In an impromptu Mad Hatter's tea party last Sunday, some members of the Onstage Performance Group got together to discuss plans to launch this fall's journey into the magical world of fairy-tale.
The group is producing Cinderella...Sorta, a comedic version of the classic tale that will delight the whole family.
The Onstage Performance Group is a not-for-profit amateur theatre group that has produced several original scripts, including Fire On The Moon, Christmas Pudding, Music! Music! Music!, and The Queen Of Ice-Cream, all written by group founder and former artistic director, Robert J. Newby.
Members of the group come from Barrie and communities surrounding the city.
Fire On The Moon won the coveted Thea Award from ACTCO, the amateur theatre world's equivalent to an Oscar, for an original script. Newby is returning after a year-long hiatus due to his wife Pauline's illness and recent death from Alzheimer's Disease, and is easing back to lend a guiding hand to the group.
The group's venue has traditionally been the Park Place Theatre in Barrie, however, the site is slated for demolition, and the group will be left without a theatre.
"We are still searching for an affordable space," says president Katherine Bell. Onstage Performance Group relies on memberships, fundraisers, ticket sales and sponsors to pay for expenses.
On Saturday, June 16, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. they are holding a fundraiser yard sale at 54 Springholme Dr. in the Little and Bayview area.
Anyone interested in joining the group or auditioning, call 735-0697 or check out the website at Onstagetheatre.ca.
"It's just a wonderful experience for the whole family", says Michelle Devlin, who performed in last spring's Music! Music! Music! with her daughter Emily. Devlin is taking on her first role of director in the upcoming show, and is excited about the prospect.
"Luckily, there are lots of great people in this group, so it's very much a joint effort."
Actors, scriptwriters, singers, dancers, stage hands, carpenters, painters, seamstressess, jacks-of-all-trades, and general dogsbodies are welcome to join.
