Noted guitarist Kevin Ramessar has brought together a range of musicians to perform in a pair of Paul Simon tribute concerts this weekend at the Registry Theatre in Kitchener.

The shows Friday and Saturday night mark the second such tribute by Ramessar, the first one last year having been a resounding success. More of Simon’s music will fill the Registry Theatre this time around.

“The first show came out of a discussion about doing some kind of tribute to an artist that inspired several generations. Paul Simon is that kind of musician – a lot of his music spans time and a whole lot of genres,” said Ramessar from his Kitchener home.

The more he listened to Simon’s music, the more he fell in love with it. As a much-hailed guitar player, Ramessar was also happy to discover that Simon is an accomplished guitarist, not just a great songwriter.

“That really gave me something to sink my teeth into.”

Adding to his excitement about these new shows are the performers he’s lined up to join him. Ramessar’s coup for this concert is the legendary violinist Hugh Marsh, renowned for playing with Bruce Cockburn, Robert Palmer and Loreena McKennitt, among others.

Also on board is Elmira singer Giselle Sanderson (Lace), drummer Paul Delong (Kim Mitchell, David Clayton-Thomas), Jeff King, saxophone (2007 JUNO winner for Best Contemporary Jazz Album), bassist Matt Lima (Kellylee Evans, Dawn Langstroth), singer-songwriter Jacob Moon, and keyboard player and vocalist Mike Janzen.

“This is a bit of a dream team for me,” said Ramessar. “Playing with these guys is really raising the bar.”

He’s performed with some of them before, but has been trying to collaborate with others for many years, the timing never seeming to work, but “things came together for this show.”

This group has been assembled specifically for this weekend’s shows. Rehearsals have been a whole lot of fun, he said, not the least because each of the musicians has contributed to the interpretations of Simon’s music. More than a tribute, the concerts will put a fresh spin on the songs.

The mark of a well-written song is that it works even with different takes on the music and lyrics, Ramessar said.

“It’s the kind of music that lends itself to other arrangements. It lets you have room to breathe.”
On tap are some of Simon’s hits, naturally, but also some of the hidden gems. Given the songwriter’s extensive catalogue, there were many to choose from.

“There are some smaller songs that, as a band, we love. We’ve changed things here and there, made them our own.”

Kevin Ramessar’s Return to Graceland, The Songs of Paul Simon, Volume 2 hits the stage Mar. 12 and 13 at 8 p.m. at the Registry Theatre, 122 Frederick St., Kitchener. Tickets are $25, available at the Centre in the Square box office by calling 578-1570 or toll free 1-800-265-8977 or online at www.centre-square.com.

Eleven albums into his recording career, he remains as passionate about history today as he was as an undergraduate student in Calgary. That will be on display Mar. 20 during the next installment of the Folk Night at the Registry series.

Juno Award-winning folk singer James Keelaghan brings his rich story-telling style to The Registry Theatre Mar. 20.

“People have an abiding sense of history, a love of history. I was raised in a family where history mattered as a topic of conversation, where history is very important,” he said of his early influences.

A Juno Award-winning Canadian folk singer-songwriter, Keelaghan’s love of a good story has made him a favourite with both domestic and international audiences. He’s renowned for the stories he brings to life, and the depth of the detail he brings to his lyrics.

“I’m always on the lookout for a good story or idea. My sister told me the story that became “Kiri’s Piano,” a song that visits a dark chapter in Canadian history: Japanese internment camps in the Second World War. The image of someone sacrificing their prized possession in order to maintain their dignity was too powerful to ignore.”

That song has become a Keelaghan classic. As has “Cold Missouri Waters,” a haunting ballad about a Montana forest-fire tragedy.

Then there’s “Captain Torres,” which tells of a ship that sank leaving no survivors during a horrific 1989 storm in the Cabot Strait. It fits the bill as what The Tragically Hip’s Gord Downie last month called the tale of loss at sea required of every Canadian performer. (As noted during a Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame event with Gordon Lightfoot, discussing “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” and The Hip’s “Nautical Disaster.”)

“I’ve always had the urge to write,” Keelaghan explained from his Winnipeg home. “Some things weren’t being said in the way I wanted to say them, some things were not being written about at all. That’s why I started to write the historical material. That led me to writing my own personal narratives as well.”

A proponent of lifelong learning, he noted there are always new facts, new stories that can be translated into song. He recommends we all give into our natural curiosity: learning does not end upon graduation – “There’s a lot of stuff that we’re not taught in school.”

In his music, that philosophy unfolds as literate, multidimensional songwriting.

While that comes through in his recordings, it’s in the live shows that the stories really come to life, he maintained. There’s nothing like the immediacy and the intimacy of live music.

Just as his songs attempt to capture the essential human condition in the stories he draws from, Keelaghan suggests the live music taps into something visceral, that same gut feeling that draws him to a tale in the first place. When a song connects with the people in the crowd, he knows it.

“You see it in their faces even as you’re singing.”

Those in the seats for the Kitchener show will hear from his new album, House of Cards, plus “as many of the classics as I can fit in.”

James Keelaghan takes the stage Mar. 20 at 8 p.m. at the Registry Theatre, 122 Frederick St., Kitchener. Tickets are $20 ($22 at the door), available at the Centre in the Square box office by calling 578-1570 or toll free 1-800-265-8977 or online at www.centre-square.com. For more information, check out www.folknight.ca.

This is the fourth show in the Folk Night at the Registry series. Next up are The Marigolds, who’ll perform Apr. 10.

Folk singer James Gordon will perform Mar. 6 at the Registry Theatre in support of his new album My Stars Your Eyes.

A prolific songwriter, Gordon is well known for his contribution to the folk genre. He was a founding member of the influential band Tamarack, a founder of the Hillside Festival held annually in Guelph, serving as its first creative director from 1985 to 1988, and started the Canadian Songwriters’ Festival.

He’s made numerous appearances on television and radio, having been a resident songwriter on CBC radio for 12 years, with weekly songs on shows including Basic Black. Gordon has released more than 40 albums as a solo performer and as a member of Tamarack.

With Tamarack, the songs are noted for their Canadiana, portraits of this country’s diverse landscape. He’s also written extensively about social justice and environmental issues. Now My Stars Your Eyes sees Gordon edging into love songs, something even he marved at during a telephone interview from his Guelph home, having just returned from a month-long tour of British Columbia.

“Yes, love songs, at this stage, if you can believe it,” he laughed, referring to his more than 30 years of performing.

Much of the album, however, deals with the larger issues of life.

“It looks at the question ‘how? It addresses the question, ‘how do you want to live? In these changing times, how do we adapt? How do we fit in?”

Those kinds of questions are great fodder for singer-songwriters, especially those in the folk vein. Perhaps that’s why he’s seen an increase in the number of younger artists with sensibilities harkening back to folkier times, perhaps with an alternative sound thrown in for good measure. Gordon points to indie rock bands such as the Great Lake Swimmers as an example.

Where the performers have gone, a younger audience has followed. So much so that he’s seeing a real mix – 20-somethings in seats alongside those 70-plus who would have been around for the big folk boom that included the likes of Pete Seeger – at his shows.

“There’s been a bit of resurgence in that type of music that’s crossing generational lines,” he said.

James Gordon’s CD release performance takes place Mar. 6 at 8 p.m. at the Registry Theatre, 122 Frederick St., Kitchener. Tickets are $18, available at the Centre in the Square box office by calling 578-1570 or toll free 1-800-265-8977 or online at www.centre-square.com.

Jessica MacDonald, Becca Ellig, Matt Brodie, Nicki Brubacher, Ethan Bleskie, Jodie Gunn, Amanda Mikel, Kristen Baster, Nathan Jagger and Julie Ingriselli are some of the cast members performing The Play’s the Thing for the Sears Drama Festival. A public performance will be held Wednesday evening.

But sharing in those antics is just what the audience gets to do in a new production by the EDSS drama department. The Play’s the Thing is a play within a play, revealing all about the process of making theatre.
Written by drama teacher DJ Carroll and some of his students, the production tells the tale of a group of actors trying to put on a play, with the resultant backstage hijinks being much more captivating than the story they want to stage.

“It’s really a lot of fun, as you get a look at what’s going on backstage and all the things that can go wrong,” Carroll explained.

The plot thickens as two would-be thieves attempt to infiltrate the production in order to steal some valuable objects being used as props.

The Play’s the Thing is Elmira District Secondary School’s entry into the Sears Drama Festival. The district competition takes place next weekend, and the drama students will be performing one public show Wednesday night in advance of heading to St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School in Cambridge.

The script was inspired by the play and movie versions of Noises Off. The enormously successful play was written in 1982 by English playwright Michael Frayn, and made into a 1992 movie starring Michael Caine and Carol Burnett, among others.

“There’s always a lot going on – always something funny,” said Carroll
The goings-on behind the scenes – the technical problems, the egos and the romances – are all something even the young actors can relate to, he said, noting how the script came together.

Moving the actors from on stage to backstage, all the while keeping the pace blistering, has been a challenge, albeit an enjoyable one, he added.

Given that the audience can’t be out in the seats and behind the stage at the same time, the production has the additional technical challenge of a rotating set: the stage and the backstage.

“Whenever we go backstage, you actually get to see backstage,” he said.

Next week’s performance for the judges is the first of three levels in the Sears Drama Festival. The district competition will be followed by regional contests and then the provincial showcase to be held in Brantford in May.

Now in its 64th year, the drama festival involves some 10,000 students and teachers from more than 300 secondary schools. What started as a small Toronto drama presentation in 1946 has evolved into one of the largest student festivals in the world.

At this point, however, it’s one hurdle at a time for the EDSS entry.

In Cambridge, Elmira students will face off against 15 other entries from 14 schools – “it’s going to be really competitive.”

The public performance of The Play’s the Thing will take place Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the high school’s main gym.

Stefanie and Justin Webster portray Norah and Rudy, a former couple with much to say about relationships, in the Theatre Three-Eleven production of Norm Foster's Wrong For Each Other.

A chance meeting in a restaurant, after four years apart, sends an estranged couple flashing back through the highs and lows of their courtship and marriage. As the story unfolds, we learn increasingly more about Rudy Sorenson and Norah Case, the play’s only two characters: how they met, fell in love, got married and then divorced.

Like all Foster plays, there’s plenty of humour to be found. But it’s not played exclusively for laughs, noted Stefanie Webster, who plays Norah opposite her husband Justin Webster. The couple founded Theatre Three-Eleven in 2001.

“There are lots of moments for laughter in the play, but lots of drama too,” she explained, noting that Foster keeps things moving with this script.

“He doesn’t keep you in one place for too long. One moment you’re laughing, and the next you’re thinking about some aspect of your relationship.”

The subject matter of love found and love lost isn’t just about the laughs. As the couple goes walking down memory lane, the highs and lows of their relationship make great fodder, the kind recognized by most couples.

As they recall, recount, laugh, cry and argue about their woos and woes, their deep connection to each other resurfaces and makes them question why they separated, and what this means for their future, especially when both of their lives have moved on in very different directions.

In the hands of Foster, Canada’s most popular and prolific playwright, Rudy and Norah’s stories offer a sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking look at the rollercoaster ride of a relationship. Neither a farce nor anything too sappy – a relief for the guys in the audience, no doubt – Wrong For Each Other centers in on themes anyone who’s been in a relationship can relate to.

If there’s a take-away message, it’s that there is such a thing as true love, but you have to fight for it, to work at it. That made Wrong For Each Other a good choice for a production opening this weekend, said Webster.
“It’s a good play for Valentine’s – a nice, little feel-good love story.

“Norm Foster has written a wonderful character piece that will speak to some part of all of us: a perfect piece to warm the heart and soul in midwinter and perfect for Valentine’s season.”

A mix of the comical and the poignant is a hallmark of Foster’s plays, a trait that has made him Canada’s most produced playwright. His extensive catalogue of works includes The Affections of May, The Long Weekend and Office Hours – all familiar to fans of local theatrical productions.

Wrong For Each Other runs until Feb. 27, Thursday through Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15, available by phoning 519-291-2033 or 1-877-455-0552 or by emailing info@theatre311.com. The theatre is located at 311 Main St. E., Listowel.

Gord Cameron, Tim Bolton and Brian Otto rehearse a scene from the ETC production of Moonlight and Magnolias, which opens Feb. 11.

Comedic interpretations of what happened behind those closed doors form the basis of Moonlight and Magnolias, the Elmira Theatre Company production that opens next week.

Set in 1939 Hollywood, Moonlight and Magnolias is based on true events leading up to the filming of Gone With The Wind. The play is filled with slapstick humour reminiscent of the Marx Brothers, while some of the funniest moments occur as the men try out possible dialogue by acting out the roles of Scarlett, Melanie and Prissy, as well as Ashley and Rhett.

Eventually, every detail is hashed out, from the shape of Tara’s plantation pillars to Scarlett O’Hara’s famous final words.

That Moonlight and Magnolias is based on actual events and involves some legendary Hollywood figures – albeit played up for comic effect – makes it all the more entertaining, suggests the director of this ETC offering.

“This is a play for anybody who’s a fan of movies, especially classic movies such as Gone With The Wind – it’s based on real situations and real people … although with obvious slapstick elements,” said Sue Jennings.

While the play does not require the audience to have seen the movie, those who’ve enjoyed Gone With The Wind will catch some of the little insights about the story.

For Jennings, the play has increased her appreciation for the film, prompting her to do even more research.

“It was really interesting learning more about these guys and their contributions to the movies over the years.”

Selznick, Hecht and Fleming (portrayed by Brian Otto, Tom Bolton and Gord Cameron) were all influential characters in Hollywood’s golden age. Reflecting those real men in a play that focuses on comic timing and fast-paced banter is no easy task.

Although a comedy, there is also a serious side to the farce, which touches on racism, politics and anti-Semitism in late-1930s Los Angeles. The play does contain some mature language – this was not a time of political correctness – but is suitable for teenagers and above.

“This has been the toughest play I’ve directed,” she said. “It’s three guys carrying the play for two hours.”

Adding to the workload is the fact that opening night is also the evening when the play will be judged as ETC’s entry in the Western Ontario Drama League festival for 2010. Following the WODL festival in Owen Sound next month, five plays will compete for a spot in the Theatre Ontario festival in May.

The ETC production of Moonlight and Magnolias runs Feb. 11-14 and Feb. 18-20. All shows are at 8 p.m., except for Sunday’s matinee (Feb. 14) at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $18, available through the Centre In The Square box office by calling 519-578-1570 or online at www.centre-square.com. A limited supply of tickets will be available at the door. All performances are at 76 Howard Ave. in Elmira.

Laura Bird, Nonie Crete and Brad Nelson were selected by fans of the series, put together by The Old Chestnuts Song Circle.

Laura Bird (left) and Nonie Crete will be joined by Brad Nelson in a by-request show Jan. 30, the latest offering in the Folk Night at the Registry series.

“These artists proved to be very popular … when opening for other performers here – we decided they needed a show of their own,” said organizer Jack Cole.

The concert Jan. 30 will showcase their talents as singer-songwriters in the intimate space at the Registry Theatre, he explained.

Growing up as part of a musical family in Gananoque, Ontario, Laura Bird was steeped in the folk tradition at a young age. She got her first guitar at 10, and was performing by 11. She began attending the Mariposa Festival in the early ‘70s, taking in the sounds that would shape her own musical directions as an adult. Those early influences included the likes of Emmylou Harris, John Hartford, John Prine and Joni Mitchell.

By her mid-teens, Bird was playing in her first acoustic folk-roots/bluegrass band, making appearances at local fall fairs and The Wintario Show. Later in the ‘70s, as a student of fine arts and graphic design in Kingston, she made her first foray into songwriting and performing at college pubs.

Her arts studies are reflected in songs full of imagery. Now living in Orangeville, Bird has released two albums, Dreamwalker and The Water In Between, the latter included in Penguin Eggs magazine’s DJ top-ten favourites of 2008.

Where Bird’s sound is traditional, Nonie Crete combines a variety of genres in her performances. Strains of the blues, folk, Celtic music and Cajun rhythms run through her songs, which run the range from sorrowful to gritty.

Based in Fergus, many of her songs are influenced by place and community, along with themes woven from family, love and loss, and life’s discoveries – what she calls “the landscape of the heart.”

Her diverse influences and sounds have seen her perform and tour with a variety of players, from Clannad and Altan to Pamela Morgan and Lee Aaron, Tommy Makem to the Blind Boys of Alabama.

Crete has released seven albums, most recently 2008’s Comin’ Home.

A popular performer in a variety of area venues, Crete will be showcasing her storytelling and songwriting at the Registry show, punctuated by her harmonica and guitar playing.

Unlike the two women who’ll be sharing the stage, Brad Nelson has performed few public gigs in recent years. The Cambridge singer-songwriter has remained active, including taking part of the song circle.

Nelson has been playing folk music since he was 10. As part of the maritime folk group The Ferriers in the 1970s, he had the pleasure of joining Stan Rogers and others at a charity concert for an impromptu rendition of Barrett’s Privateers. Well known as an interpreter of songs, Nelson was part of the ensemble cast that presented Folk Night’s tribute to Stan Rogers in 2008.

“Brad is a guy that many people may not have seen, but he’s a great songwriter. He’s got that Celtic, East Coast sound going for him,” Cole explained.

Put together on the bill, the three performers will provide for an entertaining evening of folk music, he added.

“This is a diverse group of players. They’re a nice mix – complementing each other.”

The Encore! By Request show hits the stage Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. at the Registry Theatre, 122 Frederick St., Kitchener. Tickets are $14 ($16 at the door), available at the Centre in the Square box office by calling 578-1570 or toll free 1-800-265-8977 or online at www.centre-square.com. For more information, check out www.folknight.ca.

This is the second show in the Folk Night at the Registry series. Next up are Katherine Wheatley and Wendell Ferguson, who’ll perform Feb. 13.

Set against the world-famous images of the rural north, Ballet Jörgen’s Group of Seven Nutcracker puts a distinctly Canadian twist on the traditional Christmas favourite.

Cristina Tucciarone, Preston McBain and young dancer Colleen McGuckin in a scene from Ballet Jörgen’s Group of Seven Nutcracker, which will be on stage Dec. 28 at the Centre In The Square.

“It’s the traditional Nutcracker story, but set in a Canadian context,” said Bengt Jörgen, artistic director of the Toronto-based company, noting the tale is versatile enough to be adapted, in this case moving from its German setting to the lakefront areas that inspired the artists who became the Group of Seven. Klara and the Nutcracker Prince are still front and center, but inhabit a world that includes a wintry schoolhouse in Bisset, Ontario (a locale used by the artists) and the wetlands of Algonquin Park. It’s a Canadian landscape filled with snowflakes, Mounties, and charming woodland creatures.

For Jörgen, the production localizes the story but also makes it more compelling to audiences, especially to the children for whom the Nutcracker is their first exposure to ballet. With more action and more creatures, this version holds those youngsters’ attention. And the renowned imagery of the Group of Seven serves to captivate the adults, he explained.

Choreographed by Jörgen to Tchaikovsky’s familiar score, this Canuck adaptation evolved from a collaboration with the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, which has allowed three of the great 20th century Canadian landscape artists to be featured: Franklin Carmichael (Church and Houses at Bisset, 1931), Tom Thomson (Snow in the Woods, 1916) and L.L. FitzGerald (Trees and Wildflowers, 1922).

In addition to the traditional Nutcracker characters, this version has added loons, birches, dragonflies, beavers and squirrels, among others.

“We filled out the story to make it more engaging, but the fundamentals remain. With this, I wanted to make sure dramatically it was a great story to tell,” said Jörgen, adding the goal was to create a ballet that, though tied to Christmas, could be performed anytime and retain its appeal.

Taking place in Northern Ontario rather than Germany, and featuring several new characters and associated dances, the Group of Seven Nutcracker retains the familiar storyline and, of course, the timeless musical score. Klara, an orphan, has come to Canada and is attending her first party here, set in a school rather than a home, as in the original.

The ballet’s second act is noted for its celebration of dances (various nationalities in the original); the Group of Seven Nutcracker follows this tradition, but places the second act in a Canadian summer setting with trillium flowers, raccoons, loons, dragonflies, bears, Mother Spruce, and a grand pas de deux danced by the King and Queen Birch.

This arrangement seems to be going over well – “We’re really happy with response – people love it.

“I wanted to make it more engaging throughout for the kids – they enjoy the animals. At the same time, it’s more interesting for the adults, who enjoy the [artistic imagery] of the Group of Seven.”

Jörgen sees it as a more cohesive story that carries through the entire performance.

As with past years, Ballet Jörgen also offers young dancers a chance to take part in the presentation, recognizing how the story appeals to kids. Students from dance schools in the region have been selected join the professional cast for the local performances or to tour with the company.

The Group of Seven Nutcracker dances on stage for two performances Dec. 28 (2 and 7:30 p.m.) at the Centre in the Square. Tickets are $33-$53 for adults, $21-$53 for children, available from the box office by calling 578-1570 or online at www.centre-square.com.

Violinist Vanessia Mio, producer Kathryn Fleming, music director Steve Warner and graphic designer and media coordinator Janette Drost set up the stage for next weekend’s Christmas in Concert at the Koinonia Christian Fellowship in Bloomingdale.

More than 200 volunteers are putting in the hours this week, with rehearsals almost every night in order to give back to the Woolwich community in the best way they know how.

“We are a church that loves the arts – it is so integrated in what we do,” said the show’s producer, Kathryn Fleming. “A lot of us have had training in other parts of the community – we’ve grown up in dance studios or have taken voice lessons. Now we have our own academy so we are helping train the next generation, and for us it feels like we are giving back the way we know how.”

The show runs three times (Dec. 12 at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 13 at 3:30 p.m.) and is completely free to the public with no advance tickets required.

“We call it a ‘Christmas card to the community’ because we want to put on a show  for people to tell them that we really care about them and that we want to do something for them at Christmas,” added KCF’s Janette Drost. “This isn’t about trying to make money or anything – quite the opposite actually – but we love what we do and we want to bring the arts to the community in any way that we can.”

The choir, which includes members as young as the early teens all the way to those in their 70s, also incorporates many of the organizers themselves.

“We sort of all play several roles when it comes to this show,” noted Fleming. “I sing in the choir as well as producing the show, and so does Janette. We wear a few different hats, which makes it interesting.”

And the large task of planning an event of this size began many months ago, said Fleming.

“We started listening to Christmas music in June!”

In previous years, the church has seen between 1,500 and 2,000 people come through their doors for their Christmas show; this year, organizers are hoping for an even bigger turnout for a show they describe as a mixed bag of performances.

“It feels like we are taking people on a bit of a musical journey because we have some really classic pieces as well as some original pieces, and then we are singing some traditional carols,” said Fleming.

Each performance also includes refreshments at intermission, and a parenting room is equipped with live video feed so you can continue to enjoy the show while you stay with your kids.

“The best part about it is that it’s completely free to the public,” Drost noted. “Hey, why not come enjoy a night of Christmas music?”

To find out more information about the show or the church in general, visit christmasinconcert.com or call Koinonia Christian Fellowship at 519-744-7447.

The cast of EDSS’ The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe includes, from left, Kelsey Bradley, Ethan Bleskie, Christine Brown, Camellia Bustard, Ashley Driedger and Nathan Jagger.

If you’ve seen the movie and think you already know the story of the show, think again.

“The book is different from the stage show, which is different from the movie – just a little bit,” said Grade 12 student Matt Brodie, who plays the role of Aslan the lion in the production running Dec. 3-5.

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, part of C.S. Lewis’ beloved Chronicles of Narnia, introduces us to siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, four young evacuees from war-torn London, who arrive at a rambling old country house, home of the eccentric Professor Kirke. The children are shown to the spare room, which is empty except for a large wardrobe – while the others go off exploring the house, Lucy opens the wardrobe, pushes through the fur coats and finds herself by a lamppost in a snow-covered wood. Befriended by a faun (Mr. Tumnus) who appears suddenly, she learns that she is in the strange land of Narnia, where it is permanently winter, but never Christmas, thanks to a spell cast by the wicked White Witch.

When Lucy returns from Narnia and tells the others of her adventure, they initially refuse to believe her story, but Edmund follows her into the wardrobe and meets the Witch, who promises to make him King if he leads his brother and sisters to her castle. Finally Peter and Susan also arrive, by which time the powers of evil are on the rise.

Aslan the Lion returns to Narnia to defeat the Witch and enlists the children’s help, but Edmund betrays them to the Witch and, in so doing, forfeits his life to her by the law of the Deep Magic. Aslan decides to take Edmund’s place and is tortured and killed by the Witch, only to be saved by the Deeper Magic, because he is willingly taking the place of a traitor.

“It’s pretty cool that I get to play the character that sacrifices himself in order to save the world,” said Brodie of Aslan.

But all hope is not lost. If you would like to find out what happens to Aslan and the children, Brodie encourages you to come to the show and check it out for yourself.

“This show means a lot to me personally. Acting is one of my passions – it’s one of the things I like to do most so being in these shows really gives me a thrill.”

When asked how much time the actors dedicate to a show like this one, Brodie laughs, “Not as much as we should.” To which drama teacher DJ Carroll pipes in, “It never is!”

And after almost a decade running the drama program at the high school, Carroll would know best.

Every production, especially one with a large cast, demands considerable work, and provides plenty of stressors.

“But these shows are what I work towards each year. It’s one of the things I enjoy most about teaching,” said Carroll of a schedule that include shows for Sears Drama Festival, the Grade 12s one-act play festival and a few other major projects such as the Robin in the Hood Festival.

For the students, the hard work comes with some payoffs.

“My favourite part is the friendships we make,” said Ethan Bleskie, a senior student who has performed in the school’s shows for four consecutive years. “Even though we only act like brother and sister when we’re doing this play, the cast really does become your family.”

And that family is getting set to take the stage next week for four shows which are open to the public in addition to one show specifically for EDSS students. The students will be able to participate in a ‘buy out’ where they pay $5 and are able to go see the show in the afternoon rather than attend their regular classes.

Some parents and family members of the cast have likely already pre-ordered their tickets.

“I called all my relatives this week to ask them if they were planning on coming to the show,” said Kelsey Bradley who plays the role of Susan, the older sister.

“My little sister has been helping me with remembering my lines every night so she probably knows the whole show already, but I really hope that lots of other people come out to see it as well.”

The EDSS production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe runs Dec. 3-5 in the school gym. For more information or to buy tickets to the show, call DJ Carroll at 519-669-5414, ext. 415.