Sarnia Famous

Happy New Years Eve theatre lovers! I cannot think of a better way to start the New Year than publishing this lovely chat with Kathryn Forristal. Apologies to Kathryn as we recorded this ages ago – in preparation for my trip back home I recorded a bunch of episodes to give myself a bit of a head start so some of the details are older but the sentiments still ring very true. Kathryn is a gentle soul with a vibrant creative spirit; we talk a lot about cabarets and specifically her love of featuring miscast songs and how this gives local singers a chance to show off their voices in a new way. She also tells us about her role as Volunteer Manager for Habitat for Humanity which is super cool and I’ll include a website in the show notes if you want to get involved. On with the show!

Happy Christmas Eve theatre lovers! I couldn’t help myself I had to post a little something. Being here surrounded by family I cannot help but feel loved and lucky and wanted to take a moment to share a big ole thank you to all my guests and my listeners that have helped this little homegrown project off the ground. I hope this holiday season you feel just as loved and lucky as I do if not more. Thanks for listening! See you next week.

Ho ho ho! Happy Thursday theatre lovers! I’m leaving for Alberta tomorrow bright and early for my first-time home in two years so I hope you will forgive me for posting a day early. Today’s guest is Mr. David Engleson and if you have kids with you and you want to maintain the mystery of Christmas… you might want to drop them off at grammas before listening. We talk caroling, cookies, mall Santas, and all things Christmas. On with the show

Happy Friday theatre lovers! The festive season continues with gorgeous, flame-haired Catherine Soulliere who tells us about her role as a legit Theatre Sarnia employee, what working with your spouse in the theatre is like, and she indulges me in a little cat mom and Christmas talk too. Important to note, Cat is on a mission to make volunteering at the theatre its most enjoyable yet and gives details on the variety of ways you can get involved. On with the show.

Happy December theatre lovers! I’m a giant child who adores the holiday season so the next couple guests were forced to indulge me and chat a bit about how the holidays have shaped their theatre experience. Starting with today’s guest, Mr. Ian Alexander, which I am super excited about because I thieved the name of this show from him. We chat a bit about that, the holidays, and he tells us about experimenting with different styles of theatre productions. But mostly, we nerd out about editing so if you are curious about how Theatre Sarnia’s Step into Christmas was made or even how this show is made, this is the episode for you.

Today’s guest, Mr. Dave Evans, tells us how coming from a family of performers and musicians has influenced his own theatre career. In fact, he opens up on losing a loved one suddenly and how theatre became “tonic for the soul” during that dark time. We also chat about how classic theatre productions could benefit from gender bending and the importance of being kind to one another, on stage and off, as you never know what someone else is going through. Now on with the show.

Today’s guest, Devan Wales, who persevered with patience and a charming smile through several technical difficulties in the making of this episode, tells us what it is like to make a proper go of the theatre life in Canada; including finding an agent, what its like to audition for shows, how to become part of the actor’s equity, and the differences between a professional and volunteer rehearsal schedule. He also opens up on why hugs are not his jam and it might not be for the reason you think…Before we get started big thank yous to all who shared the t-shirt sale post. We are selling super spiffy Sarnia Famous t-shirts to raise money for the Theatre Sarnia Youth Group. Incidentally, Devan touches on why theatre is good for kids in this episode if you’re looking for a reason to support :)

Happy Friday theatre lovers. Today’s guest is the lovely Kate Hardy. She taught me about scenography and very patiently explained, because it kind of blew my mind, the inner workings of fringe festivals and what it is like to participate in one. Kate was a thoughtful, eloquent, and well-prepared interviewee who even tried to turn the tables on me a bit and asked me a couple of questions the little rascal. On with the show!

This week’s guest is very dear to my heart. In fact, I suspect anyone who has worked with her would share that sentiment. The up-and-coming young starlet Taila Mielke shares how pandemic life has altered creative school settings, her hopes for the future, and even some of her poetry. If you enjoy her poetry, you can find her on Instagram. There’s a smidgen of old lady awkwardness sprinkled in this episode.  I aged myself just a lil bit by dropping a joke about Tik Tok that didn’t land as well as offering unsolicited advice. But in my defense, I couldn’t help myself with the advice - Taila has such a bright hopefulness about her that instantly made me feel invested in seeing her succeed. Just wait! She’ll win your heart too. 

Good evening and welcome to the Sarnia Famous Halloween episode!  I asked Jane James to be our initial guest tonight because she put the fear of the theatre ghost in me pretty much as soon as I joined the cast of Miracle on 34th Street. Jane shares a few spooky tales then tells us of her adventures in theatre. Devon Wales was listening to last weeks episode and heard about the Halloween theme and offered to also share some creepy stories. In the process Devon learned not only do I love spooky ghost stories I’m also a bit of a spazz. The lovely and talented Molly Buchanan created our special Halloween logo. On with the show!