Two comedies presented at dessert theatres highlighted drama productions at Ecole Secondaire Chapleau High School in 1986-87

 PHOTOS FROM 'THE PERFECT IDIOT' ADDED ON APRIL 12, 2011.

Dessert theatres were an added highlight to the presentation of two dramatic comedies at Ecole Secondaire Chapleau High School during the 1986-87 school year.

Writing in The Daily Press, George Evans noted that for the Spring production of Emily and Grant Dickinson's 'The Perfect Idiot', the gymnasium had been transformed for a second time into a cabaret where the audience could sip coffee and nibble on home-made desserts.

The successful dessert theatre format was introduced for the school's Fall production of 'Three to get Married' by Kay Hill.

In his review, George writes that Marcel Morin as Daniel Tennyson was "alternately irritatingly clever and pathetically inept" as he schemed and blundered his way to his final success." In the beginning he was a high school genius and social disaster.

Dan's bewildered parents were played "with convincing authority" by Glen Pilon and Trudy Wilson with Michael Telik as Dan's younger brother and Tara Brunette as the bustling, motherly maid, completing the Tennyson houshold.

George noted that Jeremy Comte was effective as the dumb athlete, Buff Witomski,whose inability to pass exams greatly worried Kathy Byer and Leah Cyr the scheming cheerleaders.

Christopher Ivey, who played a bumbling industrialist gave an energetic impression in his role, while Cindy McLaren as the high school principal and Allison Berry as a teacher provided "alarmingly accurate impersonations of the real thing," George wrote, adding that it was also as though they had been preparing for the parts for years.

Jennifer Swanson played the role of the high school principal's daughter while Andre Bourgeault was a police officer, Mchael Alloy a psychiatrist and Kelly Booth, a newspaper reporter.

Mrs. Yvette Joyal was the production secretary and was responsible for makeup and costumes assisted by Lisa Martel and Paula Martel. The property master was Jennifer Vezina assisted by Ginette Morin; sound effects by Alain Lavoie; stage managers Chris Ranger and Darryl Vezina; lighting assistant Camille Fortin; prompter Tara Leigh O'Hearn and the hostesses for the dessert theatre organized by Margaret Rose Fortin were Jocelyne Rioux and Sharon Henderson.

Michael Holgate and Michael Heintz joined me in directing the play while other teaching staff members involved included Alex Babin, Jean Pierre Villeneuve, Rick Dell, Carolyn Hryhorchuk, David Anderson and Chris Knowles. The schools head custodian Gilbert Landry was an unsung hero of the production.

In the Fall of the year, the first dessert theatre was held at ESCHS when the students presented 'Three to get Married', a comedy set in Nova Scotia in 1835 centring around the scheming efforts of Rev. Horatio Dogberrry played by Christopher Ivey to marry off his three daughters. It is a delightful comedy and a play which I first directed for the Chapleau Little Theatre in 1969.

The daughters, Angelina, Seraphina and Dulcinea, played by Trudy Wilson, Anita Hoffren and Jennifer Swanson respectively, gave great performances, while their father "tricked" the unsuspecting arrivals at their church rectory doubling as an inn into marrying his daughters. The suitors to be and eventual husbands were played by Glen Pilon, Marcel Morin and Michel Sylvestre.

Jennifer Vezina played Aunt Lizzie, Dogberry's sister, while Debra Vezina and Allison Berry were the congregation. Linda Tebbutt was the handyman. Catherine Pellow was the hostess for the dessert theatre. Sets were by Chris Ranger; property master Cindy Mclaren; prompter Tania Stover, and the music club was under the direction of Margaret Rose Fortin and Joanne Laughland.

Members of a parent's committee helping with the dessert theatre included Joyce Vezina, Erma Stover, Sheila Wilson and Marian Pellow. Mrs. Joyal was in charge of makeup and costumes and Carolyn Hryhorchuk choreography. Michael Holgate, Michael Heintz and I directed the play.

George Evans, Rick Dell, Alex Babin and Jean Pierre Villeneuve of the teaching staff also assisted.

MAIL

Jamie Thibault wrote as follows: "Chief, I'm sitting here going through a copy of a program from your production of "Three to Get Married" in 1969 in which you were lead. My brother Ronnie and I moved my mother on the weekend to an apartment in Windsor and I came across it. Quite the memories for you I'm sure and also for me as I was a member of the Drama club in the early 70's as well. Other members of the production were Bernadette Murphy, Eleanor Belfry, Sonia Riddoch, Margaret Costello, Frank Bignucolo, Douglas Rettie and Peter Reid. Mom did the set design and makeup.

"I kinda of remember it as a 10 year old because it was a big thing back then and Mom was involved. If my memory serves me well the NEW High School on the hill had just been inaugurated a few years before."

Just a note on Jamie's message. His mother is Monique Thibault as many readers will know. Yes, I had to play Rev. Horatio Dogberry at the last moment when the person in the role was transferred and Robert Fife, then a CHS student, now Ottawa bureau chief for CTV News, also joined the cast when another actor became ill.

Seems like only yesterday. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Ecole Secondaire Chapleau High School students received standing ovations for performances in World War II production for Remembrance Day in 1987

PHOTOS ADDED ON APRIL 11, 2011. WRITTEN OCTOBER 2009

Just recently I received a message on Facebook from Derek Lafreniere recalling "You'll Get Used To It ... The War Show", by Peter Colley, a play about World War II that I directed at Ecole Secondaire Chapleau High School just prior to Remembrance Day in 1987.

 Derek was a student in my drama course and played a leading role in the production. He later served in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Derek wrote: "I remember the Army play you directed that I was in. It was such a great experience. In addition, we put on one hell of a show if I may say so. If I remember correctly it was a fairly large production,singing, dancing etc..."

It sure was all that you write about it Derek and after a successful run in Chapleau we took it to Wawa for a presentation at Michipicoten High School.

As Remembrance Day on November 11 approaches it seemed a good time to bring back the moment that ESCHS students, staff and community members were involved in the production of Peter Colley's play. Colley noted that his play looked at Canada at war through the eyes of the soldiers themselves, adding that if at times it seemed they did not take the war as seriously as some people would think, "it must be remembered that our soldiers didn't take it that seriously either." When they weren't actually fighting, they took a break from the war.

This play was produced in conjunction with Branch Number 5 of the Royal Canadian Legion in Chapleau.

I directed many plays during my years at CHS/ESCHS, and each one was very special to me, but this one really challenged the cast as it combined many dramatic techniques including mime, music and dance into a play set in a time period which was not even a distant memory to them.

When I first read the play I was studying drama at the Faculty of Education at the University of Toronto, and it was a play I knew I had to direct for two reasons: it would place new demands on my students to reach beyond the ordinary in playing the respective roles, and because of the tribute it paid to Canada's ordinary soldiers in the ranks, including many from Chapleau. But they were not ordinary at all. They were the exceptional generation who left loved ones at home to serve. Some returned. Some, like my father, James E. "Jim" Morris, and other Chapleauites did not.

Twenty-two years after "You'll Get Used To It: The War Show" brought audiences to their feet in rousing standing ovations from the packed houses, I remember it like it was yesterday, and I am still in touch with some of the cast.

Writing in The Daily Press, reviewer George Evans, said that a "wonderful thing" happened at ESCHS. "For the older people there was bittersweet nostalgia for the years of World War II, and for the younger folk there was the impact of seeing war as it really was for the 1939 generation of teenagers. From oldest to youngest, the audience was caught up in the banality, the humor, and ultimately, the irreversible waste of war."

The outstanding company included Marcel Morin, Michel Sylvestre, Derek Lafreniere, Dean Harvey, Jeremy Comte, Christopher Ivey, Tara Leigh O'Hearn, Anita Hoffren, Andre Bourgeault, Kyle St. Amand, Gerry Servais, Kyle Videto, Laurianne Martel, Desmond Larocque, Donna Old, Annalisa Meyer, Michelle Meyer and Lori Brunette.

Margaret Rose Fortin, of the ESCHS teaching staff, did an incredible job as the music director, with Mrs. Ruth Godemair as the pianist. Members of the ESCHS Chorus included Gabriela Dell, Carolyn Hryhorchuk, Gerard Lalonde, Juliette Payette, Dave Fagan, Yvette Joyal, Desmond Larocque, Mike Holgate and Alison Wedekamm. George noted in his review that it was "impossible to overestimate" the contribution of the chorus to the emotional impact of the production.

Also greatly contributing to the success of the production was the awesome use of sound and lighting particularly in the battle scenes in the very capable hands of William Mitchell, Sylvain Bernier and Scott Keech. Video was done by Derek Woods. Costumes and makeup were looked after most capably by Yvette Joyal and Lisa Martel, and I must add that Mrs. Joyal pitched in to help with every aspect of the production. She was always available to help.

Set design was by Roxane Duhaim, while official photographer was Michael Heintz, prompter was Yvonne Ranger, and properties and stage assistant was Allison Berry. Rick Dell and Crystal Collins produced the program.

Production co-ordinator was Ross Hryhorchuk who noted that on the day before Remembrance Day there was also a special ceremony at the school to honour the members and veterans of Harry Searle Branch Number 5 of the Royal Canadian Legion as a simple thank you to them.

Thanks again to all of you for making the last play I directed at CHS/ESCHS among my most memorable moments from the years I spent at the school. My email is mj.morris@live.ca.

I am also on facebook.

This article appeared originally in my Chapleau Moments column in the Chapleau Express of October 17, 2009.