HANOVER – Summer is coming and things are winding down on the Hanover Community Players (HCP) stage, but that doesn’t mean that efforts have stopped.
Work is continuing on the large-scale musical Matilda being offered to the public at the Hanover Civic Theatre, opening Dec. 1. The director, band and cast have been working on the musical for weeks now and full-scale rehearsals will start in September.
The cast and production people of Mom’s Gift were extremely pleased with the artistic showing of the play. The story moved along continuously with Kat (Jennifer White) and Mom (Linda Lloyd-McKenzie) on the stage for almost the entire play! The supporting cast seamlessly worked with them and the ensemble had people laughing and crying but happily surprised at the outcome of the story. HCP are sure that if the play had been adjudicated, nominations would have been received.
Oliver!, the December musical, had nominations in five different categories in the Western Ontario Drama League adjudication process. Despite not winning any trophies, HCP is enormously proud of the efforts of its cast and production people being nominated as it means they were at the top of their game.
Nominees included:
Tim Heerema (Fagin) – Outstanding Performance in a Major Role;
Kate Heerema (Bet) – Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role;
Kaitlyn Miller (Oliver) and Kate Heerema (Bet) – Best Juvenile;
Ted Easton (Mr. Sowerberry) – Best Newcomer; and,
Sherri DeGroot, Aleesha DeGroot and Donna Douma – Best Visually Coordinated Costumes – Non-Rental Nature.
For Sherri DeGroot, Aleesha DeGroot and Donna Douma, this was their fourth nomination in this category.
HCP has also chosen its spring play: Drinking Habits by Tom Smith.
Accusations, mistaken identities, and romances run wild in this traditional, laugh-out-loud farce. Two nuns at the Sisters of Perpetual Sewing have been secretly making wine to keep the convent’s doors open, but Paul and Sally, reporters and former fiancées, are hot on their trail. They go undercover as a nun and priest, but their presence, combined with the addition of a new nun, spurs paranoia throughout the convent that spies have been sent from Rome to shut them down. Wine and secrets are inevitably spilled as everyone tries to preserve the convent and reconnect with lost loves.
The farce requires five women and three men. Auditions will take place Oct. 15 and 16, with rehearsals twice a week commencing in January.
Watch for future information on the HCP website: www.hanovercommunityplayers.ca.
