As the Classic Theatre Festival hits the midway point of its 6th summer season, its second show, the remarkable thriller, Frederick Knott’s Wait until Dark, is in rehearsal with a scheduled run from August 7 to 30. It will take over the CTF stage from the Neil Simon comedy Barefoot in the Park, which the Capital Critics Circle found “a very entertaining production,” and which closes August 2. In addition to a unique storyline – a recently blinded woman (played by Festival newcomer Alison Smyth) must defend herself against some seedy characters who have invaded her home – the play also features a spunky 10-year-old, Gloria, who will be played by two young local actors making their professional debut, the first time child performers have played at the Festival. Gloria will be played by Perth’s Madison Miernik and Smiths Falls’ Samantha Salter, both of whom are excited to bring their budding talent to a venue that will feature actors who have been trodding the boards of Canadian theatres for decades. Among the returning faces who will be recognized by long-time Classic Theatre audience members are Alastair Love, as well Scott Clarkson, Richard Gelinas, and Greg Campbell, the three of whom starred in Knott’s Dial M for Murder last summer. In a year of firsts for the Festival, Sean Jacklin, who has grown up performing in a wide variety of community venues (his parents run BarnDoor Productions), also made his professional debut this season as the telephone repairman who loves his beer a little too much and must struggle with 5 flights of stairs in Barefoot in the Park. While playing a cop in Wait Until Dark, he is also seen regularly stalking the streets of Perth as the conniving Roderick Matheson in the theatrical historic walking tour, The Maid and the Merchant, running Wed. to Sun. mornings at 11 am, and as the ghost of the wrongly accused Daniel Daverne in the Friday night Lonely Ghost Walk, which runs until August 28. As the Festival continues to expand its summer programming, it is also offering Saturday Night Specials, a series of mystery/thriller author readings that will take place at 7 pm before the 8 pm Wait until Dark Show. This year’s stellar lineup includes Brenda Chapman and Peggy Blair August 15, R.J. Harlick and Barbara Fradkin August 22, and Mary Jane Maffini and Vicki Delany August 29). They will have their latest titles on hand for purchase and signing. “We have been really privileged to work both with veteran and newcomer performers, whether on the mainstage or through our youth theatre training program,” says Artistic Producer Laurel Smith. “As we grow our capacity, and look ahead to our 7th season, we are thrilled to announce that we will be expanding to three mainstage shows along with the other programming that helps keep Perth a great place to visit all summer long.” Tickets to the Festival’s mainstage shows, Barefoot in the Park and Wait Until Dark, as well as the theatrical walking tour… Continue reading

Anyone who appreciates a doctor’s good bedside manner can probably thank a professional actor currently playing the role of the eccentric Ethel Banks in the Classic Theatre Festival’s production of Neil Simon’s hit comedy, Barefoot in the Park, which the Capital Critics Circle calls “a very entertaining production,” running until August 2 at the wheelchair accessible, air conditioned venue at 54 Beckwith Street East (at Harvey). Catherine Bruce, originally from Ottawa but now a resident of Toronto, has played professional stages across Canada, and is also a familiar face from countless TV series, as well as commercials for everything from Celebrex and Lotto 649 to a spot as a hockey mom in a Don Cherry ad. But among the most interesting and challenging of her many diverse roles is that of “patient” in what’s known as the Standardized Patient Program. It’s there that she joins other actors in role playing for the benefit of young doctors, physiotherapists, and pharmacists in training, as well as foreign-trained doctors upgrading their Canadian credentials. Bruce often has to imagine what it’s like to have a specific physical or mental ailment and, with the aid of preparation sheets, acts our her role over the course of a very exhausting day during which she and each doctor-to-be have 7 minutes together, followed by two minute breaks, after which the process begins anew. “It can be emotionally draining, especially when you are dealing with life and death issues and you are playing this role 7 times an hour, all day long, with a different set of physicians,” Bruce says. She was part of one of the original such Canadian programs through the University of Alberta in the mid-1970s, and as with all roles she plays on the stage, she devotes endless hours to preparation and character development. She knows that just as she needs to connect with an audience in the theatre, she needs to be as real as possible in the medical environment to help prepare doctors for the real thing. Bruce says when she visits her own doctors, she is often called out as someone who has gone through the program given some of the terminology she uses to describe her own issues. “Not a lot of patients talk about palpating their knuckles with their doctors,” she laughs. Among the eccentric roles Bruce has brought to life over the years have been previous Classic Theatre Festival gigs as the eccentric aunt whose powers of witchcraft are just above sub-par in Bell, Book & Candle, as well as the frustrated Mrs. Bradman in Blithe Spirit. She has also performed in a variety of diverse venues, such as playing Pat Womansbridge – a spoof of the loquacious CBC broadcaster Peter – for a series of General Motors gatherings, as well as at the annual auto show. Most satisfying for this veteran actor is losing herself in a role to the point that even people who knew her may not recognize her. “I play a lot of characters… Continue reading