Light, sound and action behind scenes of Oz

(The following article originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on March 11, 2009.)

By Gillian Brunette

As the large community production of The Wizard of Oz enters into its final weeks of rehearsals, much depends upon the talents of the backstage crew.

Just as the actors have to learn their parts, so too do those who work behind the scenes. The costumiers, light and sound technicians, set design, construction and props people play vital roles in ensuring that everything comes together as it should when the curtain opens.

At the production’s outset one of the most important group of people are those who design and build the stage sets. For Wizard, the role of set designer belongs to Helena Renwick. Renwick spent many years as front of house manager, both in Toronto and at the Algonquin Theatre, but wanted to express her creative side through the making and designing of sets.

SCENING IS BELIEVING: Helena Renwick, set designer for The Wizard of Oz, shows one of her many sketches for a scene in the show. Thanks to a whole host of volunteers, the designs will be transformed into built structures and convincing images on stage.

“I spent three years at Ryerson University studying theatre production and learned much from that program, not just house management, but all aspects of lighting, sound and costuming that have been most useful in many areas of my life,” said Renwick, who also has a degree in visual arts from the University of Toronto.

Renwick created the sets for the Christmas production of A Gift to Last, directed by Derek Shelly, and prior to that designed and painted the underwater world of Atlantis for the Muskoka Dance Academy’s production of The Little Mermaid.

Last year, her involvement in the musical Annie allowed her to soar to new heights in the scale of the sets. “The skyline of New York City, some 18 feet high, was the most fun I have had with paint and a step ladder in a long time,” she laughed.

The designs for the Oz set have had Renwick thinking outside the box.

“She was the person I wanted to create the look of Oz and the Emerald City. We had similar ideas about keeping the set minimal and using the effect of lighting as sets,” said director Gregg Evans.

So, rather than using large, cumbersome sets, Renwick designed the sets with the use of lights and projections onto the syc, which is a large cloth the width and height of the stage (upstage) upon which lights can be projected to create an illusion of space.

“I always felt the syc has never been used to its full potential,” said Renwick. “By utilizing a variety of lights and capturing the different effects each light can produce, the resulting images will be very special indeed.”

Renwick will be working closely with lighting director James Solecki to obtain the desired illusions. Taking the designs from the page and turning them into physical shapes fell to the construction crew working under the watchful eye of Ross Kirwin. A Rotarian, Kirwin brought a number of fellow members onside, just one of several areas where the Rotary Clubs of Huntsville has combined its talents with the North Muskoka Players and the Huntsville Festival of the Arts, who are producing the show.

When the curtain finally opens on April 16, prepare to be amazed by the talented cast on stage and the players in the orchestra pit — of which Neil Barlow is the director and Jillian McDougall the music director — but also spare a thought for the people behind the scenes. Just a few of them include Suzanne Riverin, assistant artistic director, Jay Osborne, stage manager, Don McCormick, sound cues, Chris Boon, sound, Zelda Dwyer assistant stage manager, Lisa Thomas, props, Nicole Pantaleo, costumes, and Carol Rhodes, make-up, all ably assisted by a whole host of volunteers.

The Wizard of Oz plays for nine performances. Tickets are $80 for a family of four, $25 for adults and $20 for youth under 18, and are on sale now at the Algonquin Theatre box office on Main Street, by dialling 789-4975, or online at www.algonquintheatre.ca

Sponsorship vital to success of the festival

(The following Trumpeter column originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on March 4, 2009.)

By Bruce Gowan,
Huntsville Festival of the Arts director

The quality and quantity of the events presented by the Huntsville Festival of the Arts (HFA) is dependant upon the generous support of many organizations and individuals. With the festival’s 17th season approaching, we would like to express our gratitude to current and past sponsors and patrons for its success to date.

The gate receipts for performances do not always cover the costs. Thus, the sponsors’ contributions often allow us to bring special talents to Huntsville for the enjoyment of all.

Another unique attribute of the festival is that all net proceeds are reinvested into the community. Ongoing projects include scholarships for area youth, artistic support for area schools and organizations, and subsidized performances and cultural events throughout the vicinity.

The support of sponsors is vital to the number of educational and cultural events that can be presented, as well as the number of scholarships the festival can provide.

We encourage all members of the community to help the festival by supporting our sponsors. Sponsors are acknowledged in our brochures and at festival shows, and we ask area residents to reward this contribution by patronizing the businesses that help bring excitement and education to our community.

Bruce Gowan, HFA director [Photo by Jon Snelson.]

Sponsorship can be given/recognized in several forms, including direct main-stage performance of a specific artist or group; these sponsors are acknowledged specifically at the related performance(s) as well as in our published literature. The Patrons Program is a general support mechanism for our summer program and participants are acknowledged in published brochures and programs. Individual donors are acknowledged in performance programs.

The HFA recognizes its sponsors with passes to performances, as well as the well-deserved public acknowledgements. The festival is always looking for new sponsors to help maintain and expand our programs. Potential new sponsors should contact HFA general manager Rob Saunders at 788-2787, or by e-mail to info@huntsvillefestival.on.ca, for details on how you can assist our community.

Last summer, the festival’s board of directors had the opportunity to acknowledge the exceptional contribution of several individuals for their hard work, encouragement and support of the festival of the arts since its inception. Recently, one of these individuals, Susan Alberghini, passed away in Toronto. Susan was one of the HFA’s co-founders and an ardent supporter. We will dearly miss her, but her legacy to our community has been clearly established and will carry on through our future successes.

Tripping the light fantastic with a pro's help

(The following article originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on March 4, 2009.)

By Gillian Brunette

One of the many highlights of the much-anticipated show the Wizard of Oz will be the cast who, in addition to singing, will be dancing their way around the Algonquin Theatre stage in April.

For many, dancing will be a whole new experience but, thanks to the show’s choreographer Suzanne Baxter, they should be just about foot-perfect by opening night.

In addition to the main actors, the cast of Oz includes a number of talented youngsters. However, working with a large group of mostly inexperienced children does have its challenges, Baxter said.

“That’s because (the routines) have to be simple enough for them to learn, yet interesting enough to be effective. That’s the challenge. If it’s too difficult they’ll never get it, and I want this to look as professional as possible, not like a bunch of little kids at a dance recital.”

Baxter understands young children well. She and husband Don have two: four and half-year-old Miltie and Grace, three. As well, she began her own dancing career at the tender age of five, in Hamilton. “I learned to dance first with ballet, then got into jazz, and a bit of tap,” she recalled. “Later, I joined a dance troupe doing small shows for functions and special events.”

COME DANCING: Choreographer Suzanne Baxter is surrounded by some of the young dancers who will appear in the Wizard of Oz, which opens at the Algonquin Theatre on April 16.

She was 19 when she was hired for the Las Vegas-style show at Deerhurst Resort. It was 1982. “I saw an ad in the Hamilton Spectator, auditioned and got the job.”

Baxter remained at Deerhurst for six years, and then moved on to various other gigs before returning to the Deerhurst show in 1993 for a further six years.

“Then I left and established my esthetics business and, soon after that, I got involved with local productions,” she said, adding that her first acting part was in a Bracebridge play titled The Amorous Ambassador.

As a former professional dancer, Baxter segued into choreography with little difficulty. Her first show was Michele and Jim Collins’ production The Sound of Music at All Saints’ Sutherland Hall about seven years ago. “That was the best experience,” said Baxter.

Next, Baxter co-choreographed the North Muskoka Players’ production of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Algonquin Theatre with Annette Casullo, also a former Deerhurst show performer. Then came Aida, which she co-choreographed with yet another Deerhurst show alumna Camille Dziewurski.

Baxter was sole choreographer for Fiddler on the Roof and Annie, the latter being her favourite to this point. “Working with all those little girls was wonderful,” she said.

Asked to explain the process of choreographing a show, Baxter replied: “After listening to a song a million times, I put it into sections and, in each section, there might be a different formation. I let the lyrics guide me as to what (the dancers) will be doing when choreographing individuals,” she explained.

“In a situation like Scarecrow or the Tinman numbers, you can sometimes brainstorm with the actor. For instance, Scarecrow is going to be doing a lot of falling and I’ve not done falling choreography before, so we will have to work on that.”

Baxter also watched the movie version of Oz. “I have taken some ideas from that. The audience expects certain dance steps they have seen for years, such as the jog along the Yellow Brick Road. That’s so much part of what Oz is. Furthermore, a classic like the Wizard of Oz shouldn’t be re-invented. You have to stick with the original ideas,” she said.

The Wizard of Oz is presented by the Huntsville Festival of the Arts, the North Muskoka Players and the Huntsville Rotary clubs, and opens at the Algonquin Theatre on April 16 for nine performances. Tickets are $80 for a family of four, $25 for adults and $20 for youth under 18, and are on sale now at the Algonquin Theatre box office on Main Street, by dialling 789-4975, or online at www.algonquintheatre.ca.