage to Agatha Christie with a puzzle box of laughs

Posted on May 17, 2024

By Nathaniel Hanula-James | Intermission Magazine

Thursday, May 16, 2024

“It’s Agatha Christie meets Mel Brooks.”

That’s playwright and director Steven Gallagher’s description of Murder at Ackerton Manor, a comedy homage to the mystery novels of Agatha Christie sure to leave audiences dying of laughter when it opens on June 12 at the Lighthouse Theatre in Port Dover. 

“It’s set in 1950 on a dark and stormy night in a remote mansion,” Gallagher explained in a Zoom interview. “Megan Cinel, our set designer, is so collaborative and such a brilliant young artist. She came up with this beautiful, Gothic English country home set that looks like somebody’s real [house]. The detective is a French-Belgian detective,” which Gallagher says is a reference to Christie’s iconic character Hercule Poirot. 

Murder at Ackerton Manor Maquette – Designed by Megan Cinel

“All the tropes are in there,” Gallagher assured. “There’s a German professor, a dowdy British monarchist, a Southern belle.” Naturally, a murder ensues, and the culprit must be found. 

Step aside, Kenneth Branagh — Ackerton Manor is far from a straightforward adaptation of Christie’s novels. Virtuoso actors Eliza-Jane Scott (Lighthouse’s Jack and the Beanstalk), Andrew Scanlon (Drayton’s Peter Pan: The Panto), and Adrian Shepherd-Gawinski (Tarragon’s The Hooves Belonged to the Deer) play a total of seven roles, with quick changes and ridiculous accents galore.

“[Scanlon,] who plays the murder victim, also plays the detective,” Gallagher said. “He goes back and forth in flashbacks between the two. Adrian Shepherd-Gawinski, who’s six-foot-five, plays the Southern belle. [The costume changes] aren’t just hats. The actors leave and come on in full drag, then they leave and they come back as the next character. It’s a full quick change: costumes, wigs, everything. It’s an extra layer of fun and skill for the actors to really dig into.”

Murder mysteries aren’t a joke to Gallagher: they’re what introduced him to theatre in the first place. “I grew up in Quebec, in a small English town called North Hatley,” Gallagher shared. “It’s sort of like Muskoka in Ontario, in that a lot of wealthy people come from Montreal and go to this small town. It’s one of the only places [in Quebec] that has an English-language summer stock theatre, called the Piggery.” 

Gallagher would go to the Piggery with his mother, and one of the first shows he ever saw there was a murder mystery. Murder at Ackerton Manor is “an homage to my mom,” Gallagher continued, “and those times we spent together watching — probably not great plays — but the shows that really got me into loving, and going to, the theatre.”

When he began work on Ackerton Manor, Gallagher dove back into the genre he adored as a child. 

“I brought back all the [Agatha Christie] books that I had from when I was a kid,” said Gallagher. “I also watched about 50 episodes of Agatha Christie’s Poirot, and got my hands on every single murder mystery I could find, even Stephen Sondheim’s [film] The Last of Sheila that he wrote with Anthony Perkins in the ‘70s. I would get all these locked-room mysteries, [a genre in which it seems impossible for a killer to have entered and left a crime scene,] and try to figure out what I could steal. What are the tropes that are all the way through these things?

“My poor partner was like, ‘Are you up again to one o’clock watching another Miss Marple?’,” Gallagher laughed. He shared that his all-time favourite Christie novel is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, about the mysterious death of a wealthy widower. “It sort of turns the genre on its ear,” he teased. 

With its fusion of hijinks and homicide, Ackerton Manor is also a reimagining of not one, but two classic genres. Was blending farce and murder-mystery a difficult task for the playwright-director? 

“[Comedy and mystery] are similar,” explained Gallagher. “Both genres need to be tightly plotted and tightly written.” He added that he’s done some tinkering with the mystery at the heart of Ackerton Manor since the play’s premiere last year at the Bancroft Village Playhouse in Bancroft, Ont. “I’ve changed a couple of things plot-wise,” he said, “just to make sure that the [murderer] isn’t something that everybody guesses; or even if they do guess it, they might not know why until the end. People love that puzzle box.”

Gallagher hopes Murder at Ackerton Manor will encourage audience members to check out Lighthouse Festival’s other offerings, and demystify how much exciting theatre is happening throughout Ontario. 

“People who don’t even think they like theatre might come [see Ackerton] and say, ‘what else would I love to see?’,” he said. “Not just [a farce] but something more challenging too. We’re so used to seeing stuff in Toronto, which is amazing; but there’s a lot of other stuff happening in smaller spaces that people are flocking to.”

Murder at Ackerton Manor runs from June 12 to 29 at the Lighthouse Theatre in Port Dover, and July 3 to 14 at the Roselawn Theatre in Port Colborne. You can purchase tickets here.

News

What Toronto can learn from Stratford and Niagara-on-the-Lake: communities can thrive when they prioritize the arts

Posted on May 17, 2024

Stratford and Niagara-on-the-Lake, home to the Stratford and Shaw festivals, feel like artistic utopias, a dream that arts lovers and practitioners in Toronto can only imagine. 

May 17, 2024

The Toronto Star

By Joshua Chong

We build our cities around many things. 

Some are defined as centres of commerce and business. Others, like those great cities in Europe, are built around glorious cathedrals, whose spires tower above the skyline. Then there are yet others which, in place of churches and office towers, erect sports arenas and institutions of higher education. 

But it’s increasingly rare these days to find places where art is at the centre of their existence. It’s why destinations like Niagara-on-the-Lake and Stratford, Ont., home to Canada’s two largest repertory theatre companies, feel like lonely oases in an unending desert. 

I’ve been visiting both towns for the past decade and each visit always offers a welcome change of scenery from the humdrum monotony of life in the city. These are communities that are built differently, places where creativity and art aren’t swept aside but celebrated. 

It’s almost like a real-life “Schmigadoon.” Live music fills the air. Artists rub shoulders with audiences. And the talk of the town is not on the latest game score (I’ve yet to find a local sports bar in either town), but rather about the previous night’s performance. 

Stratford: things to do and see in Ontario’s mecca for arts and culture

In the evenings, restaurants are filled to the brim by half-past five; an early dinner here is not an exception but the norm, necessary for visitors to arrive on time for their evening performances. 

It’s these small quirks of life in an artistic town that draw a smile to my face. But more than that, places like Stratford and Niagara-on-the-Lake have much to teach us about how we benefit when we prioritize the arts in our communities.

It’s a lesson that feels important now, as major cities like Toronto reckon with the role that the arts play in their cultural identities. Add on top of that an affordability crisis that especially threatens creative industries and those who work in them. 

Comparatively, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Stratford feel like artistic utopias, a seemingly unfulfillable dream that arts lovers and practitioners in Toronto can only imagine for our city. But the two theatre towns also offer a blueprint of what’s possible when you pair leadership with a daring vision. 

It’s what turned Niagara-on-the-Lake into the regional economic engine that it is today, a destination for not merely its wineries but also its theatres. (The Shaw Festival, which mounts roughly 10 mainstage productions each year, drives more than $220 million in local cultural and tourism spending each year.)

In Stratford, its eponymous festival was established some seven decades ago, the dream of journalist Tom Patterson, who aimed to revive the town amid an economic downturn caused by the demise of its manufacturing industry. In just several years, the town on the banks of the Avon River shifted its focus from railway and train manufacturing to arts and culture.

Now, the success of the Stratford Festival has also spawned other cultural institutions in the city, including Stratford Summer Music and Here For Now Theatre. 

It’s telling that, so many Canadian artists who have the talent to make it big on Broadway or in London’s West End choose to remain in Stratford or Niagara-on-the-Lake — a testament to the artistic communities that both places have fostered. 

If only the same could be said about Toronto, where artists have left the city in droves or decided that art is not a profession worth pursuing. That’s a terrible indictment of our city. So too is seeing historic theatres turned into drug stores. (I’m looking at you, Shoppers Drug Mart at the former Runnymede Theatre; if that doesn’t spell concrete-jungle mundanity, I don’t know what does.)

Arts and culture are ultimately what give a community life. We lose sight of that and we lose sight of our societal identity.