By Joe Szekeres
Growth and change are inevitable parts in all our lives. With growth and change come renovations. I just recently learned that Town Hall 1873, Port Perry, will change its name to Town Hall Theatre.
How appropriate the first production of the upcoming Borelians’ 49th theatre season will feature, in its title, changes going on at the Town Hall.
‘RENOVATIONS’ a comedy by Sunderland resident and Borelians member, Graeme Powell, is the hilarious and heartwarming story of Brent (Jay DaCosta) and Jenny (Sam Smilovic), a young couple amid renovating an old Victorian house in a small, southern Ontario town. Initially all seems well: they are madly in love with each other while meeting some very ‘interesting’ neighbours. As the story progresses, there are cracks in more than just the plaster of their home. Soon, the past and future begin to exert pressure.
Producer and first-time director of this upcoming production is Borelians member Amy Caughlin.
This is not the first time ‘RENOVATIONS’ has been staged in the Durham Region. The original production in 2014 was presented by Onstage Uxbridge and directed by Borelians’ members (and husband and wife) Annette Stokes and Michael Serres. Amy Caughlin was the producer of the show at that time. For this original production, Bryan Mailey won a Thea for the spectacular set in Uxbridge and has agreed once again to build the specs in the script while still creating something a bit different and new in the Town Hall Theatre.
Why re-stage the show again five years later? Ms. Caughlin says:
“After the box office success of ‘Palmer Park’ this year, the Borelians Board of Directors decided to bring ‘RENOVATIONS’ home since playwright Graeme Powell for years was the heart of the community group. The Borelians felt it really should have been them to premiere ‘RENOVATIONS’ and wanted to rectify what they saw as a missed opportunity.
Caughlin volunteered when the Board began looking for a director of the production since she has always wanted to try her hand at directing. Her familiarity with ‘RENOVATIONS’ and her fondness for the story would make it a good first outing because she believes “It is Graeme’s best play – It has humour, but also a lot of heart!”
Casting for this new production brought a bit of initial worry about finding the right people for Caughlin. Her involvement in the original production made it hard for her to separate some of the character roles from the actors who originated them. When she held auditions, Ms. Caughlin felt they were a revelation for her as, in a couple of cases, the actors convinced her to go in another direction with the character. Additionally, Ms. Caughlin is extremely happy with the casting as she was very fortunate to get so many talented actors to come out and who want to get off their scripts so they can do more.
Have there been challenges to overcome during the rehearsal process for Caughlin? Obviously, there will always be:
“One of the challenges has been to figure out which elements of the original staging in Uxbridge were permanent – something that should be incorporated in the stage directions of all future productions. This is one of the interesting aspects about working with a playwright directly. Some things start as set dressing or framing ideas from the director but become an integral part of the production.”
At this time, playwright Graeme Powell has not attended any rehearsals. According to Caughlin, Powell is aware and approves the final casting. Summer rehearsals have taken place after hours at the Scugog Public Library, which is not ideal for dropping by. Caughlin told me that Powell came to most rehearsals during the original production in 2014, made some additional tweaks after the show wrapped, and now sees his script as a fairly polished version. Amy and her cast heartily agree.
Caughlin and the cast hope that audiences will walk away from ‘RENOVATIONS’ with the message that we are all ‘works in progress’ and that renovations to ourselves and our relationships are never complete. While the play is very funny, Caughlin believes the characters within the script are almost painfully real – even the oddball characters – and they are not farcical at all. If anything, there is a great deal of humanity within the story.
Joining Jay DaCosta (from Brock) and Sam Smilovic (from Oshawa) on stage are David Geene (Peterborough), Lee Laycoe (Port Perry), Mike Doucette (Whitby), Onella de Zilva (Oshawa), Alexandra Hines (Port Perry) and Howard Linscott (Port Perry).
‘RENOVATIONS’ will play at the Town Hall Theatre, 302 Queen Street, Port Perry, October 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19 at 8 pm and October 12 and 19 at 2 pm. There is a Gala performance Friday October 11 where there will be beer, wine and refreshments prior to the performance and a discussion with the director and cast following the curtain call.
Tickets are available via the website. To learn more about The Borelians, visit their website.