Past Productions  The Soldier's Tale                                                      Composer Igor Stravinsky, Librettist C.F. Ramuz Atikokan Creations Theatre James Chambers: The Soldier Christina Apavaloae: The Narrator Thomas Sorensen: The Devil Elizabeth Arif: The Princess/Stage Manager Eric Larson: Lighting Tech. During the summer of 2005, I was employed as Program Coordinator of the "Everybodys a Genius Program"  with the Atikokan Intergenerational Center for  Arts and Alternatives, in Atikokan, Ontario.  Given my background in theatre, and my history with the Art center, I decided on a

full production of "The Soldier's Tale" by Igor Stravinsky and C.F. Ramuz.  By recruiting just the right students, and rehearsing for a couple of hours per week, we could perform in six months.   The students worked exceptionally hard, and did extremely well during rehearsals.  It became clear to me that the audience was in for a surprise, and that this group of young actors and actresses were achieving a true dramatic understanding of their roles.  The show was an amazing success.  It had, although entirely composed of students, the polish and craftsmanship of a professional show combined with the sincerity and freshness of youth.  This show had a magical quality - all the preparation suddenly evolved at once into more than the sum of its parts.  These young adults managed to transport the entire audience into the world of Stravinsky and C.F. Ramuz.  In theater, it is commonly said " Babies and Pets; the worst thieves of audience focus".  On this night, even the children were enchanted by the performance. During the performance all the sets changed seamlessly, all the lines were heard, characters unfolded with the greatest sensitivity to the spoken word, and the movement towards the climax was as riveting as only well produced Russian theatre could be.   This event event in my life gave me many things to be thankful for, one of which being the knowledge that the right people, in the right place at the right time, with the right leadership can accomplish anything.  I am honored to have worked with these young adults, and I am sure it will remain one of my finer memories from that special time in my life.

Jonah: The Musical Composer R. Murray Schafer, Libretto written in conjunction with  the Maynooth Anglican Church Choir Atikokan Creations Theatre Bob Bigwood: Jonah Sailors: Jolene Beauregard, Emily Slater, Hallidee Chumway,                Cathy Antel A few years ago, I had the great fortune to meet R. Murray Schafer in person to discuss his dramatic scores, and their possible interpretations.  I was interested in putting on a Schafer production in Atikokan, but knew that his larger more complex compositions would not be suitable.  He suggested Jonah, a musical he wrote with the Maynooth Anglican Church Choir.  Schafer believes that culture which is exported from the city and imported to the country detracts from the overall creativity of the local people.  He creates performances that include not only professionals, but amateurs, semi-professionals, and lay people alike.

By utilizing the creativity and skills of the entire communtiy, the performance becomes a part of the culture and history of the area.  This is in stark contrast to the travelling performances put on  by multi-million dollar budgeted companies whose only wish is to make money and move on to the next small town. Jonah focuses on the biblical story of Jonah and the Whale.  As many of the people in the Maynooth Choir had limited music reading ability, Schafer created an aeleotoric score using graphics, notation, and basic stage instructions.  For example, the storm scene where Jonah falls into the sea is explained through graphic notation, where the singers encircle the audience with a large rope, slowly progressing from a whispered "To Tarshish" to a screaming "Flee", while simultaneousy increasing the velocity and ferocity of the rope they are shaking to indicate the cresting and falling of waves.  Although seemingly simple, this dramatic effect would have taken another composer 30 pages of notation and a team of professional musicians to interpret.  In this way, Schafer offers a highly dramatic effect with simple, clear, and consise graphic instruction. The cast of Jonah were a brave group of souls from Atikokan, many of whom had never sung or acted publicly before.  As the last rehearsals were coming together, it was very clear - we were ready to perform.  All the seemingly bizzare stage directions, chanting, howling, and singing of hymns were combining to create a great show.  We performed it twice in our region, once at the Pavillion in the beautiful Quetico Provincial Park, and once at the United Church in Atikokan. The performances were completely thrilling events for the audience and cast.  In contrast to our other imported cultural events, both shows were completely sold out, turned a profit, and created lasting memories for the whole community to enjoy.

Beauty and the Beast Atikokan Creations Theatre Libretto Adapted by R. Murray Schafer Catherine Ante: Narrator Elizabeth Arif: Beauty James Chambers: Beast Ivan Arion Karst: Father Eric Larson: King  This wonderful series of performances included a number of  premiers for ACT.  The first half of the program was a production of "Eine Kleine Nacht Musik", mvt 1, by W.A.Mozart, and " Peter and the Wolf" by Sergie Prokofiev, performed by the Atikokan Saxophone Ensemble, narrated by Mike MacKinnon.  This was Mr. MacKinnon's first time performing with the ensemble, bringing the different characters to life in a true story teller fashion. The second half of the program was an adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast".  Ms. Arif had a premier as a lead actress, and our light technichian, Mr. Larson, made his first appearance on the stage.  As well, Ms.Catherine Antle joined us as narrator, unfolding the story with her graceful and sonorous voice.

This marked the first time ACT has performed several shows in a row.  I decided early in production, due to the nature of the material, to included a matinee as part of the run.  This proved to be a wonderful opportunity for young children to enjoy the show, and we were overjoyed to see so many toddlers swinging their dolls to the Mozart and marching along to the Prokoffiev.  We were glad to be able to give these special audience members memories that will last a lifetime, and an  opportunity to hear live music in our northern town.

This poster is for a wonderful concert I organized when I first moved to Atikokan.  I wanted to contribute to the Art Centre in some tangible way, and decided that putting on a concert for the winter holidays would be best.  Several of the musicians were friends of mine from the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, and travelled to our town to perform. It proved to be a wonderful evening, with an appreciative audience, great music, and good cheer fitting for the holidays.

During my time with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, I had the great pleasure to conduct the Symphony Chorus while the chorus master, Heather Morrison, was on leave.  This group of sixty souls had been singing together for many years, some of whom were semi-professional musicians in their own right.  As I began conducting, we developed a true synergy; every rehearsal was exciting, uproarishly funny, and full of extremely high quality singing.  I enjoyed every second with the Chorus, and can say without hesitation that it was the highlight of my time in Thunder Bay.  This poster is from the first concert I prepared them for, and was a gift to me from the choristers.

The Quorum String Ensemble was one of the groups I conducted while in Toronto.  Many of these musicians were amateur and had experience playing only orchestral and chamber music.  It was exciting to introduce them to the string orchestra canon and build upon their skills.  Several of the musicians also played in the St. Clement's Parish Orchestra which I directed, and it was clear that a little string ensemble work paid off in big dividends when they came to play with the orchestra again.  The soloists, organist Tom Fitches, tenor Stewart Grainger, and pianist Bruce Hill-Kirkpatrick performed wonderfully and gave the concert variety and sparkle that only soloists can provide.    For more information about my experience, please click on one of the links below.                         Biographical Information  Philosophy of Conducting Previous Productions  Published Articles  References  Diplomas