Tag Archives: Actors

Now & Then Episode 23 – November 2024 – Wizard of Oz Curtain!

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Well, the month has arrived for the big Wizard of Oz play! In which my granddaughter is voicing a Munchkin. I talk about that with director Beth Wilson.

I also find an article from 1892 about the construction of the theatre, three weeks before its grand opening. Fun fact about it: The chairs were brought in from Hamilton, and there are names mentioned of the Federation that had a big part in Flato Academy Theatre’s construction.

I also talk with Craig Metcalf about a big list of attractions for this month, I meet with my friend Terry Guiel, Executive Director of the Lindsay District Chamber of Commerce and his love of all things local theatre, with an exciting hint at a project we’re doing together, and discussing how an open mic at the theatre, put together by friend Linda “Pinky” Brown, where people can perform open mics, has been very successful and I meet up with some of the performers, who have made their debut at the lovely theatre doing this!

Randy Intro – 0:30

Randy Article – 1:15

Craig – 3:49

Wizard – 9:26

Terry Guiel – 12:44

Open Mic – 16:24

Randy Outro – 20:52

Now & Then Episode 22 – October 2024 – with Steve & Len Green

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Thank you for joining me for Episode 22 of Now & Then!

We start this episode with me continuing my journey through the archives of the theatre, and finding out how people advocated for a hall that would honour our future town of Lindsay. I also talk about the history of Oktoberfest, the famous beer festival and traveling carnival, especially its significance in Kitchener, plus a little song celebrating the event. 

We also hear from my granddaughter McKenna, who’s going to be in the Wizard of Oz production at the Flato Academy Theatre next month as a munchkin. It is her first ever play and I can tell she’s got the talent for it already.

My special guests this month, are Len & Steve Green! Len is now 97 years old, and when he was younger, he worked as a set designer, set painter, and set builder for the theatre in the 1970s. His son Steve was the head honcho at the Durham Cafe! Remember that place? We hear stories of what the theatre was like back then, and we reminisce about some of our mutual friends!

Finally, Ian McKechnie and I learn about how the Academy Theatre was so popular and so respected, people used to say things like, “Oh, Lindsay! Where the big theatre is!”

0:00 How The Theatre Opened

3:45 Oktoberfest in Kitchener

5:10 Oktoberfest Song I Sang

7:20 Update on The Wizard of Oz with McKenna

11:16 Interview with Steve & Len Green

21:22 Ian McKechnie & the Recent International Plowing Match

Now & Then Episode 21 – September 2024 – with Linda “Pinky” Brown

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In this delightful episode, having returned from the summer holidays, I have some fun updates for you.

Ian McKechnie and I got to recently go to the theatre’s attic, and we uncovered some incredible old artifacts of the theatre, including a copy of the Lindsay Daily Post from the 19th century, a playbill from the Great Depression age, and more.

Craig Metcalfe and I discuss upcoming shows, including one for tomorrow, September 13th, the metal band Anvil, the monsters of rock who were on top of the world in the 1980s.

We also hear there’s going to be a new monthly event, an open mic show, and it’s orchestrated by local star and my former student, Linda “Pinky” Brown, who we also have on to talk about what this is.

Finally, we have musician, teacher and business owner Graeme Morrison of Morrison Music, talking about a moment at the Flato Academy Theatre that he will hold dear to his heart for years to come!

Intro – 0:00

Iain McKechnie 1 – 02:53

Craig Metcalfe – 05:05

Linda Brown – 07:29

Graeme Morrison – 10:00

Ian McKechnie 2 – 13:19

Outro – 21:57

Now & Then Episode 20 – July 2024

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Welcome to the July 2024 episode!

Auditions recently took place for The Wizard of Oz, and I got to attend the first night. For the first part of this episode, you get to hear some footage from then. Some includes my granddaughter who’s been accepted as a Munchkin! And this was her first audition! I’m so proud of her!

We also have our historian Ian McKechnie, back after a little while, discussing how he’s now a published author, and talking about his book, “Reflections on Old Victoria County: In Tribute to R. B. Fleming”. Dr. Ray Fleming was a well-known historian and author, who also did some documentation about the Academy Theatre. Not long before he died, he compiled articles about our local history to put into a book. He passed before he could finish it, but Ian and another historian got a green light from Ray’s family to keep going where he left off. And this is the result!!

We also hear stories from the amazing Andy McNeilly, what it was like living in Bali, Indonesia, right after the pandemic. Some examples include how some people came permanently and all over the world to live in Bali during some rough times, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. There was a surplus of tourism and some people weren’t treating Hinduism right, and Andy felt responsibility and was a bit of a speaker. Who had millions and millions of views!!!

Press play to Learn More!

Now & Then Podcast Episode 19 – June 2024

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For June, we have some exciting events!

One is the 11th Annual Inspired 2 Dance Recital on June 15th, and a week later, on the 22nd, we have a collaboration between the amazing Kawartha Lakes Concert Band and the Weston Silver Band, which is a British-style brass band. The concert will involve a lot of music from the other side of the ocean. Scottish, Welsh, English, etc.

Also, between then, on the 17th, auditions will start for the upcoming Wizard of Oz! And we have our good friend Beth Wilson for this episode to discuss how she caught the theatre bug, the selection process for this play, how it will be a bit of a darker version of the play with more characters and similarities to the book, and more!

00:00 – Intro

01:10 – Craig Metcalfe

05:11 – David Morrison & Larry Sheilds

07:48 – Beth Wilson

34:14 – Outro

Now & Then Episode 15 – February 2024

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This new episode is the first of a look back at a Kawartha Lakes band that was School of Rock come to life! Anyone remember The Odyssey Project? It was an amalgamation of local schools in the area!

First we get a visit from Alan Cottreau, Flato Academy Theatre’s operations manager discussing some fun upcoming performers and bands for the month of February and March!

Then we hear from my longtime friend David Morrison, who started the band alongside me, Eric Smeaton and a few others, but he was the head honcho. Their first performance at the Academy Theatre was terrifying, but they did excellently and more showed up for their next performance.

David also met Andy McNeilly, a local student drummer, and our friend Sheri Brenneman told him of this new Odyssey Project band, and Andy was a godsend from the band as he was there in 2006 when they first started. He kept things in order and was a true leader when he was there, and his story is incredible and will be touched on more in future episodes!

Last but not least is our good friend Ian McKechnie, telling us the story of a producer named Gilbert George Zarfas. He was said to have been born in 1900 but may have lied about his age to qualify to be a driver in the first World War. He produced many of the Kiwanis Club shows at the theatre from 1953-1968, and some productions, including one with 75 people, he helmed and made a reality.

0:00 – Intro

1:30 – Alan Cottreau

6:42 – David Morrison

16:46 – Andy McNeely

26:50 – Ian McCechnie

37:43 – Outro

Now & Then Episode 14 – December 2023 – The Morrison Show!

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We may as well call this episode The Morrison Show, because my main guests are three members of that family, all of which are performers of their own.

First we have General Manager Craig Metcalf talking to us about not just upcoming attractions but how the theatre operates with contract deals, how they negotiate, and how they adapt to different requests from different guests who rent the stage.

Then I talk to David and Colleen Morrison. David and Colleen are both from the Kawartha Lakes Concert Band. I in fact interviewed David recently. David talks about how they moved back to Lindsay in 1989 after living away for a bit, and his first experience with the theatre when he was a music teacher at LCVI in 1991 and he was looking for better places to play the school concert rather than the gymnasium.

Colleen talked about how when she was in high school, her school was looking for a pit band for a Kiss Me Kate production and she went there in 1978, playing her flute. There was no going back for either of them.

Plus, their daughter Meaghan, who prefers to go by Meg, has been a star at various plays, especially musicals, at the theatre. She was in 4th grade and doing dancing and it was enjoyable but wasn’t completely clicking for her. Then she decided to audition for an adaptation of Seussical and got the role of the Baby Kangaroo.

Our renowned historian Ian McKechnie is also back, and it is incredible how fascinating the history of this building is. In the 1930’s, in the middle of the Great Depression, many things were happening. Homelessness and poverty were in crisis mode, and people were begging for food. The local Kiwanis Club and Rotary Club formed the Citizens Relief Assocaition, wehre they ran a soup kitchen at the armoury, checked on homes that were in need, and on Feb 7 1932 they hosted a Community Song Service at the Acaademy with a 15-minute concert and more. The theatre also had a few other worthy causes attached to it at the time.

Hope you enjoy!!

0:00 – Randy Intro

02:00 – Craig Metcalfe 

06:30 – David and Colleen Morrison

15:37 – Iain McCechnie

25:17 – Meg Morrison

29:58 – Outro

Now & Then Episode 13 – November 2023

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Welcome to our anniversary show of Now & Then, and this episode’s a doozy!

Craig Metcalf discusses the upcoming attractions, including the Hotel California band, the Rod Stewart Experience featuring Doug Varty, the ultimate Ozzy show, the big James & The Giant Peach, and more. Speaking of James & The Giant Peach, I also got to say Hello to Rory O’Neill, the 8th grader from Central Senior School who’s playing the lead role of James in the highly anticipated James & The Giant Peach. She’s also starred in productions of Annie, The Little Mermaid, Matilda and Mary Poppins!

Also, I had our main historian Ian McKechnie on, who tells a fascinating story about how for decades, nurses were being taught at the Ross Memorial Hospital, and then had their graduation ceremonies at, you guessed it, the Academy Theatre. Also, during the first world war, Canada had a special election in 1917 where certain women were allowed to vote for the first time, and the nurses were seen as icons of hard work and value.

Next, I have my producer Warren Frank on, to tell his story about his first experience at the theatre, when he was 11. He booked the lead role as Ebeneezer Scrooge for a play, and he was terrified on opening day, but pulled through. He reveals what that experience was like.

I also have my friend Kate Imrie on to discuss her stories about growing up with the theatre, and a superb song to conclude it from our one and only Mary The Ghost!!

00:29 – Intro

01:05 – Craig Metcalf

03:00 – James and the Giant Peach

06:13 – Iain Mckechnie

14:00 – Warren Frank

19:39 – Kate Imrie

25:51 –  Outro/Mary Song

Now & Then Episode 12 – October 2023

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You won’t want to miss this! There are some upcoming attractions coming fast for the rest of this month at the Flato Academy Theatre, and I discuss them with Craig Metcalfe. They include Grease: The Concert on the 15th, a country music concert on the 18th with Canadian musical artists Michelle Wright, Dogwalker, and Jason McCoy. There will also be a 50’s and 60’s revival show on the 23rd, and tributes throughout the month to all sorts of artists and bands like Johnny Cash, The Tragically Hip, and more. We also talk in detail about the upcoming James & The Giant Peach next month, with a preview of one of the many lovely songs they are working hard rehearsing.

We also have a new guest; back in the 1960’s, the theatre was actually on the brink of shutting down, and a foundation was formed that saved it. The wives of those on the board also stepped in to create the Women’s League, a group dedicated to getting the theatre back into shape with decorations, functions, and even plumbing. One of the first of the group, Barb Truax, who was on the committee for decades, joins us. We also have a revisit of one of our guests Marion Puffer from Episode 6, talking about the many jobs she has had over the years at the theatre and what she has seen and been a part of. Hope you enjoy!

0:30 – Randy Intro

1:34 – Craig Metcalf

4:01 – James & The Giant Peach Song

7:04 – Barb Truax

17:06 – Marion Puffer

Now & Then Episode 11 – September 2023

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Our September episode has some fabulous treats. For one, we’re introducing the voice of Mary The Ghost, who will also be reading us a fictional but historically accurate tale of a little scavenger who finds himself in Lindsay at the theatre and meeting some real life people.

We will also be joined by Craig Metcalf to hear about some of the cool concerts happening this month.

We also have some new guest stars: Stephanie Harwood-Jones and her daughter Sydney Harwood-Jones. Stephanie and Sydney both have a long history with the theatre, since Stephanie moved here to Lindsay in 2001 and Sydney was just a baby. Stephanie has been behind the scenes on a lot of past and upcoming productions, with stories of seeing Mary The Ghost herself, and some of her family generations back being some of the first Vaudeville performers.

Also, our historian Ian D. McKechnie will be sharing a fascinating story about how 100 years ago, telegraphy was to the world what social media is to us now, an important and influential way of communication. Apparently the theatre was a place that trained and educated a lot of telegraphers at one point.

We also recognize a fine man, Jim Brown! We hope you enjoy!

0:00 – Intro

1:59 – Renée Bio

3:08 – Craig Metcalf

10:06 -The Harwood Jones’

16:41 – Renee Story

23:10 – Ian McKechnie

33:46 – Outro/ Recognizing Jim Brown