Greetings all,

Has it really been 6 months since I’ve written a message to you? The year has flown by and it certainly was a phenomenally great one for your theatre! I hope that everyone is in good health and is gearing up for the holiday season.

Let’s review our last half year at the Ottawa Little Theatre (OLT).

Gifts for the Holidays

In case I cannot hold your attention to the end of this letter, this would be a great time to remind you that OLT Four Flex tickets make a great gift. The Four Flex consists of four tickets at $25 each allowing you to book seats to any shows in any combination. Flex passes can be redeemed any time. Don’t worry about Canada Post being on strike; we send the passes out electronically. Please contact Ian at the box office for more information.

The Season to Date

In my last message of July, I spoke about our first four shows of the season. You can read my coverage by clicking on this News link. So now let’s talk about the rest of the 2024 season.

Norm Foster delivered once again with his script for Hilda’s Yard running in our July spot. Funny and touching, it transported us back to the 1950s and the set was not only nostalgic with its lime-green house siding but also entertaining with almost all the characters entering by climbing over the backyard fence. Our director Val Bogan assembled a perfect cast of actors to portray the Fluck family and others who joined them in the yard drinking lemonade. At the bar, Josh had his own version of Hilda’s lemonade available for sale. It had that special little extra touch enjoyed at intermission.

Our sixth show was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. This production based on a bestselling book took a novel approach. Director Riley Stewart started with a black box set within the OLT’s wide-open backstage. Once the lights dimmed, the magic really began with images projected by our brand-new projector to create the hustle and bustle of London, England, its trains and underground, and many other locales. Who could forget the precious live puppy who popped up for a cameo at the end? We also sold gourmet dog biscuits from our new neighbour Pet Valu which proved to be a great treat for our furry friends waiting so patiently for their parents to return home at the end of the show.

Up next was Romantic Comedy directed by Brian Cano. This 15-year journey bombarded our senses with period-accurate sets, music and costumes as well as a riveting slide show with sights and sounds from the passing years in question. The transformation of the main characters becoming more secure with themselves and in their relationship with each other really struck a chord with the audience.

The penultimate show of the season, Guilty Conscience, was a hit by first-time OLT director Ian Gillies. Transforming the character of the prosecutor from one man to three women was a tour de force which propelled the show to a different level. The story kept everyone guessing up until the end when it pulled another big twist. A great set, and a working trap door added to the appeal. Did anyone notice that the portrait created by one of Lindsay Laviolette’s high school students was actually our very own Bob Hicks, who is not a judge but portrayed one when he let Ian Gillies get away with murder in our 2022 production of Witness for the Prosecution? He looks stern in the painting but is a softy in real life.

Finally, our annual Christmas show – On the Farce Day of Christmas directed by Sarah Hearn – is now onstage. The show has proven to be so popular it was almost sold out before opening. Taking a proactive approach, we have added an additional show. Anyone with a family can relate to the onstage shenanigans. Coupled with the sales of our hot chocolate (regular and “spirited”), this makes a great holiday night out (or matinee).

And That’s Not All

As a gift to our volunteers, at the Volunteer Appreciation Night/Halloween party we performed one of the winners of our 83rd National One-Act Playwriting Competition just before it headed to the Eastern Ontario Drama League Festival. At EODL in Perth, The Whitefish River directed by Joanne Farrell won Best New Canadian Play, Best Director and Best Actor.

On the topic of awards, I would be remiss if I did not mention that our opening show this season, Murder on The Orient Express had 11 nominations and walked away with four awards (Best Stage Management Best Set Design, Best Costume Design, Best Actor) at the EODL Full-Length Festival.

While we are gloating, why not mention that a remount of June’s An Act of Grace was a huge success at the summer’s 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Cornerstone

In November, as part of our Annual General Meeting, we relaunched our Cornerstone recognition after the Covid hiatus. The inductees are chosen from nominations submitted by current and past volunteers, members, and subscribers. Nominees are people who have made an extraordinary contribution to the development of the Ottawa Little Theatre through their work as volunteers over a very long period, typically at least 20 years. You can read about the accomplishments of the current and former inductees on our website.

This year’s inductees are:

Nancy Hogan
Peggy Laverty
Venetia Lawless
Jim McNabb
Julia Murphy (née MacBrien)

Congratulations to all the recipients and thank you for your many years of dedication to the OLT.

Outerbridge Magic

And finally, after a successful series of performances last year, we have invited back to the OLT, Outerbridge Magic with their show Mysteries of the Keyhole House, a spellbinding mixture of illusion and magic wrapped around a family friendly true tale of unlocking secrets and living amongst ghostly manifestations in a mysterious old house. Check out our website on how to purchase tickets for the early January 2025 performances.

Fundraising Activities

As many of you know, the proceeds of our coffee sales at the bar are donated to a worthy cause, as are our empty wine and beer bottles and cans. Our new neighbour Metro on Rideau is our official milk and cream supplier for the bar, increasing the proceeds that can be donated.

We also have special preview nights of our shows where charities can raise funds for their respective causes. The cast and crew love these nights as, not only are they helping a good cause, but they get to rehearse in front of a live audience.

This year, Options Housing has thanked the OLT for our contributions by presenting us with their first-ever Friends of Options Housing Award. I accepted the award at their annual general meeting and dedicated the award to Geoff Gruson who initiated the relationship with such a worthy organization.

Dinner and a Show

We are reestablishing our dinner and a show night out in the Byward Market. Why not arrive early, park the car (no charge on the street after 5:30) and have a bite at one of the market’s great restaurants. Dunn’s guarantees that if you are in by 5:30 you will be out in plenty of time to walk to the theatre (a short stroll) to preorder your intermission drink at the bar.

No Change to Pricing for Subscribers

We are thrilled to announce that once again, we are not changing the pricing for any of the subscription packages. This includes Classic, Four Flex and Student. It’s our gift to you as a thank you for being such loyal supporters over the years.

In addition, the bar prices will remain status quo next year. No price increases will allow us to maintain our reputation of offering one of the best entertainment deals in town.

We are raising the price of single seats ever so slightly ($2 or one toonie). The additional proceeds fund our increased security at the entranceway. We have received such positive feedback to the addition of this service, and everyone loves having the door open for them with a warm welcome.

Coming up Next Season

We have a stellar line up for the 2025 season including The Shawshank Redemption, Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, A Sherlock Carol, Turn of the Screw, Norm Foster ‘s Jonas and Barry In the Home, and other great comedies and dramas. If you don’t already have tickets or have not renewed your subscriptions, please visit our website.

We hope that you are enjoying your experience with the OLT. If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me, or any of the board members or committee heads. We will also keep our eyes and ears open to some new ideas to make your theatre truly remarkable.

Check out our website for articles as well as our social media pages.

Finally, as that we are 99% volunteer run, if any of you have any interest in volunteer opportunities, we would love to chat with you.

I want to thank all the board members, committee heads, volunteers, staff, donors, season sponsors, and everyone involved in the OLT. We certainly could never pull this off year after year without you.

Have a wonderful holiday season and we will see you at the theatre.

Best Regards

Albert Lightstone