by Richard Young, Publisher & Content Manager, The Beat Magazine
If you were one of the fortunate people who took time off from watching the Blue Jays World Series games to attend Odesa Company’s all too short four-day run of Misery at the Princess Ave Playhouse in St. Thomas, lucky you. If you didn’t, pity.
Produced by Laura Williams and co-directed by Chris and Scott Smalley, the tautly staged thriller based on the Stephen King novel was a delight and filled with tension from beginning to end.
The story is familiar. Paul Sheldon, a well-known author of a series of highly successful Misery romance novels, wakes up to find himself severely injured and confined to a bed with no recollection of how he got there. He discovers he was badly hurt in a car accident and is now convalescing in the remote home of Annie Wilkes, a former nurse who claims to be his biggest fan. Grateful and flattered at first, Paul gradually realizes that he is being held prisoner by his menacing and increasingly violent caregiver.
To be sure, the Princess Ave Playhouse was the ideal venue for the Odesa Company’s production. Small and intimate, it gave audience members a front-row seat to the action on stage and made them feel that they were in the cramped cabin with the play’s protagonists.
The play’s leads were both outstanding.
(Pictured: Helen Wrack-Adams as Annie. Photo Credit: Ross Davidson)
Helen Wrack-Adams shone as the physically dominating and sadistic Annie who turned on a dime throughout the play. One moment she was affectionate and fawning, the next minute she was taking a mallet to Paul’s ankles. Her increasing menace was definitely felt by the audience who, like Paul, dreaded each time she entered the bedroom.
As Paul, Andrew Dodd spent much of his time on stage in bed or in a wheelchair. He deftly conveyed his character’s gradual realization that he was being held captive by a seriously deranged God-fearing, moral absolutist. The scene in which he cast himself out of bed and crawled across the floor in an attempt to escape was so convincing that members of the audience were wincing in pain, including this writer!
(Pictured: Andrew Dodd as Paul. Photo Credit: Ross Davidson)
Patrick Hoffer, as Buster, the small-town sheriff and Paul’s would-be rescuer, breaks up the tension with his brief appearances on stage. Unfortunately, he ended up being shot by Annie for his efforts.
(Pictured: Patrick Hoffer as Sheriff Buster. Photo Credit: Ross Davidson)
The final physical altercation between Paul and Annie was startingly realistic, thanks no doubt to the contributions of London’s Shrew’d Business.
(Pictured: Annie (Helen Wrack-Adams) and Paul (Andrew Dodd). Photo Credit: Ross Davidson)
*********************
I had the good fortune to buttonhole Scott Smalley during the Intermission for a brief impromptu interview about the play and Odesa Company. Here’s an edited summary of that chat.
Q. How has the play’s run been so far?
The run’s been really good. Sales have been really good. I’m a Blue Jays fan, and I’m really grateful that they’re in the World Series, but we have found ourselves competing with their success. Our matinees have been selling well, and audiences have been really enjoying the production.
Q. Could you have extended the play to a second week?
We could have. It’s one of those things where we look at our sales data. We picked up momentum thanks to good word of mouth. Unfortunately, it’s one of the drawbacks of doing a one-week run. You don’t have as many opportunities to build interest and momentum in your production.
Q. Is there any particular reason why you chose Princess Ave Playhouse as the venue for Misery?
It’s well-suited for this show. A more intimate space is really helpful for the type of story we’re telling, especially in the second act when things get a little bit crazier on stage. After we did The Elephant Man here, it became very obvious that St. Thomas audiences are interested in great theatre, and they’ve been very supportive of our efforts. We’ve had people come from London who said they didn’t know this place even existed, so that’s pretty cool.
Q. Any comments you would like to make about your Cast?
They’re wonderful! When it came to auditions, we had a lot of options. They were all excellent, and they all brought different things to the roles, but the chemistry that we’ve developed during the rehearsal process was really amazing, and the on-stage product reflects that. I’d like to point out that our Techs have been just as much of the play’s process and success
Q. One final question. What’s up next for Odesa Company?
We were going to do StageQuest next, but we’ve bumped it to next year. We’ve got a few irons in the fire, and we’ve had folks who have pitched various shows. We’re kinda navigating those things, and we look forward to having a very full 2026 season.
Well-known London creative, Donald D’Haene, is riding the crest of a wave.
His documentary, Interpreting Erik, being screened at this year’s Forest City Film Festival, is getting noticed; everywhere. It has garnered just under three hundred awards and accolades worldwide. But like all waves, there is a trough, which is the content of the documentary. Interpreting Erik follows the tragic life of Donald’s brother, who died on the streets of Vancouver in 2020. Erik, like Donald, brother Ronny, and sister Marina, was sexually abused by their father, not just once but repeatedly.
The documentary is not just Erik’s story, but the story of Donald and his two siblings’ survival throughout this ordeal. For Donald, it was through therapy, outlined in his two books Father’s Touch and Nobody Wants To Read You Are Happy. For Ronny, it was photography, and he became an award-winning nature photographer. When the family unit broke up, Marina found solace, guidance, and hope in various group homes in London. The D’Haene children survived and grew beyond the horrible abuse of their past, but not Erik.
(Pictured: The D’Haene siblings, Marina, Donald, and Ronny.)
Donald’s documentary explores Erik’s life through his art, his diaries, and his letters. Erik is portrayed by actors Tyler Lionel Parr and Tyrone Traher, reading Erik’s words and characterizing his image on the street. At the film’s end, there is a sense of understanding his struggle.
“You see, we have no videos of our brother, but I found over one thousand letters, some with prose or poems, and over one hundred art pieces and drawings. I never knew I had them. I took care of my mom until she passed, and we had our own ‘Grey Gardens’ (a 1975 film) going,” says Donald. “Thank goodness I never listened to anyone as I never de-hoarded. While I was writing my memoir, I picked up what I thought was a date book my mother kept in an old box. Lo and behold it was a diary and there were more than twenty of them. I never knew she kept a diary.”
“Then I went through scores of bags and found Erik’s letters and art. Erik’s life had meaning; he had incredible talent. More importantly, he had hopes and dreams like any other displaced member of our society. He could never escape the past, although he tried with drugs and other forms of self-abuse. My guilt was suffocating me. My depression consumed me until I decided to tell Erik’s story, first through my book and then through sharing his works and art. I have been reborn telling my Erik’s story. I feel I’m alive again, but I have to be, for him”.
Erik’s life and death on the streets of Vancouver echoes the plight of all marginalized people who end up without a home and little hope. Erik becomes the ‘everyman’ on the street, but he has a name, and he had a life.
“He was not nothing, he was everything,” as Donald reminds us.
Erik stated, “I need an interpreter in my own skin”. Brother Donald has been successfully able to do that.
Interpreting Erik will be shown at the Forest City Film Festival at Wolf Performance Hall, October 26th at 12:00 p.m. and November 2nd at 2:30 p.m.
For more information about the Forest City Film Festival, visit https://fcff.ca/
This is the twenty-second in a series of Q&A Profiles of London area theatre companies and groups. Today, we profile Theatre Tillsonburg.
Q. When was your company founded? By whom and why?
Theatre Tillsonburg was founded in 1981 by the following people: Tom Heeney, Dennis Noonan, Laurel Beechey, Peter Beechey, Darlene Murray, and Lorne Boyd.
This group of people came together to create a local theatre group with a Board of Directors, a not-for-profit organization run by volunteers with no paid staff, dedicated to crafting good, wholesome entertainment. The first shows were presented in the local community centre, until the spring of 1990, when the current building was purchased. Numerous renovations were required to transform the former Hungarian Hall into the theatre it is today. Once the building was purchased, the group wanted to distinguish between the group and the building, so a contest was held to name the building. The winning name was The Otter Valley Playhouse, and the person who chose the name received a lifetime supply of theatre tickets, which she continues to use today.
Q. Is your company best described as professional or not-for-profit community theatre? Or both?
Theatre Tillsonburg is a not-for-profit community theatre.
Q. What venue(s) do you use to stage your productions?
All Theatre Tillsonburg shows are staged in the Otter Valley Playhouse.
Q. Does your company have a Mission or Statement of Purpose?
The Mission of the theatre shall be to provide a creative outlet and venue for quality entertainment and opportunities for education in areas of theatre craft for members and the surrounding community.
The Purpose of the theatre is to:
Promote and develop amateur theatre in Tillsonburg and surrounding communities.
Provide the community with a year-round schedule of live theatre to enrich the cultural life and serve the entertainment needs of the community.
Welcome and provide a vocational opportunity for all volunteers interested in the theatre arts to participate in the many activities of community theatre.
Assist other dramatic and cultural groups in the community, as well as cooperate with other theatres within and beyond our community.
Accept gifts, bequests, donations, and legacies, and expend all monies received to promote the Theatre and its objectives.
Maintain in a safe and functional manner and provide improvements to the building owned by the theatre.
Remain an amateur and not-for-profit organization.
Q. Does your company have a Board and paid staff?
We have a Board of Directors, and there are no permanent paid staff members.
Q. Tell me about your 2025-2026 Season. Does it have any underlying theme?
Our 25/26 season consists of the following three plays:
Ken Ludwig’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas – November 20-30, 2025
Hilda’s Yard – February 18-March 1, 2026
Having Hope at Home – May 28 – June 7, 2026.
It is a season for everyone. We also run a summer camp for children.
Q. What show(s) will you be staging this fall (September to December)? Could you tell me a little bit about each?
Ken Ludwig’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas is a festive comedy full of mischief, music, and holiday magic! A mouse, an elf, and a spunky young girl team up to help Santa save Christmas in this wildly entertaining holiday adventure. Packed with clever wordplay, wild characters, and heartwarming cheer, it’s the perfect outing for the whole family.
Q. Do you have any thoughts about the London area theatre community and your part in it?
We have had patrons and cast members come from London, and we are thrilled to be part of an integrated community theatre experience.
This is the twenty-first in a series of Q&A Profiles of London area theatre companies and groups. Today, we interview Elizabeth Durand, co-founder and Artistic Director of Theatre Aezir.
Q. When was your company founded? By whom and why?
Theatre Aezir was co-founded in 2017 by Elizabeth Durand, David Bogaert, Rob Deman, and Olaf Plotzke. Our last show before COVID in 2019 was Falling: A Wake. When Theatre Aezir came back in 2023, I was the remaining co-founder, and I decided to change the company into a professional company. We became a non-profit and a registered charity in 2024.
Q. Is your company best described as professional or not-for-profit community theatre? Or both?
We are a professional company and registered charity with a mandate to expand our services into educating actors and theatrical professionals.
Q. What venue(s) do you use to stage your productions?
Theatre Aezir is a theatre production company without a home theatre, so we use various spaces based on the needs of the play. We have used the Auburn Developments Stage, Procunier Hall, outdoors at the Guy Lombardo Pavilion, and the gym at First Baptist Church.
Q. Does your company have a Mission or Statement of Purpose?
Theatre Aezir is a professional live theatre production company located in London, Ontario, and serves London and the surrounding counties. Positioned between the region’s large-scale productions and mid-sized community theatre, Theatre Aezir fills a vital gap in London’s theatre scene. We are theatre artists committed to presenting audiences with a diverse selection of engaging and thought-provoking performances by playwrights from across the city, the nation, and around the world.
Theatre Aezir’s Motto is “Theatre that makes you think.” Our mission is to create theatre that challenges the intellect, excites emotion, and confronts the present. Quirky, edgy, and provocative.
(Pictured: Theatre Aezir co-founder and Artistic Director, Elizabeth Durand.)
Q. Does your company have a Board of Directors and paid Staff?
Yes, we have a Board of Directors and paid part-time staff.
Q. Tell me about your 2025-2026 Season. Does it have any underlying theme?
At this time, we are still planning 2026.
Q. What show(s) will you be staging this fall (September to December)? Tell me a little bit about each.
Coming This Fall:Disastrous Dates. Delightful Theatre. Serious Training. This Fall, it’s Dating Games — and it’s not just a show.
This November, Theatre Aezir invites you to laugh (and cringe) your way through Dating Gamesby Garth Wingfield — a night of five hilariously awful dates, brought to life by some of the most promising emerging talent in London.
But here’s the twist: Dating Games is more than just a comedy. It’s also a hands-on, full-throttle training initiative for the next generation of theatre professionals.
Early-career directors will be responsible for a short play, supported every step of the way by an experienced mentor.
Ten+ local actors will dive into an intensive week-long skills workshop in breathing work, vocal production, diction, and character analysis — the kind of rigorous, pro-level training that usually only happens behind conservatory doors.
Our design team — including professional lighting, sound, and stage management — will bring their A-game.
Performances: November 6–16, 2025, evenings at 8:00pm, matinees at 4:00pm First Baptist Church, 568 Richmond Street.
Q. Do you have any thoughts about the London area theatre community and your part in it?
London needs another venue for independent theatre companies. If London had another space that was technically adequate and reasonably priced, more production companies would create more theatre.
This is the eighteenth in a series of Q&A Profiles of London area theatre companies and groups. Today, we profile Scooter Productions.
Q. When was your company founded? By whom and why?
Scooter Productions was founded in 2017. The founding members are Phil Cal, Heather Rivet, Brian Speagle, and Sherine Thomas-Holder. We got together to produce serious drama with current social themes. Our first production, Penguin Blues, tackled addiction and isolation.
Q. Is your company best described as professional or not-for-profit community theatre?
We are a non-profit community theatre group.
Q. What venue(s) do you use to stage your productions?
Our last two productions have been staged at Manor Park Memorial Hall.
Q. Does your company have a Mission or Statement of Purpose?
“Scooter Productions strives to produce quality live theatre and to promote all of the arts in the Greater London Area.”
(Pictured: Brian Speagle, co-founder of Scooter Productions.)
Q. Does your company have a Board of Directors and paid Staff?
There is no board of directors or paid staff.
Q. Tell me about your 2025-2026 Season. Does it have any underlying theme?
At the moment, our 2025-26 season consists of one production, Memoir, by John Murrell. Our next show is TBD.
Q. What show(s) will you be staging this fall (September to December)? Tell me a little bit about each.
Memoirwill run from November 19th to 23rd.
Plot summary: It is the summer of 1922; Sarah Bernhardt’s last at her beloved island estate off the coast of Brittany. With her erstwhile secretary, butler, and general dogsbody Georges Pitou, she attempts to write volume two of her memoir. Sarah enters a world of memories, spanning her entire life and theatre career. Many of her reminiscences are of her many accomplishments, but there are also memories of pain and trauma. However, she is The Divine Sarah, and she triumphantly rises above them and overcomes! John Murrell has created a moving and complex script that has touched theatregoers around the world.
Q. Do you have any thoughts about the London area theatre community and your part in it?
It is my belief that community theatre groups in London need to collaborate and support one another to grow an audience that will appreciate theatre and all the arts in London. In practical terms, we should be attending each other’s shows and helping to promote them. We are all in the same boat.
by Richard Young, Publisher & Content Manager, The Beat Magazine 2025.
(Pictured: The Beat Arts In London, Issue 1, October 2009. Cover Art by Lionel Morise)
After a nine-year hiatus, I recently revived The Beat Magazine, an independent arts magazine I founded and published from 2009 to 2013, as The Beat Magazine 2025 website.
Since then, several of my peers and contemporaries have asked me one simple question: Why?
It’s a question I have asked myself many times over the last few weeks.
First and foremost, my reason for doing so is my humble attempt to make up for the lack of local arts and culture coverage in the mainstream media over the last several years. Frankly, I think this is criminal in a city the size of London. London and area creatives deserve better.
As one of our volunteer writers, Dawn Lyons, sums it up:
“London’s arts scene is alive with talent, creativity, and passion. It’s full of amazing artists across disciplines who continue to create, perform, and inspire, often without the recognition they truly deserve. I see The BeatMagazine 2025 as a way to showcase that energy and help connect people in the community with the incredible work happening around them.”
Much like the former print publication, the website provides timely, informed local arts news and commentary, and previews and reviews of local arts events. It also includes profiles of the area’s creatives and arts and culture venues. It is ad-free, and subscriptions are free.
(Pictured: The Beat Magazine, Issue 30, March 2012. We featured Ceris Thomas on the cover. Ceris was appearing in The Drowsy Chaperone, then playing at the Palace Theatre.)
Second, simply because I want to.
Since the print magazine folded in the summer of 2013, I have kept myself busy doing many things.
I wrote freelance for a variety of local print publications, including Lifestyle Magazine, Business London, London, Inc., Professionally Speaking (Ontario College of Teachers), Scene Magazine, and the Villager Group of community magazines.
(Pictured: The Beat Magazine, Issue 25, October 2011. This cover, featuring a cast member from Evil Dead: The Musical, proved to be one of our most popular ones. We had difficulty keeping our stands stocked!)
I worked part-time/casually at a well-respected London Advertising & Marketing agency, writing copy about heavy industrial machinery. Talk about a learning curve! I thank owners Robert Adeland and Mina Thaler for their patience in teaching me the ins and outs of large cranes, dump trucks, excavators, and the like.
From December 2022 until August 2025, I was the Publicity and Program Department Head for Silver Spotlight Theatre, London’s theatre company that gives those 55 and older a chance to sing, dance, and perform on stage or backstage.
Most recently, I have served on the London Public Library’s Historic Sites Committee, the body that erects plaques around the city commemorating people and places of local historical significance. One project I take particular pride in is an Interpretive Sign Celebrating Wonderland Gardens’ Contribution to London’s Music History, which I prepared in collaboration with the City of London Culture Office. It will be officially unveiled on a date TBD.
(Pictured: The original Wonderland Gardens Outdoor Bandshell. Wonderland opened on May 24, 1935.)
That brings me up to the summer of 2025.
An unexpected medical diagnosis of Chronic Kidney Disease in July forced me to reevaluate many aspects of my life.
First and foremost, was changing my dietary and exercise habits. Gone are all processed foods, fast foods, and those with high levels of sodium and potassium. No more putting off going to the gym at least three times weekly.
Second, was relieving those things that cause me mental stress and unnecessary anxiety.
At my age (70-something), I decided that I want to fully re-engage with the local arts and culture community, rather than focusing on one aspect of it with my involvement with Silver Spotlight Theatre.
I also want to work at my own beck and call and not be accountable to others who may not always share my at times unbridled enthusiasm and relentlessness.
(Pictured: The final issue of The Beat Magazine, Summer 2013, featuring London dancer and choreographer, Amy Wright, on the cover)
In short, reviving The Beat Magazine seemed to be the best course of action to follow at this point in my life.
Has it taken up a lot more of my time than I thought? Hell, yes! But it’s my time and I love it.
Is there any financial return? Hell no! It’s strictly, to use the old cliche, a labour of love.
So, welcome to the new Beat Magazine in the form of The Beat Magazine 2025 website!
Let us know what you would like us to cover.
Let us know if you would like to volunteer some writing about the local arts and culture scene.
Let us know how we’re doing.
Let us know what’s working and what’s not working.
This is the seventeenth in a series of Q&A Profiles of London area theatre companies and groups. Today, we interview Matt Loop, co-founder of sketch comedy troupe, Project G Force.
Q. When was your company founded? By whom and why?
Project G Force was founded by Matt Loop and Thomas Bogad in 2006 and included members of sketch troupes Channel Surfing and Sector 7 G. The troupe currently consists of original members Thomas Bogad, Norah Cuzzocrea, Laura DiTrolio, and Matt Loop. Past members include Pasqualina Cardu, Christian Gundlack, and Lorissa Sinasac. Project G Force was under the umbrella of local theatre group Channel Surfing Productions and is currently the longest-running sketch comedy troupe in London, under the direction of John Pacheco.
Q. Is your company best described as professional or not-for-profit community theatre? Or both?
Project G Force is a not-for-profit theatre.
(Pictured: Matt Loop, Laura DiTrolio, Thomas Bogad, and Norah Cuzzocrea)
Q. What venue(s) do you use to stage your productions?
We have performed at the Palace main stage, Rum Runners, TAP, London Music Club, and most recently the Princess Ave Theatre in St. Thomas.
Q. Does your company have a Mission or Statement of Purpose?
Our mission is basically to make people laugh with locally written comedy. Everything produced by Channel Surfing Productions, from sketch to past shows like ‘UnderAchievers’ and ‘PMS’, are all locally written. We hope to start producing some more plays under the Project G Force banner.
Q. Does your company have a Board of Directors and paid Staff?
We do not. We are just a bunch of friends who can barely decide where to meet for dinner.
Q. Tell me about your 2025-2026 Season. Does it have any underlying theme?
We just finished a show this year called Stage Fright and are currently preparing a show for 2026, which will be our 20th Anniversary together. We tend to do one show a year to give everyone time to work on other theatre or comedy projects. Currently, Thomas is in the improv group Shut the Front Door, Norah is in The Front Page: SCOOPED at the Palace Theatre, and Matt Loop is currently on Jack1023 and has helped promote several recent theatre shows on Afternoons with Loop.
Q. Do you have any thoughts about the London area theatre community and your part in it?
It’s amazing to see the theatre community start to rebound after those years “we shall not speak of.” The community goes in cycles, and it seems that it is starting to upswing with a great mix of exciting new companies (young and old), and diverse performers. It’s also nice to see actors who we haven’t seen in a while starting to get back on the stage, and it’s great to see some locally written works starting to get produced again. We would like to see more collaboration and promotion done for the theatre scene, as London is growing and so should the audiences, as long as we can reach them. The members of Project G Force have been around for a while and have loved being part of the local theatre scene, whether that be performing or in other productions. We are also getting older and don’t want to break anything.
The Beat Magazine 2025 is honoured to welcome Dawn Lyons as a volunteer writer. Dawn has an extensive journalism background and previously wrote for The Beat Magazine print edition (2009-2013). Dawn is ready to connect with those amazing artists across disciplines who continue to create, perform, and inspire, often without the recognition they truly deserve.
Name and Occupation My name is Dawn Lyons. I currently work as a grant writer for nonprofits, after spending many years as a copywriter and freelance journalist.
Background and Experience I started out as a copy editor in advertising, which somehow led to a career in copywriting for various types of businesses around the world. Over the years, I’ve also worked as a freelance journalist, contributing to publications such as Metro News, FIVE Magazine, The Middlesex Banner, London Community News, OurLondon.ca, and The Beat Magazine, with many front-page features. I’ve also published creative nonfiction in Thrive In Life magazine. Writing has always felt like a natural career path for me — I was in love with books before I even started school, and I was writing stories and poems as early as second grade.
Past Arts & Culture Writing Activities Much of my freelance work focused on community news and events, but some of my most rewarding assignments came from profiling actors, directors, musicians, artists, and writers for The Beat Magazine’s original print publication. It was a wonderful way to reconnect with London’s arts scene, which I had been part of in my younger years through theatre, music, and writing competitions, but stepped away from once I started university.
Why am I volunteering as a writer for The Beat Magazine 2025? Writing for The Beat was one of my favorite freelance experiences, so I was sad when it ceased publication. I’m thrilled it’s back and to be writing for it again. London has such a vibrant and deeply talented arts community, but sometimes it feels like an underground, best-kept secret that deserves to be more widely known, experienced, and celebrated. I believe The Beat plays an important role in giving artists and community artistic organizations the attention they deserve, especially when local mainstream media doesn’t always shine that spotlight. I’m happy to contribute to that mission.
Thoughts about the London arts and culture community London’s arts scene is alive with talent, creativity, and passion. It’s full of amazing artists across disciplines who continue to create, perform, and inspire, often without the recognition they truly deserve. I see The Beat as a way to showcase that energy and help connect people in the community with the incredible work happening around them.
Anything else readers should know about Dawn Lyons? In addition to grant writing, I continue to write poetry and creative nonfiction, and I’m an aspiring lyricist, fascinated by how the right words woven into music can carry so much impact. I also maintain an online memorial to celebrate one of my favorite songwriters, Lisa Marie Presley, whose creative talents were deep and meaningful, but often overlooked.
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.
Vocalist and guitarist, Anne Moniz, is one of London’s most prolific musicians. Chosen by London music fans to be a member of the Forest City London Music Awards Fantasy Band twice (2021 and 2022), Anne continues to be one of the city’s busiest and in-demand musicians. These days, she is making music as the lead vocalist for the nine-piece Tell It To Sweeney, and as a duo with her companion and accompanist Daniel Oniszeczko.
The Beat Magazine 2025 caught up with Anne in between gigs. What follows is an edited Q&A profile.
Q. Where were you born? How old are you? How long have you lived in London?
I was born right here in London, Ontario, at St. Joseph’s Hospital. I am old enough to know better. I have lived in London for most of my life, other than some stints in Woodstock and Toronto, Ontario.
(Pictured: Anne Moniz, Age 5)
Q. Was yours a musical home? Did you have any professional training, or are you self-taught? A bit of both? Could you tell me about your early musical endeavours as a child and teenager?
My parents’ record collection was impressive. Classical, Latin, and flamenco, prog rock, and disco. My love for music is well-earned. My mother played piano and sang, and my father played a bit of guitar. They both drew, painted, and wrote poetry. They are both very creative people and were always hugely supportive of my interests as I grew up. I was very lucky. I took guitar lessons from Greigg Fraser for a few years out of the downstairs of Matt’s Music on Wellington Road. I sang in the choir all through school. I have a working knowledge of musical theory. It can open up a lot of doors both compositionally and professionally, but I didn’t like learning it. I naturally possess an excellent ear, and I have had some good teachers who encouraged and facilitated that.
When I was about eleven or twelve, my parents brought me to folk open stages where I met the late and great Dennis Humble, as well as Steve Brown. I performed at Harrington Music Fest when I was about twelve, which was a very big honour. The folk community around here is exceptionally welcoming and kind. As a teen, I very much got into a lot of terrible trouble. When I was eighteen or nineteen, I was in a horror punk band with Toronto-based artist Nyssa Komorowski called The Cha Chas, and we performed around town. We had a room at The ‘Wick and spent a lot of time there.
Q. Do you remember the moment when you decided that music was going to be a big part of your life? How long have you been playing music professionally? Do you consider yourself a full-time or part-time musician?
It was sitting a little too close to the TV one night, absolutely glued to watching Bonnie Raitt perform live on some show when I was six. One of my parents asked if I wanted to do that and I said Yes. I have been playing music ever since. I have always made some money doing it, so it depends on your definition of professionally. At the rate I am playing music nowadays, I would not be able to sustain myself whatsoever in terms of income. Though I do consider myself a full-time musician, in that I am always being a musician, I definitely prefer doing things at my own pace and am really picky about the things I put out and participate in. It’s too personal for me to flog staunchly as a business, as some others are capable of doing. It just feels disingenuous for some reason when I try to do it.
Q. Other than vocals, do you play any other instruments?
I play guitar and some bass. I have a working ability on piano, and actually also Celtic harp. I took some lessons with Roger Muma when I was young as well. He taught Jennifer White, who is a touring Canadian harpist. In school band, I played clarinet, and I am actually taking it up again now in my spare time.
Q. What have your musical influences been over the years?
I have a penchant for old punk rock, Misfits, and The Stooges. Eighties goth rock like Bauhaus, and Sisters of Mercy. Of course, all the famous songwriters, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and John Fogerty, to name but a few. I’ll listen to anything. Lately, I have been really into Turkish psychedelic bands like Şatellites and Altin Gün. My favourite album and guilty pleasure is the 1997 club hits compilation Pure Energy Vol. 4, featuring the track “Let Me Clear My Throat” by DJ Kool. If anybody is reading this and has a physical copy they want to part with, please let me know!
Q. Tell me about the various groups and musicians you have played with since you started playing professionally. Who are you currently playing with?
I’ve played in many bands over the years. Of course, there is The Cha Chas, which I mentioned earlier. We had songs like “Zombie Mambo”, “My Boyfriend’s Dead” (parodying of course “My Boyfriend’s Back”, sung originally by The Angels in 1963), and “Vampire Man”. All love songs. We were rather cheeky. I had a brief career as the lead vocalist for The Carnies many years ago while Jaime Short was living elsewhere (RIP). I got told way too often that I have too nice a voice for punk rock, and at the time, I did not take that as a compliment.
After that, I was in a rock band called Wonderjunk. We were very LOUD. We got to open for Spookey Ruben at Bovine Sex Club back in like 2009, which is a bit of a blurry memory. After that, I was in an indie band called High School Sweetheart with Jessica Vanden Boomen. We won a contest through FM96 to record a couple of songs at EMAC Recording Studios, and we were guests on air. She was my best friend. We broke up because we got into a heated argument about me prioritizing school over the band (I could definitely not do both at once).
After I graduated, I played bass for Leanne Mayer’s band Hollow Romance for a bit. I tried to make a go at a full-band rock version of some of my original music, which was Nimway. It had a lot of promise and was gaining traction. We were asked to play at the Demics anniversary showcase at Call The Office, which was my personal favourite highlight. My marriage completely dissolved in 2020, and sadly so did the band.
Nick Elie and I were also the rhythm section for the live, psychedelic, improvisational band Prism Tape Philosophy, led by Howie Kittelson. That man can tell a story and is the finest radio show host I have ever heard. I played rhythm guitar and sang backup for Mad Moxxis for a few years, and we did some really good songs and music videos together. I left after we had a hiatus. I was doing too much stuff and had to reprioritize. Nicole is still a good friend. I sing backups now for Thames Rivieras, which is Pete Dekokker’s baby. Everybody sings. I call it a “punk rock opera” act, which Pete gets a kick out of, but you have to hear it. We actually have a new album coming out soon.
I am the lead vocalist for nu-swing band Tell It To Sweeney, which is a nine-piece funk, disco, jazz-infused wild child. That band saved my life after Nimway fell apart. I get to be a red-hot mama and sashay around the stage, shaking my butt and yelling at people. It’s a lot of fun, and people love it, which is the best part. We have played Northern Lights Festival in Sudbury, Elora Riverfest, and lots of other cool gigs.
And I am playing folk music again with my companion and accompanist, Daniel Oniszeczko, as Anne Moniz. I am on my signature twelve-string acoustic, and he has written some excellent basslines to my songs. I write sad music, but there is definitely a place for it. I have had people walk out of my shows in tears, and many people come up and thank me for the catharsis my music has brought them. I am hoping to finally record it soon, but I am being very picky about things.
Daniel and I also have an instrumental project we call Photoplay. It is a mix of classical- almost klezmer-sounding- assorted film soundtrack music. That is the best way I can describe it. It is so involved technically that we haven’t done much with it, but we would love to get it recorded as well. Many of the bands I discussed have music out for distribution, so please check them out online if you are curious.
Q. Tell me a little bit about any recordings you have made in your career.
I have made it onto a lot of local DIY and indie recordings over the years, as well as studio recordings. High School Sweetheart has a debut self-titled EP from 2012, and a subsequent full-length called There I Was. Nimway has a 2017 self-titled EP still in distribution. I am sitting on a full-length, but I can’t bring myself to release it. I was not in a great place when it was recorded. In 2019, Hyper Squirrel Productions released a nu-metal concept album called DreamWake that features different musicians and vocalists from around the world, including me.
I am featured on Westminster Park’s 2020 album Dark Night, Nearly Dawn on guitar and vocals. They are one of my favourite London bands. Mad Moxxis has music still in distribution. We only ever released singles, most notably “Bad Karma” in 2022. That is a good song. Thames Rivieras released a full-length debut in 2022 called Whatnot Jive, and we have another one on the way.
Tell It To Sweeney released two singles earlier this year: “Hurts My Neck”, which has an accompanying, very DIY music video on YouTube, which was a lot of fun to make. Also, “Behind The Veil” features a voice clip from Boris Karloff. I wrote to his daughter, Sara, and negotiated permissions, and it was a really wonderful experience. I don’t know what compelled me to reach out like that, as I am usually quite shy, but I had to have it. We played a show recently, and people knew the words to our 2020 single “The Countess”. That was the coolest thing I’ve ever experienced.
Q. What projects are you currently pursuing? Do you have any gigs coming up in the next month or two you would like our readers to know about?
Right now, I am the most serious about Tell It To Sweeney, as well as my original acoustic music. Lots of writing, solidifying, and pre-production. Getting our feet wet again, playing live. Refining the live show. Getting my groove back. Daniel and I are playing at The Richmond Tavern on October 16th as guest musicians for The Inside Outside, a cultural showcase hosted by Tami Kegley. October 24th is Great Balls of Fire, a fundraising show benefiting Young Adult Cancer Canada (YACC) that runs from 4pm to 1am. Both Photoplay and Tell It To Sweeney are playing at this event.
Sweeney is also playing a Hallowe’en party on November 1st at Frontier Ghost Town, an old western movie set-turned-campground in Durham County. We’ve been invited to play Come Together, their annual Labour Day weekend music festival, for the past several years, and it is always a great time. On November 28th, Daniel and I are hosting our last full night of acoustic music at Dawghouse Pub, and my friend Nyssa Komorowski from The Cha Chas is coming to open for us. You can find her stuff on Bandcamp! Other than playing a couple of private events, that is it for me in 2025.
Q. In addition to your musical endeavours, are you involved with any other arts organizations or activities in the London community?
I am not! Truthfully, at this point in my life, I am spending a lot of my time cultivating solitude and personal reflection. The last few years have brought many changes that I am still negotiating. I am rewiring my brain, rewriting my story, creating some peace. It is at the same time relaxing and hugely uncomfortable. I always answer my messages, though, so please say hello sometime. I love to share a laugh.
Q. Is there anything else you think our readers should know about Anne Moniz the musician and Anne Moniz the individual?
I graduated from the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology (OIART) in 2015 and have a few production credits (one of those is Leanne Mayer’s debut EP, 2018’s “Bittersweet Remedy”, coproduced with Michael Marucci). I am really into yoga, cats, cartoons, food, plants and flowers, cemeteries, tin toy robots, espresso, and I speak French.
Prism Tape Philosophy performing at The Richmond Tavern, 2021. Left to right: Howie Kittelson, Kevan Carmen, Nicholas Elie, Anne Moniz, Shane Wilcox, Brent Jones. Photo by Vera Kittelson.
Thames Rivieras performing at Palasad Socialbowl, London, ON, 2024. Left to right: Pete Dekokker, Anne Moniz. Photo by What Wave Dave.
Tell It To Sweeney performing at Polish Hall, Brantford, ON, 2024. Left to right: Me, Kyle Gagné, Matthew Greeson, Mitch Brolese, Ryan McNevin. Photographer Unknown.
Anne Moniz and Daniel Oniszeczko performing at The Richmond Tavern, 2025. Photo by Billy Sastard.
Nimway performing at Rum Runners, London, ON, 2019. Anne Moniz. Photo by Jason Roorda.
Tell It To Sweeney performing at Rib Fest, 2025. As you look left to right: Mitch Brolese, Matthew Greeson, Anne Moniz, Kyle Gagné. Photo taken by Bob Klein.
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.
The Beat Magazine 2025 