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.
alvegoroot theatre presents the last tempation of cinema, sept. 20, at the hyland cinema.
Part of Doors Open London
Before the multiplexes, single-screen cinemas reigned supreme in London, Ontario. An accidental live play takes place when a documentary about the Hyland Cinema and London’s other legendary movie houses isn’t finished rendering in time for the screening. Two socially anxious filmmakers endeavour to recreate their documentary and define the golden age of movie-going.
There will also be live music from noon till 1:00 PM as Paul Stevenson and Stephen Holowitz play a Jazz set of movie themes.
Written by Kydra Ryan and Adam Corrigan Holowitz Directed by Adam Corrigan Holowitz Performed by Luis Marin and Kydra Ryan
Live Performance: Saturday, September 20 at 11:30 AM Saturday, September 20 at 1:00 PM Saturday, September 20 at 2:30 PM
Running Time: 30 Minutes
Location: Hyland Cinema, 240 Wharncliffe Road S Free Admission
doors open 2025: swing dance party, sept. 20.
Explore local history through dance! Learn basic moves in Lindy Hop and West Coast Swing, then join the dance party featuring live music by The Bettys.
September 20, 2025, 10am-2pm Queens Park (outside Western Fair Market) 925 Dundas St FREE
10am Demo & Dance History 10:30am Lindy Hop Workshop 11am Dance Party w The Bettys
12pm Demo & Dance History 12:30pm West Coast Swing Workshop 1pm Dance Party w The Bettys
Step back in time and learn some local history through the lens of Swing Dance. Join the Centre of Movement Arts and local dance artists at the Western Fair Market for the next chapter in the Audrey (Peck) Varty legacy event series.
Fun for the whole family! Watch an engaging demo showing how Lindy Hop and West Coast Swing have evolved from social dances of the 1920s and 30s, and join in a workshop to learn the basic steps. Then you can try out your new moves at a dance party with live music!
In the 1930s, Audrey Peck and her friends spent many evenings dancing the night away to the sounds of Big Bands. It was on such a night that she was swept off her feet by the dancing skills of her future husband.
It’s the first week of Music Bingo at The Morrissey House!
Join us Tuesday, Sept. 17th at 7:30 PM for our launch night, hosted by our friends at Forked River Brewing.
We’re kicking things off with an ’80s music edition — neon, big hair, and all your favorite throwback hits.
jazz nights at the peppermoon restaurant, sept. 18 & 25.
Upcoming Jazz Nights:
Uptown Affair ft. Tanya Lovell & John Brocksom
September 18, 2025 |
6 PM – 9 PM
Chris Alcantara & Don DiCarlo
September 25, 2025
Free Entry
Reservations Recommended
1100 Commissioners Rd E, London, Ontario
Come enjoy live jazz music in London, Ontario, delicious food, and the best vibes in partnership with the London Jazz Association. Perfect for music lovers, foodies, and anyone looking for a cozy night out.
this week at the library, sept. 15-20.
doors open london, sept. 20 & 21.
Get ready to step into the heart of London like never before! From hidden gems to iconic landmarks, Doors Open London invites you to explore 40+ incredible sites across the city — all for FREE! There’s something for everyone to discover.
Saturday, September 20 & Sunday, September 21, 2025
the Jeffery concerts presents Penderecki String Quartet with Arthur Rowe, piano, sept. 19, at the wolf performance hall.
No stranger to London audiences, the ever-popular Penderecki String Quartet will be opening the 2025-26 season. This celebrated ensemble, known for its technical brilliance and emotional depth, will join forces with acclaimed pianist Arthur Rowe in Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet in G minor. Don’t miss this occasion to witness musical excellence at its finest. Repertoire:
W. Mozart: String Quartet No. 20 in D major, K.499 L. Janáček: String Quartet No. 1 “Kreutzer Sonata” Intermission D. Shostakovich: Piano Quintet in G Minor, op. 57
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.
2025 Grand Theatre High School Project presents Disney’s Newsies, sept. 17-27.
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.
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.
Port Stanley Festival Theatre Presents Simon Joynes Playwrights’ Festival 2025: A Celebration of Canadian Stories, sept. 18-20.
The Festival is free, but PSFT does accept donations, which help the theatre to continue to support Canadian Playwrights and Canadian stories. We are a nation overflowing with talent, and providing an opportunity to showcase such talent is a strong part of PSFT’s mandate.
Please reserve your seats by clicking on the show below, or call the box office at 519-782-4353.
Thursday, September 18, at 7:30pm, Deadly Memories by Steven Gallagher.
Friday, September 19, at 7:30pm, Hart’s Crossing by Tracey Hoyt.
Saturday, September 20, at 7:30pm Ship To Shore by Norm Foster.
Ticket purchases are final sale. No refunds will be issued.
Once your ticket is purchased, the purchaser’s name will be on the list at the door, and you will be required to provide it to gain entry. No physical tickets are necessary. You will be asked to show ID at the door.
Food, beverages, and Salthaven merch will be available for purchase at the event, along with a silent auction to help support wildlife.
All profits from this event will go to Salthaven!
Salthaven’s Founder and Director, Brian Salt, is the heartbeat of the band as their drummer and vocalist! The other members include the incredibly talented Doug Varty on lead vocals and guitar, and the electrifying Ted Floyd on vocals and bass. Together, they lit up the ’80s with a string of chart-topping hits. Not only that, but they shared the stage with legends like John Mellencamp, Frankie Valli, and the Beach Boys. Special guests for the evening include Jim Chapman & The ’60s All-Star Band.
friends of fiddler’s green, sept. 21, chaucer’s pub.
This is our traditional season opening concert is with Friends of Fiddler’s Green. This is our 32nd season at Chaucer’s Pub, and we have a fantastic lineup of concerts planned for you. Visit www.folk.on.ca
The “Friends” boast six versatile musicians, five fine singers, three songwriters, brilliant joke tellers, the occasional fiery dragon, one Order of Canada, one Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and one of the longest track records in Canadian Folk Music. The Friends were recipients of the 2003 Estelle Klein Award, given by the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals (FMO) for service to folk music in Ontario. The current band members are Ian Bell, Alistair Brown, Grit Laskin, Jeff McClintock, Ian Robb, and James Stephens.
This totally uncategorizable collection of Friends has been together, with a few personnel changes, since their inauguration at Toronto’s Fiddler’s Green coffeehouse in 1971. Nobody, not even the Friends themselves, can predict what might happen during one of their concerts, but it always includes humour, powerful vocal harmony, great musicianship, social commentary, and an irresistible urge to tap your feet or sing along.
122 Carling Street, London, Ontario.
carly Thomas, sept. 20, palasad socialbowl.
Special 3-set showcase! Licensed – All Ages – Free.
learn the time warp dance night, sept. 21, poacher’s arms.
Don’t dream it, dance it Join us at Poachers Arms for a Pub night of absolute pleasure as we teach you the Time Warp step by step.
Instruction by our incredibly talented Director extraordinaire herself, Melanie Stewart. This is your chance to learn the jumps to the left, AND the steps to the right- So you are PREPARED to dance the time warp AGAIN October 23rd-November 2nd @ The Palace Theatre! This is OUR time warp- unique to our show’s choreography.
Come for a dance class! Come to have fun! Come to watch! Dress up in your best Transylvanian look!
PWYC cash @ door with 50/50 proceeds to our production, and QI. Contact Poacher’s directly by phone for access to the elevator. (519) 432-7888.
laura gagnon, sept. 19, the windjammer inn.
Call ahead to reserve your seat! $30 includes music by Laura Gagnon and Food by Chef Kim! Last time, the food never stopped coming!!! Melt in your mouth goodness YUM!! Come hang with the locals and get to know your neighbour!
forest city film festival public launch, sept. 18, museum london.
The wait is over! The 2025 Forest City Film Festival Public Launch is happening this Thursday (Sept 18) at Museum London, and it’s FREE!
Join us as we unveil the full lineup of films, celebrate local creators, and start the countdown to our 10th anniversary. This is the start of an epic festival season, and we want YOU there!
This Thursday | 5PM – 7:30PM
@museumlondon | 421 Ridout St N
Don’t miss your chance to be part of this milestone moment. Come for the films, stay for the excitement, and celebrate a decade of storytelling with us!
green day tribute, sept. 20, roxbury pub & grill.
GREEN DAY TRIBUTE SAT, SEPT 20. St Jimmy’s Army and their tribute to the legendary pop-punk band, Green Day! Also playing best of the 90s.
Back by popular demand, the return of Motown Gold Live. This epic multimedia extravaganza will leave you wanting more. A musical celebration of the legendary record label. Saturday, September 20. Aeolian Hall. London ON.
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 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 was London’s premier independent arts print magazine from 2009 to 2013. After a long hiatus (nine years!), I reactivated its website as The Beat Magazine 2025 in late July.
My reason for doing so is straightforward. My goal is to gather together in one place the local arts and culture news that the mainstream London media outlets no longer seem interested in covering, unless there are exorbitant advertising dollars involved.
Since going live online, thebeatmagazine2025.ca has published Weekly Arts & Culture listings, Q&A Interviews with local musicians and artists, Media Releases about local Arts & Culture events, reprinted theatre Reviews from Entertain This Thought, and other general arts news, most of which has not been reported in the local media.
In mid-August, I invited all known active London and area theatre companies – community and professional – to participate in a Feature Story profiling them and their 2025-2026 seasons. Each company/group was sent a generic Questionnaire designed to enable me to gather the necessary information. Most (but, unfortunately, not all) responded with the information I was seeking.
Some companies/groups had lots to say, others not so much.
In light of this, I have decided to organize the responses in a Q&A format using the eight Guide Questions I sent to the companies.
Over the next couple of weeks, I will be posting a new Local Theatre Q&A every other day.
Posts will appear alphabetically, beginning with London’s AlvegoRoot Theatre.
AlvegoRoot Theatre – Telling local stories and creating local theatre of Southwestern Ontario. An Interview with Adam Corrigan Holowitz.
Q When was your company founded? By whom and why?
AlvegoRoot Theatre was founded in 2009 by Adam Corrigan Holowitz. Over our first three seasons, we found our mission to develop local plays which speak directly and meaningfully to London and the Souwesto Region.
Q Is your company best described as professional or not-for-profit community theatre?
AlvegoRoot is a professional theatre ensemble that primarily focuses on presenting local plays and supporting new play development. A quick note of clarification: not-for-profit vs non-profit. I am not a tax expert by any means, so I may not have the finer points down, but a non-profit exists for the advancement of social good (this can include clubs or recreational organizations) whereas a not-for-profit means any organization that does not have shareholders or an owner to benefit directly based on revenue. Almost all theatres in Canada operate on a not-for-profit basis, meaning they do not have shareholders. This includes most professional theatres. The artists and employees being paid for their labour does not make the venture for one. There are very few commercial for-profit theatres in Canada; Mirvish is the most notable. So, the distinction I generally make is between professional theatre and community/amateur theatre. Both are important, and both take different kinds of sacrifice.
Q Does AlvegoRoot Theatre have a Mission or Statement of Purpose?
Telling Local Stories, Creating Local Theatre
London Ontario’s AlvegoRoot Theatre supports the work of local playwrights and puts local stories onstage. 2025 marks AlvegoRoot Theatre’s 17th Season. Over those 17 seasons we have produced over 67 productions, 29 of which were world premieres of local plays. At The Manor Park Memorial Hall, AlvegoRoot presents theatre year-round, dedicated to providing a range of dynamic theatre experiences for audiences and supporting the growth of professional regional theatre makers.
Q What venue(s) do you use to stage your productions?
Our home base is The Manor Park Memorial Hall, where we present plays and special events year-round. We are honoured to manage and develop The Manor Park Memorial Hall into a performing arts venue that hosts the work of theatre artists and musicians from across our city. We also produce a summer production annually in June or July at Fanshawe Pioneer Village. We have been partnering with Fanshawe Pioneer Village since 2014.
Q Does your company have a Board of Directors and paid Staff?
Adam Corrigan Holowitz is the Artistic Director of AlvegoRoot Theatre, and Kydra Ryan is the Associate Artistic Director.
Q Tell me about your 2025-2026 Season. Does it have any underlying theme?
This season, our three mainstage productions, Medical Wonder, London Fog, and Sleigh Without Bells, have all had an overarching elemental theme of fire. The characters in each play must reconcile with humanity’s ability to create the means for destruction. In Medical Wonder, the character of Dr. Imogen Volek chooses between using her medical research as a means for healing or a means to create a biological weapon. In London Fog, the characters of Victoria and Albert use arson to disrupt and disturb the elite of Edwardian London. Finally, in Sleigh Without Bells, the massacre of the Donnelly Family of Biddulph is central to the play.
Q What show(s) will you be staging this fall? Tell me a little bit about each.
This fall, we present Sleigh Without Bells: A Donnellys Story by James Reaney (October 22) and a theatrical concert version of Colleening: The Letters and Poetry of Colleen Thibaudeau (Nov 7 – 9).
About Sleigh Without Bells: Lost in a blizzard, a young man finds himself at the Donnelly farmstead, the one place his father warned him not to tread. Now entangled in the darkest period in the lives of the Donnellys, his own life is in danger.
Written by James Reaney Directed by Kydra Ryan Performed by Adam Corrigan Holowitz.
About Colleening: Going COLLEENING is always an adventure for the friends of the great London poet Colleen Thibaudeau. You never know where you may end up. Her letters and poems create a captivating journey through childhood memories, home life, and Canadian culture.
Featuring songs based on her poems by Oliver Whitehead and Stephen Holowitz, this theatrical concert celebrates a seminal figure in Canadian literature with all the playful intensity and tender wit for which Colleen was known.
Directed and Created by Adam Corrigan Holowitz Text by Colleen Thibaudeau Music by Oliver Whitehead and Stephen Holowitz Music Direction by Stephen Holowitz Featuring Katy Clark, Paul Grambo, Kydra Ryan
This concert version of Colleening is part of Colleening 2025, a grassroots celebration of the centenary of acclaimed London poet Colleen Thibaudeau (1925-2012).
Q Do you have any thoughts about the London area theatre community and your part in it?
AlvegoRoot strives to create productions and events where our community can have meaningful interactions with live theatre. A goal of our work is to nurture rich relationships between the audiences, the artists, and the plays in a space where all members of the community can feel welcomed, needed, and comfortable to engage with theatre that tells our local stories and speaks to our local community.
The Souwesto arts movement, of which James Reaney and Colleen Thibaudeau were prominent members, greatly influences our work. The use of local stories, people, and geography is central to AlvegoRoot. Reaney’s playwriting influences me through aesthetics, poetry, and symbolism to tell local stories. Thibaudeau’s ability to saturate her poetry with local and personal details has influenced our writing and theatre-making. While a wide range of writers and theatre artists influence our work, Reaney and Thibaudeau’s work continues to influence AlvegoRoot on a spiritual level more than any other artists.
Maria is an internationally produced, award-winning playwright, director, actor, and everything in between. She holds an MFA in Advanced Theatre Practice from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (University of London). Her diverse practice includes training in Butoh and somatic performance and leans into immersive, non-traditional, site-responsive theatre that puts the audience in a position to influence the experience, highlighting personal and social accountability and community building. Since moving to the Region of Waterloo in 2022, Maria has curated, produced, and directed a radio-drama series for Kitchener’s Midtown Radio (2023); co-wrote and directed an immersive, participatory, art-heist theatrical experience for the KW Art Gallery’s annual fundraiser (2024); co-founded the Treading Theatre Festival in Kitchener (2025); and premiered 9 original plays.
Maria directs and performs in her original play, The Companion. She also performs in her play, Everything I Didn’t Get to Say (In a Collection of Petals).
PERFORMER HIGHLIGHT: JENN WEATHERALL.
Jenn is an actor, playwright, artist, muralist and mother. She spent her twenties attending George Brown Theatre School and running away to NYC. In her thirties she made two beautiful babies. And in her forties she recovered from ‘adulting’ and got back to who she is at her core…an artist.
Jenn’s plays have been performed in many festivals including Darkcrop, HamilTen, She Speaks, and Unhinged. This is Jenn’s second experience within a Fringe Festival. Last year No Lilies was performed in the Guelph Fringe and received the award for outstanding performer. She recently participated in a playwrighting workshop with Daniel McIvor and is working on a piece to be performed in the Unhinged Festival of Disturbing Theatre in Waterloo in October.
She wrote No Lilies by the side of the river in St. Jacobs overnight two years ago (with many skunks lingering close by) and is excited to step back into that space again in London.
To purchase tickets to Maria and Jenn’s shows, and get more information about the London Fringe, visit www.palacetheatre.ca/london-fringe
Best friends, Jenn Weatherall and Maria Colonescu, are presenting a double bill – No Lilies & Everything I Didn’t Get to Say (In a Collection of Petals), while Maria is performing one of her own, The Companion, at this year’s London Fringe.
“They are haunting, emotional pieces that explore life and death, strength and fear, words never said, loss and pain,” says Jenn. “Our shows are the only all women productions in the festival, and we are the only two female playwrights in the festival. Maria is the only female director.”
Show Highlight: The Companion at Procunier Hall
We should all be so lucky to have that one, constant companion, there for us in our most difficult moments – patient, honest, kind. Or should we? Even the things we thought we knew could change in an instant. The Companion is an intense, demanding, cerebral two-hander that will have you confront life’s big moments: terrifying and hilarious, gentle and cruel. You will be captivated by two superbly challenging performances from Maria Colonescu and Andre Furlong and leave the theatre thinking about what it all means.
Show Highlight: Everything I Didn’t Get to Say (In a Collection of Petals) at Procunier Hall
Sometimes, words fail. Sometimes, you don’t get to say the words at all. Sometimes, words are not necessary to begin with. Everything I Didn’t Get to Say (In a Collection of Petals) is a colourful journey into the past, revisiting moments that went wrong, moments that went just as they should have, and moments that only happened in an imagined alternate reality – all through the beautiful and fragrant lens of flowers and their world of meaning. A fever-dream of story-telling, poetry, and botany, all packed into 20 minutes!
Show Highlight: No Lilies – at Procunier Hall
Preparing for any big life event can be terrifying. Perhaps if we were free to strip away all the pressures and expectations put upon us by those around us, society, even ourselves…maybe then we could experience life with a purity so many of us search for. No Lilies is an exploration of just that; of finding the strength to reject everyone else’s wants and putting yourself first to encounter your life with complete transparency and truth.
This is a piece that was written as part of Flush Ink Productions’ annual “Write or Flight” program. It was performed both in Flush Ink Productions’ Unhinged Festival of Disturbing Theatre, and the Guelph Fringe Festival in which it was awarded Outstanding Performance.
The Beat Magazine 2025 