Our AGM is on Sunday, May 26th from 6 to 7 pm at the Anglican Church Parish Hall, LaPlanche Street entrance Please consider joining us for a brief meeting (15 or so minutes) and then light refreshments afterwards.
Annual Membership is due. Please consider renewing your Showcase Membership! Individual membership is $10 and a family membership is $25. Membership allows you ½ price tickets on any opening night performance, along with free admission to any family friendly events hosted by Showcase! You can e-transfer your membership dues to showcasep@eastlink.ca
If you are a member, please consider taking a seat on our Board of Directors for the 2024-2025 Season. If you would like to sit on the Board or have any questions about the time/commitment of Board members, please get in touch with us at showcasep@eastlink.ca.
See you at the meeting!
August 25, 2023
Showcase is calling for youth in Grades 6 to 12 to audition for this modern re-make of Alice.
The play is directed by Sarah Skeard and is produced by Janice Melanson.
We are looking for 10 to 15 youth. Everyone that comes out will get a part. There will be a 1 - 2 hour rehearsal every week from 1 to 3 pm on Saturdays!
The first cast rehearsal will be on September 16th, and auditions will follow on September 23rd.
The performances will be December 15th and 16th.Please contact Janice (jcm090164@gmail.com) or call the number on the poster with any questions or to participate.
What would happen if a 21st century Alice collided wih Lewis Carroll's legendary Wonderland? This modern re-telling of the classic children's story has all the characters you know and love, including the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, and the Queen of Hearts. The story is laid out in traditional style, except that Alice is distinctly contemporary, complete with cell phone in hand. Full of references to text messaging and social media, the play imagines a present-day Alice encountering the Wonderland so many of us treasure. A sharply told, crisply paced ride, this quality adaptation has been praised for its humour, modern style, and appeal to both children and adults.
See you at the theatre!
March 5, 2021
We are sadden to report our founder, friend and mentor to many has passed away.
Ed founded Showcase in 1990 and continued to serve on the Board with great commitment for all of these many years. He leaves a wonderful legacy of community service and promotion of musical theatre in this area. Ed’s desire to establish and the subsequent hard work he undertook to raise funds for the Showcase Scholarship and Bursary program has provided many local talented students with financial help over the years. A lasting tribute to his commitment to this community.
We extend our heartful condolences to Ed’s family and friends.
Ed's obituary can be found here
See you at the theatre, Ed!
Summer Theatre wraps up this week with 2 performances!
August 9th at 1pm and 6pm
Both performances take place at the Anglican Church Hall on 5 Lawrence Street.
Admission is a free will offering.
As always, all profits from Showcase Shows go to students right here in the local area.
It's been another fantastic summer theatre season with our youth. Come out and see what they've been up to this summer!
See you at the theatre.
July 15th to August 9th!
We are looking for kids of all ages!
This year the camp will be split into mornings for elementary students running from 9am to 12pm, while middle and highschool students will attend from 1 to 4pm.
Camp and the performances will all take place at the Anglican Church Hall at 5 Lawrewnce Street.
Cost is $150 for the 4 week camp and sponsorships are available.
Please call Janice to register and to book an audition at (902)661-0108.
Looking forward to another fantastic summer theatre season with our youth!
HONKY TONK HIGHWAY
is coming back for 1 more night! The show will move to the fabulous Capitol Theatre, in Oxford, NS
SAVE THE DATE: May 29, 2019 at 7pm
Advanced Tickets:
Capitol Theatre Box Office: 902-447-4030
Janice/Andrew Melanson: 902-661-0108
Tickets will also be available at the door on show night.
HONKY TONK HIGHWAY
A Mountain Musical, opens May 8th!.
All tickets are $15. The show runs from Thursday May 8th to Saturday May 11th. All performances in the Community Credit Union Innovation Centre on Ratchford Street.
Performances at 7:00pm each evening with a 2:00pm Saturday MatineeHONKY-TONK HIGHWAY is a tribute to that legendary (albeit fictional) country singer, the late great Clint Colby. Clint's former band, The Mountain Rangers, have reunited for a one-night only tribute concert to perform Clint's songs and to reminisce about the man who changed their lives.
The band discovers that Clint was little bit of each of them. He rose from boyhood poverty in a fly-speck town to the glittering heights of stardom in the far-off big cities, a musical tornado that whirled through their lives, leaving behind a flurry of songs.
"Honky Tonk Highway" - music, lyrics, and additional dialogue by Robert Nassif-Lindsey ; book by Richard Berg ; cover art designed by Steve Berg
If you have any questions let us know on our Facebook event page or check out the show page.
See You At The Theatre!
HONKY TONK HIGHWAY
A Mountain Musical
We've started work on another musical for Showcase Productions. Auditions will be held on Saturday, January 26th from 10-4pm for Showcase's 2019 Spring Show. The auditions will take place at the Christ Church Parish Hall.
We're looking for 4 adult males and 1 adult female. You should have a strong singing voice and instrumental talent. Multi-instrumentalists are encouraged to audition. There is a potential for non-speaking roles as part of a pit-band.
The show is called "Honky Tonk Highway". Music by Robert Nassif- Lindsey and Book by Richard Berg.
The Show will go to stage early in May 2019.
If you have any questions or wish to book an audition, let us know! 902-661-0108 or through our Facebook page.
See You At The Theatre!
The Friday November 16, 2018 performance of the Showcase fall show aND tHAT'S tHE wAY iT'LL aLWAYS bE was cancelled due to inclement weather.
If you purchased tickets for the November 16th performance you have two options:
1. you may use your ticket to attend Saturday night's performance
or
2. receive a full refund. Ticket refunds at Bliss Crystal Café in Dayles Grand Market or by calling Janice Melanson at 902-661-0108.
See You At The Theatre!
"aND tHAT'S tHE wAY iT'LL aLWAYS bE", a new musical by Pat McWade will run November 15, 16 and 17th, with evening performances only beginning at 7pm. The musical will be performed at Dayles Grand Market on the upper level!
All Tickets are $10.00.
You can purchase tickets at the door or call Janice (902) 661-0108 to reserve seats! Advance tickets will also be available at Bliss Crystal Café in Dayle’s Grand Market.
As always, Showcase Members can attend the Opening Night Performance at half price by calling Sandra McInnis at (902) 667-3667 or Janice Melanson at (902) 661-0108 to reserve your tickets
See You At The Theatre!
Auditions will be held on Saturday September 8th from 1 pm to 4 pm for Showcase's Fall Show - Auditions will take place at the Christ Church Parish Hall.
We're looking for 4 adult males and 1 teen male and 5 adult females and 1 teen female.
The show is called "And That's The Way It'll Always Be". It's written by Showcase's own Patrick McWade.
The Show will go to stage early in November.
If you have any questions or wish to book an audition, let us know!
902-667-1900
or through our Facebook page.
See You At The Theatre!
Many of you know my wonderfully creative grandson, Spencer MacKay. This is a request for help for him. He may be small but he has tremendous energy, imagination and will power. He is the biggest little stubborn Scottish man I have ever met and I am so proud to call him my grandson.
Spencer is completing his final year at NSCC studying theatre arts. Although he is still attached to four wheels, he is living on his own, enjoying life (including going out with his college friends, and hoping to get his break in Los Angeles someday. He is actively involved in many activities, including supporting the IWK and will no doubt be on ATV this spring for the IWK Telethon.
Spencer's Film has been released and he needs your support to get it to the next step. Spencer has put all the information you need to help on his petition page at Change.org. You can help by Checking it out!
I hope that you can take a few moments to help Spencer out. If not, I understand and appreciate you taking the time to read this.
Ed
P S -- see the related article below -
Check out this wonderful story about Spencer! He's definitely going places.
Showcase Productions Society is proud to share the news that the Town has selected the MacLeod Family as the Volunteer Family of the Year! The family, Mary , Ben, Owen, and Lawry are long-time Showcase volunteers and very deserving recipients! Congratulations to you all.
Read more about the 2018 Town of Amherst Volunteer awards on the Town's Website
Showcase has an exciting line-up of interesting and diverse tours planned for 2018.
Our annual favorites Springtime IN NYC and Christmas on Broadway along with the popular Boston and About Tour returns for the 2018 season.
Two new tours have been added to the 2018 tour list!
Our Great Canadian Theatre Tour offers a chance to travel within Canada to visit cultural and historical sites of interest like the War Museum of Canada, Parliament Hill, St. Anne de Beaupre, sample some great food, and enjoy Canadian Theatre.
This specialty tour, an 11-day adventure was developed at the request of a group of rug hookers as a vacation and a learning experience. We call it Hookers on the Move. You won't want to miss this trip.
Our Youth Summer Theatre players are returning on Friday August 25th at 7pm to bring you A Musical Evening of Shakespeare at the Christ Church Parish Hall. Admission is just $5. Hope to see you at the Theatre.
Our Youth Summer Theatre Camps are back again this year. Check out the poster for more information.
Showcase Productions Society proudly presents the musical “Miracle at Bedford Falls” for a five performance run at the newly opened Community Business Innovation Centre on Ratchford Street. Show runs from Dec 7-10, 2016 at 7:30 pm each evening with a Saturday Matinee at 2:00 pm Tickets are $18 for Adults and $16 for Students and Seniors.
Showcase Productions Society proudly presents the play “Before the Leaves Turn” for one night only on March 19th at 8 p.m. at Christ Church Parish Hall. The play is directed by Karen Valanne and stars 3 actors who portray 21 roles during the 90 minute performance. The play deals with the role of two families in a small town and their contribution to the war effort of World War 1 and the impact the war has on their lives. Tickets are available at the door and admission is by donation.
The Showcase Annual General Meeting was held Thursday May 28, at 7pm. This year's meeting was held at Four Fathers Library on Acadia Street. Minutes from the 2014 Annual Meeting were approved and reports from the chair and various committees were presented to the general membership. The Board said good-bye and thank-you to the 2 members who's terms expired and 1 member moving from the area. The Board also had the pleasure of announcing the 2015 Bursary and Scholarships Winners. Nominations for the 2015-2016 board were made and your new board was elected. The final meeting of the 2014-2015 board and the first meeting with the 2015-2016 board takes place Sunday June 28th at the Anglican Parish Hall. The meeting gets underway at 6pm.
Check out the article on Cumberland News Now (note subscription maybe required to view this article)
Showcase Productions bringing Happy Days to the Stage
Showcase Productions Society is proudly sponsoring “Soldiers of Song,” a tribute to the sketch comedy/musical troupe The Dumbells. Our winter date has been postponed due to weather and we will announce the new date in the near future. All profits from Soldiers of Song support the 272 Amherst Highlander Army Cadets trip to Ottawa this summer.
This highly-entertaining show celebrates the songs and stories of Canada’s famous First World War Concert Party: The Dumbells.
Ticket and venue information.
One of the original First World War Dumbells was Ross Hamilton from Pugwash NS!
The Dumbells performed in Amherst on November 15, 1920!
SOLDIERS OF SONG is a Canadian Theatre show that travels around the world. The show is tribute to the world famous "Dumbells". The Dumbells were a very popular group of entertainers during World War I. Their "Concert Party" brought impudent, funny and very pertinent entertainment to our war weary troops. First organized by Merton Plunkett of the YMCA from soldiers in the Third Division, they delighted troops with their "Dumbell Rag," "Oh It's a Lovely War," and their female impersonators. Beginning with costumes made from bandages (field dressings) and lamps made from old cans, they attained such excellence that their show survived the war and played London and Broadway until well into the 1930s.
Check out the Soldiers of Song Website for information about both the current cast, and the more of interesting history of The Dumbells
Wednesday, November 19, 3:30 - 5:00
Here's a note from co-author Clare Christie about the book launch of My dear Alice: War Letters 1937- 1950 by my English cousin, Carol Wills, and me was published last week. Amherst News published a front page article about it on Friday before I had even seen it. From that, CBC radio carried an interview I had with Stephanie Domet later in the day. I helped my publisher, New World Publishing, sell it at Christmas at the Forum on Saturday. Yesterday CTV filmed both me and John McKay, our local historian who wrote a Preface. They ran a brief promo last night and the main coverage will be aired in a few minutes on Live at Five. Yesterday I was interviewed on CFTA by Frank Allen. It has been a very heady time but so far, so good. What a tribute to my mother, Alice Christie, who, like many Canadians, sent parcels to England during the Second World War. She had met her English relatives in 1935 and was determined to do what she could to make up for their rationing and difficult, sometimes terrible, living conditions, even after the War ended in 1945. She saved the letters of appreciation, some of which were written by very articulate people, describing not only their experiences on a personal level but also discussing the more public aspects of the War. The letters are supplemented by Carols' mother's Memoir from age 17 as she became an officer, had a whirlwind romance, married and started a family and, after the War, accompanied her husband to Germany with the Army of Occupation. There are lots of pictures. As well as John McKay's Preface, we have added Carol's Prologue and a section at the end which tell our story of finding the letters and bringing them to publication, a Cast of Characters, Family Tree and notes as to what happened to them after the War. Started by Hugh MacGregor, my publisher has a running time-line on the side of the right-hand page so the reader always knows what is happening in the War around the world during the year the letters are being written".
Here are some of the upcoming events around the book launch that you might like to attend!
Check out the note!
October 25 is all set for the annual Halloween Party. Check out the poster-- Goulish!
“The line-up of stars featured this fall on Broadway continues to grow,” says Ed MacKay, tour manager for Showcase Productions Theatre Tours, as he begins to list some of the actors scheduled to dance “the boards” this fall in New York City.
One of his favourites, Glenn Close, is schedule to return to Broadway after a lengthy absence. She last appeared with Gene Hackman and Richard Dryfess in Death and the Maiden. This fall she will appear in A Delicate Balance co-starring John Lithgow and more.
Other favourites will include Hugh Jackman who will appear in The River with opening night during the group’s stay just blocks away from their hotel in New York City. Jackman, known for his movies and television shows is a favourite among the theatre crowd in New York City. James Earl Jones will headline the revival of Your Can’t Take It With You; Blythe Danner will lead the cast in the The Country House; Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Megan Mullaly, F. Murray Abraham, Stockard Channing, star in the comedy It’s Only A Play; Tony Yazbeck and Megan Fairchild star in a revival of the popular musical On The Town, a musical that takes place in New York at the end of WWII, featuring songs like New York, New York and Lonely Town. Sting, the popular musical group have written the music and lyrics to the new musical The Last Ship opening in October. The Elephant Man will be revived in November starring Bradley Cooper; and Honeymoon in Vegas will preview in November with the well-known television star Tony Danza.
Meanwhile the longest running musical on Broadway Phantom of the Opera as well as Wicked and The Book of Morman will continue to fill their seats. All in all there are about 34 “Broadway” theatre that will be offering their best while another fifty plus Off-Broadway shows will be vying for the public’s attention.
Celebrating their twenty-fifth anniversary since being founded, Showcase has provided theatre tours to New York and other theatre locations since 1991. The tours have grown from the one tour that year to its greatest heyday 8 coaches in the fall of 2000. Making it possible for everyone to take advantage of this opportunity, Showcase Productions Theatre Tours stays in 3 and 4 star hotels right in mid-town Manhattan (not somewhere in New Jersey, winks Ed MacKay) thus keeping in mind seniors who like to go back to their hotel for a bit of rest before dinner and theatre.
The tours leave on the weekend of 15/16 of November and are eight days in length and are all but sold out.
Ever wonder about a cast-mate, a director, crew member? Lets link up!!
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