Meet the Team of The 39 Steps – Introducing Natalie Blanchard

Hi Natalie! What do you do on the show in your role as Stage Manager?

As Stage Manager, I stand in the shadows and facilitate the organised chaos to make sure everything runs smoothly during the performance.

What is your background in theatre?

Previously I worked on the main stage, as well as, on several student projects in Rosebud. Most recently, I Stage Managed for the River Valley Players in Drayton Valley. The 39 Steps will be my first Edmonton Show!

What brought you out for The 39 Steps?

Before the pandemic, I signed up to volunteer in any area for Walterdale. Fast forward two years later there was an email in my inbox asking me if I would be interested in Stage Managing the show and I jumped at the opportunity. 

What are you enjoying the most about working on this show so far?

The people I get to work with everyday and the energy they bring into the space. It has been a blast!

Why do you think people should come see The 39 Steps at Walterdale?

The 39 Steps brings tons of laughter and silliness that is needed after the last couple of years we had.

Meet the Cast of 1984 – Michael Anderson is Winston Smith!

  1. Hi! Who are you , and what is your role in this production? My name is Michael Anderson, and I’ll be playing Winston Smith.
  2. What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? I’ve been in numerous plays in the Edmonton area and on Vancouver Island. This is my first Walterdale show.
  3. What brought you out for the show? Because it’s a good and interesting story, and I wanted to do a show that my brother, John, was involved in.
  4. Why do you think audiences should see this show? Audiences should see this show, because of the challenge that the team takes on, turning a largely expository novel into a dramatically staged show.
  5. 1984 (the play), based on the novel of the same name, portarys a vision of a dystopian world, What is your favourite dystopian book or movie, and why? My favourite dystopian movie is The Matrix, because it was the first one I was exposed to, as a kid.


Photo Credit: Scott Henderson, Henderson Images

Meet the Cast of 1984 – Madeline Setzer is the Loudspeaker!

  1. Who are you and what is your role in the production? I’m Madeline Setzer and I play the role of the Loudspeaker. The Loudspeaker is the face of Big Brother propaganda – any message or news to be shared to the masses is done by the Loudspeaker, and in a way that makes the collective emotionally charged in one direction or the other. There is no ambiguity on the bias.
  2. What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? This is my first Walterdale production. I have spent most of my life doing theatre in one capacity or another, with many chances to explore a variety of works and spaces. I absolutely love it.Why did you come out for the show? Why did you want to do it? Walterdale has been a staple in the Edmonton theatre scene for many years. I had read the novel 1984 a couple of years ago, and was both in love with and shocked at the dystopia of it. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to experience the Walterdale theatre scene.
  3. Why do you think audiences should come see the show? If anything, 1984 has grown in relevance. It’s hard to learn from our mistakes unless we see them repeated back to us in a way that shakes up our mindset. That is what this show can do. The calibre of artistic direction and performance will only lend itself to a new heighten this depiction of 1984. It’s not something to be forgotten, but instead we need honest reminders of the state we must avoid as a world.
  4. 1984 (the play) is based on the novel of the same name that predicts a dystopian future (many of us read it in high school)… what’s your favourite dystopian novel/movie and why? My favourite dystopian novel is The Hunger Games. There continues to be something so profound about using youth to present the worst potential parts of society – because they also have the ability to change it. The many worlds of separation, and especially of class systems, always intrigues me. I hope that we can learn from these fictional stories and prevent them from one day becoming our reality.

Meet the Cast of THE TRIANGLE FIRE FACTORY PROJECT – Rebecca Bissonnette is Yetta Lubitz and Rose Schneiderman!

Who are you and what is your role in this production? My name is Rebecca Bissonnette and I get the honour of playing two real life heroes – Yetta Lubitz an immigrant factory worker and Rose Schneiderman a union organizer. The characters are quite different – Yetta is a young, immature and vulnerable girl looking to better herself, while Rose is a strong, opinionated speaker who does whatever is necessary to create change.

What is your background in theatre? With Walterdale? My background in theatre isn’t a big one……not yet anyway. My very first show ever was only a few years ago, here at the Walterdale when I was cast as Mrs. French in Ravenscroft. My background is mainly in dance, having been a studio dancer for 15 years and recently returned to the dance floor over the past couple of years to launch my own dance troupe. While I might have come rather late to the theatre party, I consider myself quickly making up for lost time, having been blessed enough to work with some of the best community theatres around – Foote in the Door, Trinity Players, Element Theatre and Paper Doll Productions.

Why do you think people should come see The Triangle Fire Factory Project? I believe that when real life tells a story, people need to listen. This is so much more then words on a paper – these are words spoken by real live people, people who have experienced such tragedy, such devastation, such heartbreak. Their stories need to be told, so that we never forget and hopefully aren’t doomed to repeat.

On top of that, this show is full of such passionate people on both the cast and crew. With a show that has so many moving parts, it could very easily turn into a disaster. BUT, the commitment, hard work, dedication and joy (yes joy) with which everyone has approached this show, has easily made it one of my favourites to work on. I would work with anyone of them again in a heartbeat. People need to come see this show based on its collective heart.

Since this show deals with workplace ‘issues’ – What was your first job? How old were you and what did it entail? Let’s be real – my first job was as a lazy teenager, not wanting to work, but was told by my grandma that I wasn’t sitting around her beach house all summer. So, I was a dishwasher at the town restaurant. It was physically hard, I stunk of grease and was constantly sweaty, but I got free meals. And at 13, that’s all you can ask for.

Meet the Creative Team of THE TRIANGLE FACTORY FIRE PROJECT – Phil Kreisel is the Sound Designer!

Who are you and what is your role in this production? My name is Phil Kreisel and I am the sound designer for this show. This is one of those shows where I get to contribute exponentially to the mayhem that occurs in this production.

What is your background in theatre? With Walterdale? I started out as an actor, and before too long became involved with sound design. I have designed sound for over 80 different shows since 2004, many of them with Walterdale. I have also done some directing and have written 8 one-act plays (with probably about 4 more scripts in development).

Why do you think people should come see The Triangle Fire Factory Project? It’s an important part of history that unfortunately keeps occurring today in other parts of the world, such as the 2013 collapse of the Rana Plaza building which killed 1,135 people in Bangladesh. This show focuses on what happened in New York, and the aftermath. There are surprises in this show which I cannot divulge at this time.

My Worst job/Funniest thing? I took a part-time job in my first year of university. I was one of three people hired to sharpen 5,000 pencils for some in-person survey. Apparently, they needed us because the electric sharpener broke down, so we had to sharpen them all manually. To this day, I don’t know how their survey turned out. I never filled it out.

Meet the Creative Team of THE TRIANGLE FACTORY FIRE PROJECT – Barbara Mah is the Director!

Who are you and what is your role in this production? Barbara Mah. I’m the director of this show (more like traffic director given there are 20 actors).

What is your background in theatre? With Walterdale? This is my fourth time directing with Walterdale (Sweet Charity 2005, Anything Goes 2013 and Follies 2017), but my first time directing a play with them! I’ve choreographed countless shows at Walterdale and have worked behind the scenes with the costumes people from time to time. My sister and brother-in-law met at Walterdale doing a one-act play that I wrote. They were married on the Walterdale Stage! I consider Walterdale my “home” but I have also directed musicals for a number of theatre companies in town (ELOPE, Festival Players, Foote in the Door, Two One Way Tickets). I also teach musical theatre classes at the Citadel Theatre School. I have a few “graduates” from the classes in this show!

Why do you think people should come see The Triangle Fire Factory Project? The fire itself seems to fascinate people. I’ve seen a number of documentaries on it and there is a lot of fiction (movies, books) that use the fire as a jumping off point. The historical significance of this fire still affects us today through building codes, workplace safety legislation and workers’ rights. Not to mention, this fire happened during the women’s suffrage movement. As women were unable to vote, they could not vote in politicians that could pass workplace safety laws.

I know plays that deal with “significant” issues can sometimes be boring — well, I don’t do boring. The actors in this show have worked very very hard and will be presenting a very gripping drama.

Since this show deals with workplace ‘issues’ – what is the funniest thing that ever happened to you in a workplace situation? I once had a student in my adult musical theatre class tell me that he didn’t want to sing or dance in my class. When I gently suggested he might want to investigate an acting-only class, he responded with “but I want to star in musicals on broadway”.

Walterdale Theatre “From Cradle to Stage” 2018-19 Submissions Request

Edmonton’s foremost community theatre company is now accepting submissions for its annual new work event, From Cradle to Stage. For over a decade, Walterdale Theatre has been producing original plays by local playwrights as a part of its main stage season. In celebration of our 60th Anniversary Season we are doing something a little different.

This Day, which was submitted for last year’s competition was selected in advance for development this year. It’s a musical by Matt Graham and Sue Goberdhan and will receive dramaturgy from Anne Marie Szucs over the fall and winter to be ready for audition by the end of January 2019.

Collaboration Project: For the second piece to be developed, in honour of the 60th Season, we are looking for monologues and scenes about your Walterdale (and other community theatre) experiences. Selected playwrights will work with Facilitator Kristen M. Finlay to construct a collective piece celebrating Walterdale.

Timeline:

  • Deadline for all submissions is midnight November 15th, 2018.
    • Selected playwrights will work with the facilitator over the fall and winter the 2018-19 season to have an audition-ready collective piece by the end of January 2019.
    • Finished scripts will be paired up with directors and production teams by December 2018.
    • Both plays will be produced May 13-18, 2019.

Submission Guidelines:

  • Submit a monologue or short scene in the theme of “Walterdale Memories”. You can submit more than one piece, but please submit as a combined package (we may not use all scenes/monologues submitted).
    • Scripts must be typed or printed, with spaces between all speaking parts. Include your name and contact info on the first page of the script, and number your pages.
    • Along with the script, please include a brief bio (50 words or less) which Walterdale will use for publicity purposes if your play is chosen.
    • For the purpose of this competition, “local” indicates a resident of the Edmonton Area. This includes satellite communities such as Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Sherwood Park, St. Albert, and Leduc. If you are unsure if you geographically qualify to submit, please do not hesitate to inquire via email.

There are two ways to submit:

  1. Email a digital copy (pdf is preferred) of your scripts to Bethany Hughes, Artistic Director at walterdalead@gmail.com with From Cradle to Stage 2018-19 in the subject line.
  2. Hard-copy Scripts can be mailed to (do not send your original or ‘only’ copy):

From Cradle to Stage 2018-19
Walterdale Playhouse
10322 83 Avenue
Edmonton, AB T6E 5C3
Attention: Bethany Hughes, Artistic Director

All submissions must be received by midnight November 15, 2018. Do not submit your original copy. If you want your script returned to you, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Unselected scripts without a SASE will be recycled.

Meet the Cast of THE TRIANGLE FACTORY FIRE PROJECT – Danielle Yu is Rose Freedman & Ida Mittleman

Who are you and what is your role in this production? My name is Danielle Yu and I play 2 amazing characters, Rose Freedman and Ida Mittleman. Rose Freedman was known as the last survivor of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire dying at the age of 107 who worked on the 9th floor and Ida Mittleman was known as one of the women who testified in court that all doors of the 9th floor were indeed open.

What is your background in theatre? With Walterdale? ​I have been performing for as long as I can remember, from taking musical theatre classes at the Citadel as a child to voice lessons at the Conservatory of Music with the Alberta College. I had taken a very long break from the theatre (12 years to be exact!) until 2017 when I auditioned for an original musical titled Emma, and had landed the lead role! I auditioned at the Walterdale Theatre for my very first time this past summer and am ecstatic to be on this journey of opening the 60th season.

Why do you think people should come see The Triangle Fire Factory Project? Everyone and anyone should come and partake in the adventure and experience of The Triangle Fire Factory Project to witness the importance of this piece of history! Not only is it filled with historical events, but there’s action, agony, sorrow, humor and SO MUCH MORE. Most importantly it teaches us the reason behind the rules and regulations we have today in modern life.

Since this show deals with workplace ‘issues’ – What was your first job? How old were you and what did it entail? ​The very first job I had was when I was 16 at a McDonald’s near my neighbourhood. Being 16, I didn’t really have the understanding of responsibility so I didn’t last very long. However the 3 weeks that I was employed taught me a lot about hungry customers, cheerful customer service, and an amazing discount!

Meet the Cast of THE TRIANGLE FACTORY FIRE PROJECT – Dustin Berube is William Shepherd

Who are you and what is your role in this production? My name is Dustin Berube and I play the role of William Shepherd. My character was a United Press reporter who happened to be in Washington Square at the time of the fire. He called into his office and described the fire as it was happening. In the show, he is used as a narrator for the audience.
What is your background in theatre? With Walterdale? This is my second Walterdale show (Dustin appeared in Follies, in 2017), but I have been involved with theatre since I was a teenager.

Why do you think people should come see The Triangle Fire Factory Project? This show is an interesting piece of history that is told in a unique way. Much of the script is taken straight from the transcripts and testimonials of those people that were there, which adds to the impact that this show will have on an audience. This is a live theatre experience that doesn’t come along very often.

Since this show deals with workplace ‘issues’ – What is the funniest/most embarassing thing that ever happened to you in a workplace situation? I had a funny/embarrassing workplace experience when I was working in a retail card store. It was Boxing Day and I was the first to open the shop doors. My coworker was running late so I was working as fast as I could with a very long line of customers. In the middle of a transaction with a customer, I suddenly realized that I was going to become sick, so I calmly turned around and utilized the small trash bin at my feet. I wiped my mouth with a tissue, stood up and carried on. The customers seems unfazed by my germs and insisted that I continue to bag their items. As we all know, the customer is always right!