This is the ninth in a series of Q&A Profiles with London area theatre companies and groups. Today, we profile the London Performing Arts Academy (LPAA).
Q. When was your company founded? By whom and why?
Renée and Courtney Murray founded the company in December 2019, with one high school cast of 14 students.
We wanted to provide a professional level of training for young people and make it affordable and accessible to people who may not otherwise have been able to be involved. We make sure our students feel included in the process and also learn what it is like to be part of a professional theatre production.
(Pictured: Courtney Murray)
Q. Is your company best described as professional or not-for-profit community theatre? Or both?
Not-for-profit, Community Theatre and Youth Performing Arts training in dance, vocals, and acting
Q. What venue(s) do you use to stage your productions?
We used to use The Wolf Performance Hall, but we just built our own 130-seat venue, so they will be at 3-80 Bessemer Road now, in the LPAA Family Theatre
Q. Does your company have a Mission or Statement of Purpose?
We want everyone to have the opportunity to experience the world of Musical theatre and fine arts. We strive to create and maintain an inviting, inclusive community where our students have growth and performance opportunities while enjoying their love of theatre.
Q. Does your company have a Board of Directors and paid Staff?
Yes
Q. Tell me about your 2025-2026 Season. Does it have any underlying theme?
This is a new year, a new direction for us. We have just built a 130-seat Performance venue in our new location. We are adding more programs and look forward to welcoming new families. We are adding programs as young as “mom and tot” and adding homeschool day programs to accommodate the needs of more families in the community.
Q. What show(s) will you be staging this fall (September to December)? Could you tell me a little bit about each?
Our first production is in December, presented by our Senior Company. They will be performing Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods. We have two very talented casts of High School Students. The show will run for ten days.
In January, we will be presenting Mary Poppins, and then in February, we will be presenting our Community Theatre Production of The Little Mermaid. Up next in May-June, we have Legally Blonde presented by our Seniors, Beetlejuice presented by our Juniors, and Alice in Wonderland presented by our Minis.
Q. Do you have any thoughts about the London area theatre community and your part in it?
London is a city rich in talented people with a passion for the arts. We love watching theatre here, and we love being able to produce theatre here.
LPAA has been a proud supporter and sponsor of many community theatre and youth programs. The city has a place for all of us, offering various programs, training, and classes to both our students and patrons, and we love being part of that beautiful community.
Jo-Anne will be reviewing local theatre productions for The Beat Magazine 2025. If your company would like your show reviewed, contact richardyoung@thebeatmagazine2025.ca.
Background and Experience in the Arts
My background in the Arts started with an early love for music and dance. I attended my first concert at 10 years old (Helix at the Sarnia Arena in 1983!) and began tap and modern jazz dance lessons around the same time. My love for live theatre was built through school trips to the Stratford Festival to see plays like Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, and Macbeth, and a trip to Toronto for The Phantom of the Opera, which quickly became my all-time favourite.
I dreamed of performing for many years, but being too self-conscious to audition in high school, I sat on the sidelines and instead reviewed music and theatre for our school newspaper. In 2013, I finally pushed my fears aside and was cast in my first play, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, as Carol Wyman, the only female writer on the Max Prince show. I have since performed in productions of Birth (Jillian, 2016), Hamish (Annette, 2023) and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (Mrs. Alexander, 2024).
Previous Reviewing Activities
SCITS, Sarnia, Ontario – High school newspaper reviewer for Music and the Arts
London Fringe Festival, London, Ontario, 2012-2015
Independent Reviewer and Blogger (Theatre in London and The Pollyanna Papers), 2015-2016?
Why am I jumping back into the fray now?
After performing for a few years, I’ve decided to take a break from the grind of auditioning, rehearsing and performing. While I love it immensely, it’s a lot of work. Performing has given me a whole new perspective and appreciation of what goes into a production and the ability to look at reviewing with a fresh set of eyes.
Thoughts about the London arts and culture scene, especially local theatre
Hoo wee! London has such a wealth of talent, from youth to adults. Every time I see a play, I am amazed at how talented our actors, directors, producers, set/prop/costume/light/sound designers are. I don’t think causal observers realize just how much goes into making a production from the audition to the curtain call. It is a huge undertaking, and to think our theatres produce such world-class productions on some very tight budgets is astounding, especially at the community theatre level, where volunteers do everything.
Sadly, since COVID, I have witnessed a huge decline in attendance at performances, and it breaks my heart. I have also noticed a sad lack of reviews lately, which I find are necessary to give people an idea of what to expect and a reason to go to the theatre.
So, before I can put my feet on the stage again, I want to help put bodies in the seats. We need to reignite a love for theatre and the arts in this city.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer writer for The Beat Magazine 2025, please contact Richard Young, Publisher & Content Manager, at richardyoung@thebeatmagazine2025.ca. We are seeking writers and reviewers for local music, visual arts, fiction, poetry, and prose.
This is the eighth in a series of Q&A Profiles with London area theatre companies and groups. Today, we profile the Kettle Creek Players (KCP).
Q. When was your company founded? By whom and why?
Kettle Creek Players was founded in January of 2023 by Jessica Fediw. St. Thomas had started British Pantomimes in 2012 but when the pandemic hit, theatre was put on hold. When the arts resumed, there was a demand for panto again. The local theatre that had done them in the past had decided to no longer do them. Jessica was approached by several people, asking for panto to make a return so she did some research into venues and found Central United. The rest is history!
(Pictured: Jessica Fediw and Judy Cormier)
Q. Is your company best described as professional or not-for-profit community theatre? Or both?
KCP is a not-for-profit community theatre. All of the money made from our shows goes back into the next year’s production costs.
Q. What venue do you use to stage your productions?
Our venue is Central United Church at 135 Wellington St. in St.Thomas, Ontario.
Q. Does your company have a Mission or Statement of Purpose?
Our goal is to provide quality live family shows for all ages. We are an inclusive theatre troupe. We are passionate about giving people of all abilities the chance to shine on stage. Community is very important to us.
Q. Does your company have a Board of Directors and paid staff?
KCP has a board of directors. We are run entirely by volunteers. It takes a village to run a community theatre. We are forever grateful to all those who volunteer their valuable time for our productions.
Q. Tell me about your 2025-2026 Season. Does it have any underlying theme?
We don’t have a season, per se. We do one show a year, around Christmas time, usually falling at the end of November, beginning of December. Our theme is British Pantomime, which consists of a fairytale, fable, or story that has a hilarious twist. Audiences are encouraged to interact with the actors when prompted. The 4th wall is continuously broken, and silliness and fun are the name of the game. Our first Panto in 2023 was Little Red Riding Hood, written by John Allen. 2024’s Panto was Cinderella, adapted by Lesley Chapman and Ken Roberts.
We also participate in community endeavours. If the community needs actors for a vignette or for an event, we work with them to provide quality engagements. It’s a lot of fun!
Q. What show will you be staging this fall (September to December)? Tell me a little bit about it.
Our show this year is Wicked Witches of Oz, written by Peter Nuttall with permissions from Lazy Bee Scripts. It will be directed by Judy Cormier and Jessica Fediw. It follows the adventure of two “wicked witch” sisters who have devised a plot to kidnap the Wizard of Oz and make their world greener. Their plans are thwarted at every turn by the many characters they come across in Munchkin Land.
Q.Do you have any thoughts about the London area theatre community and your part in it?
The London and area theatre scene is a thriving one. Although it took a hit during the pandemic, we are all building ourselves back up, year after year. We all work together as a team and really support each other; it’s really great to see.
This is the seventh in a series of Q&A Profiles of London area theatre companies and groups. Today, we profile the Ingersoll Theatre of the Performing Arts (ITOPA).
Q. When was your company founded? By whom and why?
In 1976, a group of people began meeting to explore the possibility of setting up a community theatre. A set of by-laws was drawn up, a name chosen, a logo designed, and ITOPA was incorporated under the Charitable Organizations Act.
Q. Is your company best described as professional or not-for-profit community theatre? Or both?
ITOPA is a volunteer, non-professional community theatre company that provides live entertainment in the form of music, plays, and other events.
Q. What venue(s) do you use to stage your productions?
In the fall of 1980, ITOPA moved to its present location, 88 Thames Street South, Ingersoll, ON.
Q. Does your company have a Mission or Statement of Purpose?
ITOPA is a theatre of and for our community. We are committed to connecting, inspiring, and enriching everyone who we welcome into our safe space. ITOPA believes that theatre is an essential component of life and that every aspect should be available to all. Through contact, involvement, and exposure to the arts, we utilize the power of the theatre environment to foster inclusion, expression, and positivity for our entire community.
Q. Does your company have a Board of Directors and paid staff?
ITOPA is run by a volunteer board of directors who are selected from the membership.
Q. Tell me about your 2025-2026 Season. Does it have any underlying theme?
The only theme for the 2025-2026 season is FUN!
Q. What show(s) will you be staging this fall (September to December)? Tell me a little bit about each.
7-10 Split
By Michael G Wilmot
October 10, 11, 12*, 16, 17, 18*, 19*
Showtime: 7:30pm
*indicates Matinee performance 2:00pm
Since his aspirations to be a pro bowler went off the rails, Earl has tried one get rich quick scheme after another.
This time, things are different when a rich Count from the Internet has offered him money to help save his fortune.
Five classmates come together for their 30th high-school reunion.
Some see it as a welcome trip home, while others see it as an obligation, and a few never even left.
But as the night wears on, the one-time classmates start to reconnect and reminisce.
And the more alcohol that’s consumed, the closer the friends come to confronting their darkest secrets.
The Drowsy Chaperone
Music and Lyrics By Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison Book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar
May 29, 30, 31* June 4, 5, 6*, 7* Showtime: 7:30pm *indicates Matinee performance 2:00pm
With the house lights down, a man in a chair appears on stage and puts on his favorite record: the cast recording of a 1928 musical.
The recording comes to life, and The Drowsy Chaperone begins as the man in the chair looks on.
Mix in two lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theatre producer, a not-so-bright hostess, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan, and an intoxicated chaperone, and you have the ingredients for an evening of madcap delight.
Winner of five Tony Awards, including Best Book and Best Original Score, The Drowsy Chaperone is a loving send-up of the Golden Age musical, featuring one show-stopping song and dance number after another.
For over twenty-five years, the Grand Theatre High School Project has offered an exceptional opportunity for students to receive education and training in the working environment of a professional theatre, at no cost to the participants.
Each year, high school students from the London area are mentored by professional artists and coaches in all departments (performance, stage management, props, wardrobe, scenic art, carpentry, orchestra, sound, lighting, stage, and marketing), culminating in a production staged on the Grand Theatre..
The 2025 Grand Theatre High School Project, Disney’s Newsies, plays on the 839-seat Spriet Stage from September 17 to 27. The power of youth will be on full display with this vibrant musical spectacular, famed for its imaginative and iconic dance sequences, inspired by a true story, and featuring a Tony Award-winning score that includes songs such as “Carrying the Banner,” “Seize the Day,” and “King of New York”.
More than sixty high school students from London and area – representing seventeen different schools – make up the student company of Disney’s Newsies. Thirty-eight students make up the on-stage cast, two student musicians will be performing with the live orchestra, and twenty-one student artists are working behind the scenes in production roles, including wardrobe, props, lighting, sound, stage management, carpentry, scenic art, and marketing/photography.
Newsies invites audiences to step into turn-of-the-century New York City, a time of skyscrapers and money makers. This year’s Grand Theatre High School Project production tells the story of charismatic Jack Kelly and his gritty band of newsies, united in the fight against newspaper giants.When greedy publishers decide to raise distribution prices at the newsies’ expense, it’s up to Jack and his pals to be stronger together and fight for what’s right.
(Pictured: Keirah Buckley & Trent Robichaud. Costume Design by Lisa Wright. Photo: Mai Tilson)
One of the most influential powers in Canadian musical theatre, Ray Hogg (Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812; A Strange Loop; Musical Stage Co.),has been in residency at the Grand Theatre to lead this year’s High School Project production and direct the newest cohort of student artists through the Grand’s one-of-a-kind theatrical incubator. In step with Hogg is an all-star creative team led by Music Director Matthew Atkins (London Gospel Collective), Choreographer Krista Leis (Stratford, Broadway), Set Design Consultant Joshua Quinlan (Stratford, Crow’s, Mirvish), Costume Designer Lisa Wright, Lighting Designer Echo Zhou 周芷會, Sound Designer Emily Porter, Fight Director Mike Dufays, Disability Consultant Kristi Hansen,and Stage Manager Melissa Cameron.
(Pictured: Rachel Peake, Artistic Director, The Grand Theatre)
“Year after year, the Grand Theatre High School project shows us just how much young people can do when given the space to grow into their potential. Whether onstage or behind-the-scenes, this huge group of young people has been challenged to the extreme on this show,” shares Rachel Peake, Grand Theatre Artistic Director. “It calls on them to execute all elements of musical theatre to the highest level. This exceptional creative team has set the bar high, and day after day, those of us working with these students are deeply impacted by how they continually exceed our expectations.”
Disney’s Newsies
Music by Alan Menken Lyrics by Jack Feldman Book by Harvey Fierstein Based on the Disney Film written by Bob Tzudiker and Noni White Originally produced on Broadway by Disney Theatrical Productions Directed by Ray Hogg
September 17 to 27 on the Spriet Stage at the Grand Theatre
Single tickets range from $26-$55 and are available at grandtheatre.com, by phone at 519.672.8800, or at the Box Office, 471 Richmond Street.
This is the sixth in a series of Q&A Interviews with representatives of London area theatre companies and groups. Today, we interview Lisa Cardinal, co-founder of Infuse Productions.
Q. When was your company founded? By whom and why?
Infuse Productions was founded in 2025 by Lisa Cardinal and Mel Stewart. We knew for years that we wanted to put on a show together and had a different show planned for the fall of 2025. When we realized that 2025 was the 50th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Show – the show that we met on ten years earlier – we knew it was the right one to kick off Infuse Productions with.
Q. Is your company best described as professional or not-for-profit community theatre?
We are a community theatre who are committed to profit-sharing with our dedicated casts and crews.
(Pictured: Infuse Productions co-founders, Mel Stewart and Lisa Cardinal)
Q. What venue(s) do you use to stage your productions?
Our first production, a co-production with London Community Players (LCP), will take place at the Palace Theatre. The Palace and LCP are the ideal venues for our rendition of Rocky Horror, and in the future, we are open to working at other venues based on the show’s needs.
Q. Does your company have a Mission or Statement of Purpose?
To infuse is to introduce one thing to another, to fill it with a certain quality, and results in a change for the better. This is core to our values and how we work: the artists we work with bring their own talents and experiences, and we are excited to explore how we will continue to infuse side-by-side.
Q. Does your company have a Board of Directors and paid staff?
No
Q. Tell me about your 2025-2026 Season. Does it have any underlying theme?
Even though this is Infuse Production’s first season, this is a milestone for us personally. We first worked together ten years ago, and now we are celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the film and The Palace. One of our themes is The Reveal. Not only are we revealing what you can expect from Infuse Productions, we are also taking this cult classic and bringing it to the stage and offering occasions for antici…pation. And we have so many things to reveal, so whether it’s your 50th time seeing Rocky Horror or your first, we’re sure that you will be entertained!
Q. What show(s) will you be staging this fall (September to December)? Tell me a little bit about each.
The Rocky Horror Show, October 23 to November 2 at the Palace Theatre, a co-production with London Community Players..
Q.Do you have any thoughts about the London area theatre community and your part in it?
We are a strong community that has been transforming and growing across every organization. We are very excited to have received such a warm welcome, and we cannot wait to share what we’ve been working on with audiences.
This is the fifth in a series of Q&A Interviews with representatives of London area theatre companies and groups. Today, we interview Sean Brennan of Banished By The King Productions.
(Who is The Banished Guy? The Banished Guy was originally drawn by Sean Brennan in Grade 3. You can easily tell by the crooked smile, misshapen ears, and lumpy eyes why the King would banish this guy.)
Q. When was your company founded? By whom and why?
Our company was founded in 2009 as a dream to continue to produce, write, and act in shows after graduating from university. Many of our original and founding members attended King’s University College, and thus, once our studies were over, we became Banished By The King. Over the years, the group has morphed and grown to include the talents of many members of London’s thriving community theatre scene.
(Pictured: Sean Brennan,Banished By The King Productions)
Q. Is your company best described as professional or not-for-profit community theatre? Or both?
We are a community theatre group.
Q. What venue(s) do you use to stage your productions?
As of 2019, we have been producing at Procunier Hall at The Palace Theatre. Previously, we produced our work at The Arts Project. As of 2024, we have become the Theatre Company in Residence at the Palace Theatre Arts Commons.
Q. Does your company have a Mission or Statement of Purpose?
We create original and unique theatre experiences for our audiences. Since 2009, we have produced eighteen full productions and staged readings, and will continue to push ourselves as artists and creative people.
Q. Does your company have a Board of Directors and paid staff?
No.
Q. Tell me about your 2025-2026 Season. Does it have any underlying theme?
We will be remounting a previously successful production of The Family Creetin by Patrick Brennan in April 2026 at the Palace Theatre.
Q. What show(s) will you be staging this fall (September to December)? Tell me a little bit about each.
Our auditions for The Family Creetin booked up quickly, and the wait list continues to grow. Keep your eyes open as we’re hoping to have another staged reading or fundraising event in the fall. Check out banishedproductions.ca for all upcoming news.
Q. Do you have any thoughts about the London area theatre community and your place in it?
The London Theatre community is a vibrant tapestry that encompasses many differing groups, ideas, and organizations. With an aim to entertaining and enlightening audiences, we look forward to contributing to that tapestry and reflecting our original and unique community in our work.
This is the fourth in a series of Q&A Profiles of London area theatre companies and groups. Today, we profile the Grand Theatre, London’s premier professional theatre company.
Q. When was your company founded? By whom and why?
In 1934, the four amateur drama guilds in London, The London Drama League, The Half-Way House Players, The Meredith Players , and The Community Drama Guild, pooled their resources together to become London Little Theatre. With the amalgamation, London Little Theatre was able to afford to rent the Grand Theatre. In 1945, the London Little Theatre purchased the Grand Theatre building from Famous Players.
In 1971, London Little Theatre became a professional theatre company known as Theatre London.
In 1983, Theatre London changed its name to the present Grand Theatre.
Q. Is your company best described as professional or not-for-profit community theatre?
The Grand Theatre is a not-for-profit professional theatre company, known for world-class theatre created and built in London, Ontario. As southwestern Ontario’s premier producing theatre and one of the most beautiful theatre spaces in Canada, the company has deep ties to the community and to its artists, artisans, and technicians.
It is one of twenty-two Regional Theatres across Canada, typically the largest or most established company in an area, serving the dual role of bringing work and artists from the national or world stage to the region while also celebrating work and artists from the region.
The Grand Theatre is also ranked as a Category A theatre, one of twenty of Canada’s largest and highest budget theatres alongside Mirvish Productions, the National Arts Centre, and the Stratford Festival.
Q. What venue do you use to stage your productions?
The Grand Theatre, 471 Richmond St, London, Ontario.
Q. Does your company have a Mission or Statement of Purpose?
OUR VISION
The place to gather where world-class theatre thrives.
OUR MISSION
We create live professional theatre that gathers, inspires, and entertains audiences in London and beyond.
Q. Does your company have a Board of Directors and paid staff?
The Grand Theatre has a volunteer Board of Directors. The Grand Theatre Foundation has a volunteer board of directors. In a typical season, the Grand Theatre will work with one hundred or more professional guest artists, and approximately an equal number of production, technical, and administrative professionals and staff.
Q. Tell me about your 2025-2026 Season. Does it have any underlying theme?
The Grand Theatre’s 2025/26 season, titled “You Are Here”, invites theatregoers on a year-long trip full of visits to places they love, or have been dying to see. Stopping at unknown destinations along the way, unlocking delightful discoveries that they can’t wait to revisit.
In the plays this season, there is a theme of people trying to go it alone. But at their heart, these joyful plays are about quite the opposite. They are about the discoveries we make when we come together in community— the same way we do when we go to the theatre. The same way we do when we come to the Grand: the place to gather where world-class theatre thrives.
Q. What shows will you be staging this fall (September to December)? Tell me a little bit about each.
The Grand’s 2025/26 season will launch with the hilariously chaotic The Play That Goes Wrong by Henry Lewis, Henry Shields & Jonathan Sayer, and directed by former Grand Theatre Artistic Director Dennis Garnhum, director of last year’s smash-hit comedy CLUE.
(Pictured: Company members in THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG, 2024, The Citadel Theatre in partnership with Theatre Calgary and Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. Photo by Nanc Price.)
This will be followed by the wonderfully magical holiday hit, Disney’s Frozen, directed by Grand Theatre Artistic Director Rachel Peake, a co-production with Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre.
In the New Year, the Grand Theatre welcomes fresh beginnings withPrimary Trust by Pulitzer-winning playwright Eboni Booth, a co-production with Crow’s Theatre.
In February, experience the star-studded musical drama Piaf/Dietrichby Daniel Große Boymann and Thomas Kahry, adapted by decorated Canadian playwright Erin Shields, intertwining the lives of Marlene Dietrich and Edith Piaf in a dazzling tribute.
Next, travel back to Victorian England with Oscar Wilde’s beloved comedy The Importance of Being Earnest.
Finally, land in the northeast tip of North America for the heartwarming and uplifting Come From Away, the Tony and Olivier Award-winning Canadian musical by Irene Sankoff and David Hein.
And don’t forget about Newsies, this year’s Grand Theatre High School Project, Disney’s NewsiesThe Musical.
Music by Alan Menken Lyrics by Jack Feldman Book by Harvey Fierstein Based on the Disney Film written by Bob Tzudiker and Noni White Originally produced on Broadway by Disney Theatrical Productions
September 17 to September 27, 2025
Opening Night: Friday, September 19
Spriet Stage
Q. Do you have any thoughts about the London area theatre community and your place in it?
As one of Canada’s premier producing theatres and a vibrant cultural hub, the Grand Theatre delivers world-class productions that both engage and inspire, while fostering deep connections within our community.
We strive to be the cornerstone of entertainment in London, to support the artistic community and the development of theatre-makers, and to be a trusted place for communities to gather where the diversity of their lives is reflected. Our spaces offer a welcoming and accessible environment, intended to act as a hub within the community. We are committed to growing the number of local professional artists working on our productions, and to being a national teaching theatre working to correct imbalances in the industry by providing opportunities for artists from equity-denied groups.
The Grand Theatre and the City of London benefit from a vibrant collection of community theatre companies, many of which produce shows on the Grand’s Auburn Stage and connect with the Grand through initiatives designed to welcome and nurture the talented theatre artists who call London home. Artists in the Auburn gathers emerging and local artists for a hands-on workshop series, speaker series, available rental space, and season-long Playwrights Lab, led by director, dramaturge, and Grand Theatre Artistic Director Rachel Peake.
The Grand engages dedicated professional artists from across the country – and around the world – to create world-class, London-made productions on our stunning 839-seat Spriet Stage each season.
This is the third in a series of Q&A Interviews with representatives of London area theatre companies and groups. Today, we profile the Elgin Theatre Guild in St. Thomas.
Q. When was your company founded? By whom and why?
The Elgin Theatre Guild was formed in 1967, thanks to community volunteers with a $500 loan arranged by founding member Noni McLean from her boss, the St. Thomas Times-Journal (Here’s a Link to a story about the Guild’s founding https://share.google/xl4fejULmWu1QDPqX )
Q. Is your company best described as professional or not-for-profit community theatre?
Not-for-profit community theatre.
Q. What venue(s) do you use to stage your productions?
Princess Avenue Playhouse, 40 Princess Avenue, St. Thomas.
Q. Does your company have a Mission or Statement of Purpose?
To produce quality live productions through community theatre and rentals of the theatre venue for concerts and other arts-related presentations.
Q. Does your company have a Board of Directors and paid staff?
Elgin Theatre Guild is comprised of all volunteers, with an elected Board of Directors.
Q. Tell me about your 2025-2026 Season. Does it have any underlying theme?
The underlying theme is the Power of Friendship and Belief in one another.
Q. What show(s) will you be staging this fall (September to December)? Tell me a little bit about each.
Two classic stories about love, friendships, and miracles.
Steel Magnolias – Sept 18-28, 2025 By Robert Harling The action is set in Truvy’s beauty salon in Chinquapin, Louisiana, where all the ladies who are “anybody” come to have their hair done. Helped by her eager new assistant, Annelle (who is not sure whether or not she is still married), the outspoken, wise-cracking Truvy dispenses shampoos and free advice to the town’s rich curmudgeon, Ouiser, (“I’m not crazy, I’ve just been in a bad mood for forty years”); an eccentric millionaire, Miss Clairee, who has a raging sweet tooth; and the local social leader, M’Lynn, whose daughter, Shelby (the prettiest girl in town), is about to marry a “good ole boy.” Filled with hilarious repartee and not a few acerbic but humorously revealing verbal collisions, the play moves toward tragedy when, in the second act, the spunky Shelby (who is a diabetic) risks pregnancy and forfeits her life. The sudden realization of their mortality affects the others, but also draws on the underlying strength—and love—which give the play, and its characters, the special quality to make them truly touching, funny, and marvelously amiable company in good times and bad.
Miracle on 34th Street, The Play – Dec 4-14, 2025 Adapted by Mountain Community Theater from the novel by Valentine Davies. Based upon the Twentieth Century Fox motion picture Miracle on 34th Street.“This is a tale that we want to believe in, that creates a world we seem to desperately desire, free of the blatant commercialism that surrounds us, where love and decency and generosity of spirit are their own rewards. What we want Christmas to be all about, really.” So writes the Santa Cruz Sentinel of this most heartwarming holiday story. By chance, Kris Kringle, an old man in a retirement home, gets a job working as Santa for Macy’s. Kris unleashes waves of goodwill with Macy’s customers and the commercial world of New York City by referring parents to other stores to find exactly the toy their child has asked for. Seen as deluded and dangerous by Macy’s vocational counselor, who plots to have Kris shanghaied to Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital, Kris ends up in a court competency hearing. Especially at stake is one little girl’s belief in Santa. In a dramatic decision, the court confirms Kris as the true Santa, allowing Susan and countless other children to experience the joy of childhood fantasy.
Q. Do you have any thoughts about the London area theatre community and your place in it?
We are proud to be part of the rich community theatre network in our area and look forward to building relationships and continued support of our fellow organizations
This is the second in a series of Q&A Interviews with representatives of London area theatre companies and groups. Today, we profile David J. Pasquino and DJP Productions.
Q. When was your company founded? By whom and why?
DJP Productions was founded by David J Pasquino in April 2025, for the sole purpose of putting on Prescription: Murder. I discovered it a couple of years ago when I read that Pat Sajak was going to play the role of Dr. Roy Flemming in the play at a community theatre in Hawaii (it was on at the Hawaii Theatre, July 31 to August 10, 2025). Much to my surprise, the play, written in 1962, was the very first Columbo story and was adapted into a TV special in 1968. I grew up watching Columbo and could not pass up the opportunity to play him, so I had to figure out a way to get this play on a stage in London, and producing it seemed to be the best way to do all of this.
Q. Is your company best described as professional or not-for-profit community theatre? Or both?
Not-for-profit community theatre.
Q. What venue(s) do you use to stage your productions?
Prescription: Murder will be onstage at the Auburn Stage at the Grand Theatre.
Q. Does your company have a Mission or Statement of Purpose?
DJP could be my initials, or maybe it could stand for Discover Joy and Passion? Either way, this inaugural production is an expression of my love of theatre, and for the theatre community in London – something I discovered 12 years ago that I never knew was missing from my life. I hope people coming to the show experience that Joy and Passion as well.
Q. Does your company have a Board of Directors and paid staff?
No.
Q. Tell me about your 2025-2026 Season. Does it have any underlying theme?
I don’t know if one show can be called a season, but the purpose is to bring the original Columbo story to the stage and the people of London, Ontario.
Q. What show(s) will you be staging this fall (September to December)? Tell me a little bit about each.
Unfortunately, nothing in that time frame, but Prescription: Murder will be on March 19 – 29, 2026.
Q. Do you have any thoughts about the London area theatre community and your place in it?
I have been a part of the London theatre community since my first show, To Kill a Mockingbird, in March 2013, and have acted in over twenty plays since then. This is my first time producing a show (I am also acting in it), and I am a little anxious because I obviously want this to be a success and to have people (cast, crew, and audience) enjoy it. I will have to see how this goes before I commit to producing other shows, but there is at least one other one play I have always wanted to put on. Who knows, maybe I will catch the producing bug, and DJP Productions will put on regular shows! I owe a debt of gratitude to all of the directors, producers, stage managers, crew, and actors that I’ve had the good fortune to work with; they welcomed me with open arms and have become very important to me in the last decade, and maybe this is one way I can pay a bit of that debt.
The Beat Magazine 2025 