Friday Q & A - Our Lighting Designer, Scott Henderson

Hello! Welcome to another edition of 'Friday Q & A'

This week we interview our incredibly talented lighting designer: Scott Henderson.

Now, if you've seen the show in a school you will notice there were no lights (except the ones hanging from the ceiling and Scott is not responsible for those). It was for our run in the theatre at PTE that we were privileged enough to be lit by Scott.

1. What kind of training do you need to be a lighting designer?

   I took the technical/design program at Ryerson Theatre School. I also apprenticed at the Shaw Festival and the Stratford Festival.

2. When you are lighting a show, what's the first step in the design process?

       The first step is to read the play and think about how you might light it. Then you talk to the director about his ideas for the play.

3. Do you do anything differently when you're lighting a kids show as opposed to a show for adults?

     For a kids show I try to use brighter colours and special effects like moving and spinning lights . I try to make it fun and sparkly! 

4. What's your favourite Robert Munsch book and why?

       Love You Forever -  I loved reading it to my kids when they were little.

Thanks Scott! 

-Lisa, Stage Manager

R & R

Last night we stayed at the Super 8 in The Pas. They had a waterslide.



That is all.


 -Lisa, Stage Manager

Monday Mascot Recap

We know how much you love our "Monday Mascots"'! So we thought we would catch you up on the ones you've missed!


We're en route to Snow Lake right now. Enjoy!

-Lisa, Stage Manager

Catch Up Part 2

After a great show at Jack River School in Norway House, we had time for a bit of sight seeing before leaving for Thompson.  We visited the Archway Warehouse (which is the oldest surviving Red River frame warehouse in Western Canada), as well as the Jail and Powder Magazine remains.

In Thompson we stayed at the Lakeview Inn and Suites. After half a week of motel stays we were ready for a hotel with a few amenities. Lakeview had laundry (essential for washing stinky costumes), continental breakfast (waffle bar anyone?!) wifi (most importantly!), plus a hot tub; which we aptly named the "Scald Tub", for it was almost too hot to sit in.

Thompson was a brief stopover on Wednesday before we packed up again and hit the road for Lynn Lake on Thursday morning.

2 Hours Later...

Lynn Lake is pretty much the farthest North that you can drive by road in Manitoba. The people were friendly and the kids at the West Lynn Heights School were incredible. We felt very welcome there. The kids loved the show and we had a lot of fun performing for them!

On Friday morning we were able to sleep in and take our time driving back to Thompson (we didn't have a show that day).

We were looking forward to our day off on Saturday.

Saturday was a low key day for us all. We ate breakfast together, did some laundry, went thrift shopping and stocked up on some essentials for our next week of the trip.

We left our mark on Thompson.

But the "Scald Tub" at the hotel left its mark on us (it had gotten significantly hotter since Wednesday night!!).

Can you see the line above Lisa's ankles? Ouch!

We're off to the infamous Gillam, MB tomorrow morning (shout out to Arne, our director!!) for a public performance in the afternoon (if only the performance was at 9:00am...).



- Heather "Rose", Alissa "Valerie" and Lisa, Stage Manager

Oh Boy...Here We GO!!!

Sorry for the delay between posts!  Life on the road in the frozen Manitoba North means certain modern conveniences like wifi and cell signals are not always available.

The four of us are healthy, happy, staying warm and looking forward to a few days off in Thompson this weekend!

Here is a quick recap on what life has been like on the road since leaving Sunday!

These are only marking the places where we spend the night. We perform in many, many more than this!!

Sunday,  February 3, 2013 - Departure Day

A sunny Sunday afternoon greeted as we met at the Co-op Gas Station on Brookside Blvd in Winnipeg to gas up and ship out!  We had great clear road conditions as we hit Highway 6 and continued all the way to our first stop in Grand Rapids!

We settled into the Lodge across the street at The Northbrook Inn.

A BIG THANK YOU to our friends back at Prairie Theatre Exchange for our “Treasure Chest of Goodies”.  

After our first couple convienence store stops we are very thankful for hand sanitizer – “Hand Sanitizer for the Win”!

Monday, February 4, and Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Heather and Alissa had an exciting start to the morning after losing electricity to their hotel room during their morning routines!  Never fails, kettles and hair dryers - ALWAYS on the same circuit!  After regaining power we made our way to our morning performance at Grand Rapids School.

A four hour drive in the afternoon took us to Norway House where we settled in for a two night stay.  Normally you have to take a short ferry ride to Norway House, but in the winter months, you can drive there!

Ice Road Truckers!!

driving to Norway House

We performed two shows at Helen Betty Osborne School and one at Jack River School the next day.  

Monday Mascots on Friday anyone?

One of favourite things about our visit to Norway House was our incredible accommodations at Agnes and Terry's "West Island Cottages."  The cottages were beautiful, clean and had all the fixings we needed to settle in, including a full kitchen!  

Lisa is an AMAZING cook!

Having a full kitchen was a real luxury!  We ate all our meals at home, including two fancy dinners with Lisa as Head Chef and the rest of us as Prep Cooks!  The cottages really did prove to be our home away from home.  Thank you Terry and Agnes for a wonderful stay!

The view in the morning outside our cottages

The view at night.

Stay tuned for a report on the rest of this week's adventures is coming soon!  We are headed to Thompson tomorrow and they have wifi AND cell service!  Woo Hoo!

- Heather "Rose" and Alissa "Valerie" and Lisa, Stage Manager

Friday Q & A - Debbie Patterson, our Playwright

Welcome to this week's edition of Friday Q & A!

This week we interview our Playwright and Sound Designer - Debbie Patterson!

1. Robert Munsch has a huge cannon of books, how do you go about choosing which stories will end up in the play?

I try to pick a mix of classic Munsch and newer releases. I think about the theme and try to find stories that fit. For Magical Mystery Munsch I tried to find the most magical and mysterious stories. I also try not to repeat the same stories too too much, although I do have my favourites.

2. How did you come up with Mr. Kite, Rose, Valerie and the Portal into Robert Munsch's brain? It's such a cool concept!

The obvious beginning was that I thought about a magical mystery tour and what that would be. Where would you go on a magical mystery tour? So the portal idea came first as a place one might go on a tour like that. Then I thought about Being John Malkovich and the portal into his brain and kind of liked that idea. At one point the story was more "magic schoolbus": we were going to shrink the theatre and actually drive up into Robert Munsch's brain through his nose, but that seemed kind of messy, so I left that one alone. 

In the first draft I tried really hard to give Mr. Kite a line about Rose and Valerie screaming from the gallery, but it didn't work.

3. Do you write any other kinds of plays?

I wrote a musical about Anne Boleyn called Head that will never get produced again because it's just too huge. And I've written plays for my family to perform in the fringe: Candy from a Baby and Molotov Circus. I'm working on a new play called Sargent & Victor that's all about urban decay and multiple sclerosis. 

4. What's your favourite Robert Munsch book and why?

I like the Paperbag Princess because she kicks butt!

Thanks Deb!

-Lisa, Stage Manager

Friday Q & A - Janelle Regalbuto - Set and Costume Designer

Welcome to this week's edition of 'Friday Q &A'. (only one day late...oops!)

This week we've interviewed our lovely and talented Set and Costume Designer. Janelle was also our Scenic Artist - the person who paints the set.

Janelle - Hand painting our beautiful 

1. Where did you draw your inspiration for the set and costumes from? 

The inspiration came simply from The Beatles, and more specifically, the animated style of the film Yellow Submarine and the song: "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!"  The Yellow Submarine style is universally appealing and recognizable to children and the young at heart. It is simple and colorful. Mr. Kite is all about the circus and the characters which make up the show. Circus' are colorful and magical, with acts of surprise and clowning. These themes seemed like a perfect foundation for the multiple stories told in Magical Mystery Munsch.

2. You worked with the director (Arne MacPherson) to help make his and your vision come to life onstage - how did you come up with the book-like set design? When we first met to discuss the design concept, we agreed immediately on the overall cartoon-circus look. We were both however perplexed over the portal which the playwright, Debbie Patterson has included repeatedly in the play. The portal is how the characters are transported through Robert Munsch's brain from one story to the next. It is an important part of the story. It is the mysterious element of the show and we knew it had to be something. Arne wanted the transition through the portal to really change the audiences environment or feeling of the setting, maybe even be a bit scary. Now, designing a tour has some challenges in terms of space and weight. After over-thinking many physical representations of portals, which would've all resulted in clunky heavy set pieces, I knew I had to think in a more simple way. I remember envisioning a circus curtain opening up to the reveal the wonders inside and playing with a piece of paper, folding it this way and that. Something clicked and I knew we could use the idea of parting pages to conceptualize books and the imagination they hold. The idea was simple, the actual engineering and building however became a bit of a mind bender. But with the talented people at PTE, we were able to realize the design and now it is simple again!

3. You also hand painted the entire set! How long did it take you?

It took approximately two and a half weeks or 100 hours. Sometimes I would be sitting in the middle of the pages on the floor and I felt like I was in a giant coloring book. It was hard work, but fun.

4. What is your favourite Robert Munsch book and why?

There's a story titled Purple, Green and Yellow. It is about a girl who wants all the latest colored markers. It reminds me of childhood and coveting those Mr. Sketch scented markers or smelly markers as we'd call them. They were big with chisel tips and vivid colors, everyone would inhale the

larger than life scents before actually putting them to paper. I loved watermelon! Of course in the story the girl gets into trouble coloring things she shouldn't.

I love you Forever is another favorite, it is just a sweet classic.

Thanks to our show, I also have a big soft spot for Mud Puddle. I love the adaptation Arne made of it and the performances are just wonderfully hilarious. I could watch the cast perform this over and over again.

Thanks Janelle! 

- Lisa, Stage Manager

Training a New Van Monkey

Unloading and loading the van is a big part of our day. And we have developed a very good system to make it go as smoothly and quickly as possible.

An integral part of unloading and loading the van is the role of the Van Monkey. The Van Monkey stays in the back of the van and "directs traffic". When loading the van, he/she takes each set piece and packs it into its proper place (experience playing Tetris can come in handy in this role!). When unloading the van, the Van Monkey passes each item out so it can be brought into the school for the show.
The Van Monkey not only runs the pack, but he/she stays with the van to make sure our set and props are not carried off while we are inside.

Alissa has been our Van Monkey since we started the tour, but today Heather took the torch and will be our new Van Monkey for the next little while!

Watch out Gord! You're next! :)

-Lisa, Stage Manager

Last Week in Pictures

Here are a couple random pictures I took last week while we were out and about.

Finishing touches on the set at Ecole Guyot School

Lunch at my house on Monday after performing at Sansome School

Backstage before the show doing the preset at Gladstone School

Delicious lunch at UnBurger  before performing at Gladstone School

A scene from LOOK AT ME at Beautiful Saviour Lutheran School.

This is our last week performing in the city before we head out of town for the northern leg of our tour next Sunday. I will enjoy sleeping in my own bed more than usual this week - I'll miss it!

-Lisa, Stage Manager

Friday Q & A - The Cast

Welcome to "Friday Q & A"!


This week I've asked the cast a few questions:

Heather Russell - "Rose"

1. How did you get your start in acting?

I never expected to end up as an actor- my plan at 18 was to be a teacher.  It wasn’t until I was mostly done my four-year B.A. in French at Brandon University that I realized it was something I wanted to pursue (thanks the play Our Country’s Good, by Timberlake Whertenbaker).  I finished my degree, then moved to Winnipeg to go to the U of W.  I graduated in 2011 with an Honours B.A. in Acting, and I’ve been auditioning and creating ever since!

2. For you, how is preparing to play a character for a children's play differ from preparing for a role in a play for adults?

I don’t really prepare any differently, however every aspect of my character ends up being “bigger.” For the most part, you are what you are- not much subtext. You also have to consider that your audience is going to be a part of the show, almost like another character, so how will that affect you?

3. What is your favourite thing about playing "Rose"?

Rose is an overenthusiastic goofy gal! I love having the opportunity to connect with the kids and make them laugh. I also have a lot of fun with my friends, Mr. K and Valerie!

4. Do you have a job other than being an actor? If yes, what is it? If no, how'd you get to be so lucky?

Before I got this gig, I was a server at Stella’s on Sherbrook and a teacher at Manitoba Theatre for Young People. Munsch keeps me very busy, so I’m taking a break from both right now!

5. What are you most looking forward to while on tour?

Unloading and loading the van.

Gord Tanner - "Mr. Kite"

1. How did you get your start in acting?

At the University of Manitoba's Black Hole Theatre while I was purportedly working on my Master's degree in Biosystems Engineering.  One day I thought I was going to Peru to do my research,  and the next thing I knew, I was circus-folk.

2. For you, how is preparing to play a character for a children's play differ from preparing for a role in a play for adults?

Aside from the fact that there's less rolling in barrels required for most "grown up" plays?  Hmmm. [Once there was a sentence here that said some blah blah thing about children's theatre vs. adult theatre which was *so* pretentious, it could not sustain it's own existence, and so disappeared.]

3. What is your favourite thing about playing "Mr. Kite"?

Mr. Kite is an amalgamation of every bumbling cartoon villain of my childhood, who has a moment of enlightenment before the end.  And so I get to both twirl my moustache, *and* have a happy ending.  It's pretty sweet.  Also, I roll in a barrel.  Also, Mud Puddle.  Pretty sweet.  

4. Do you have a job other than being an actor? If yes, what is it? If no, how'd you get to be so lucky?

No other job. However, as an actor, I do work in three different media: stage, film/tv, and voice.  If it's truly luck, it can't be explained.  If not, I'd say it's my stubborn refusal to accept the inevitability of my own rejection.  Did I mention that I roll in a barrel?

5. What are you most looking forward to while on tour?

9 am in Gillam.  It will be epic.

Alissa Watson - "Valerie"

1. How did you get your start in acting?

I was lucky to have some really fantastic teachers in grade school.  Some of them were expert storytellers and others were wonderful at creating hilarious characters and they helped peak my interest in acting. (I also had a drama teacher for a mother that liked to “direct” me at home!)  Then, I studied theatre in university and began producing my own work for the Winnipeg Fringe Festival.  I have continued to study theatre at a lot of different places; as close as Prairie Theatre Exchange in Winnipeg and as far as London, England!  All of these moments and experiences have helped me get my start in acting.  However, as an emerging artist, new moments like this one - right now, right this moment - being a part of the wonderful world of Munsch at PTE is another chapter in the story of my “start”!

2. For you, how is preparing to play a character for a children's play differ from preparing for a role in a play for adults?

I do the same things to prepare for a children’s play, as I would to prepare for a show with an adult audience.  I still have to research the world of the play, I need to create a backstory for my characters and find out what their lives are like, I have to identify what my objectives or goals are in the play, etc.  However, what does change is the way I interact with the audience and often the style of the play will influence this.  To me, a lot of children’s theatre is very similar to clown.  In the style of clown, there is no “4^th wall” which means your audience is right along for the ride with you.  Often a character will talk directly to the audience and their relationship with the audience will change depending on the scene; the audience may represent a friend, a parent, a judge, whatever best connects them.  Acting in a children’s play is usually very physical and the characters are often exaggerated so I have to make sure to take care of my body and stretch well before performing.  ALSO, when working on a children’s play, I work on making silly faces and voices because I know kids love them!   

3. What is your favourite thing about playing "Valerie"?

I really love Valerie’s sense of adventure but if I had to pick, one of my favorite things about playing Valerie is ALSO getting to play all her other crazy characters in the Munsch stories.  When Mr. Kite, Valerie and Rose go through the portal into Robert Munsch’s brain, I think there is a unique reason why the brain chooses Valerie to play the characters she does.  To me, each character that Valerie plays in the Munsch stories represents a different piece of her personality or life.  For example, I think Valerie plays Robin in Murmel, Murmel, Murmelbecause of her independence and her connection to Rose as a “big sister”.  It has been really fun to explore Valerie in this special way!

4. Do you have a job other than being an actor? If yes, what is it? If no, how'd you get to be so lucky?

When I am not on stage I am a teacher!  I started my career at Heritage School in Winnipeg, teaching kindergarten to grade 5 music.  I have also taught middle and senior years band and drama, as well as various elementary classroom positions.  Over the last few years, I have been really lucky to teach kids some classes at Prairie Theatre Exchange and Manitoba Theatre for Young People too.  Having the flexibility to do auditions and rehearsals means I can’t have a full-time teaching position right now, so I work as a substitute teacher for many school divisions in the city.  It is true that my pursuit of acting would not be feasible if I didn’t also work several odd jobs - yes, sometimes serving - to “pay the bills”, as they say!

5. What are you most looking forward to while on tour?

I am very much looking forward to:

Getting to know my three fabulous company members better.  Learning how to blog.  Trying out life on the road.  Laughing….LOTS!  Exploring the province of Manitoba; especially the northern communities!  Settlers of Catan?

Thanks guys!

-Lisa, Stage Manager