Fighting Chance Productions

It's Hard Out Here for a Nun: Janet Glassford, Keri Smith, Cathy Wilmot, Celia Reid & Nicole Stevens in NUNSENSE

Vashti Fairbairn has been a valued member of the FCP family since music directing Hair last summer.  She music directed the award winning Sweeney Todd, and will join FCP again next season for The Mystery of Edwin Drood at the Metro.  We sat down with Sister Mary Fairbairn to talk NUNSENSE and music directing.

FCP:  It seems like NUNSENSE is all over the place in terms of musical styles!

VF:  Yes, it’s a real mish-mash!  There’s a country number, an Andrews Sisters number, and a LOT of numbers end in kick-lines…I’ve counted at least 8!  It’s not super-challenging to play – it’s not Sondheim – but it’s fun and the audience will enjoy it, for sure.

FCP:  Will you have a big band for this show?

VF:  Probably not – we’ll probably be working with piano, bass and drums.  It’s more challenging for me as a music director to have a big band to work with, but for this show, which is a smaller more intimate show, a smaller band will work well.

FCP:  Do you prefer working with a big band?

I started working primarily with musicians and not actors, actually, but I enjoy working equally with musicians and actors, and working on the story as well as the music.

FCP:  As a performer, I’ve worked with you, and I’d describe your style as a music director as relaxed but firm – you always get what you want out of us as performers without being too strict or demanding about it.   Did you start off really strict and loosen up over time?

VF (laughing):  I think I started out being too easy going rather than too strict, because I was not as experienced working with vocalists.  Now I am less afraid to ask for what I want, and I am  a bit more demanding.  (Laughs) I have less and less tolerance for sucking!

FCP:  What is your favourite show which you’ve music directed so far?

VF:  Little Shop of Horrors was the first show I played piano for, and the first show that made me realize I wanted to be a music director – that this was a world where my skills and my passion came together in one place.

FCP:  What show would you most like to music direct?

VF:  Funny Girl!

FCP:  You’re going to become a mom for the first time soon.  Are you worried about how that will affect your career?

VF:  Yes and no.  I have a very supportive husband and I know that I will have time to juggle being a mom and being a music director.  What I am worried about is that people will decide not to call me because they will assume because I’m a mom that I don’t want to work anymore.  But that won’t be true – theatre will always be a priority and I will be much less likely to say no to theatre, so call me!

Vashti Fairbairn music directs Nunsense at the White Rock Playhouse (1532 Johnston Road) from July 6-23, 2010. Wednesdays-Saturdays at 8pm, with matinees on Saturdays at 2pm and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are $20 – $25. Tickets are available at the door, at the White Rock Playhouse box office from 1pm – 5pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays, on the White Rock Playhouse website at http://www.whiterockplayers.ca or at 604-536-7535.

Janet Glassford is a busy working actress on stage, film and television, most recently seen on TV in “The Killing,” and “Rags,” Applause! Musicals’ Little Me, and at the famous Stanley Park Ghost Train as the Duchess from Alice in Wonderland.  Janet  leads the cast of NUNSENSE as the Reverend Mother.

FCP: So you’re leading the pack as the Reverend Mother.

JG: Well, yeah.  Except she’s not the greatest leader – the fact that 52 of her charges have deceased – she’s taking it rather well – and there’s 4 in the freezer – it hasn’t really phased her…hasn’t someone told the diocese?!

FCP: A lot of great actresses have played this part.  Have you watched any of their performances?

JG: Before my audition I did check in on the Rue McClanahan performance, but I’m a fair bit younger than most of the actresses who have played this part, so I have to bring something new to the part – a false sense of bravado.  She’s aware that she’s a bit young to be a reverend mother.

FCP: A lot of the past Reverend Mothers have not really had the same singing pipes that you have either!

JG: That’s true – it’s a lot of speak-singing, mostly because there’s a lot of information to get through in songs like “A Difficult Transition.”  However, by the end of the show, you’ll know I can sing!

FCP: There’s a very famous scene in NUNSENSE where the Reverend Mother accidentally gets high.  How do you rehearse something like that?

JG: I’m loving the laughing.  I’ve never been high like that – I’ve only had that high described to me by other people, so I’ve been doing a little homework on it.  There will be a fair bit of improv, letting it go, step by step, but mostly I’ll just be in the moment.  Laughing feels good!

She's the Reverend Mother - Sister Mary Regina, That's Who! Janet Glassford in NUNSENSE

See Janet Glassford as Sister Mary Regina in Nunsense at the White Rock Playhouse (1532 Johnston Road) from July 6-23, 2010. Wednesdays-Saturdays at 8pm, with matinees on Saturdays at 2pm and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are $20 – $25. Tickets are available at the door, at the White Rock Playhouse box office from 1pm – 5pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays, on the White Rock Playhouse website at http://www.whiterockplayers.ca or at 604-536-7535.

Cathy Wilmot is one of the first ladies of Fighting Chance Productions, having appeared in Rent, produced Hair, designed costumes for The Wedding Singer, and turned in an award winning, sexy, star making performance as Mrs. Lovett in last season’s Sweeney Todd.  Cathy will direct Fighting Chance’s upcoming A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To the Forum in October before tackling the dual roles of Big Edie and Little Edie in Grey Gardens next spring.  In NUNSENSE Cathy plays second-in-command (and not too happy about it) Sister Mary Hubert, who is itching to become Mother Superior and whip the surviving Little Sisters South Surrey into shape.

FCP: So, you’re playing No. 2.  That must be tough for you after playing Mrs. Lovett, the star.

CW: Actually, my whole career has been playing the No. 2! I’m not the ingenue.  I’m the funny girl, the neighbourhood friend, the clever secretary.  I’m comfortable being in the back.  Subtlety is comedy.

FCP: Nuns are funny…

CW: They are funny.  My mom and I actually saved some nuns once! We were in New York City and it was raining, and these two nuns are are chatting away and walking across the street, right into the path of these oncoming taxis, and so we rush into the street, yelling, “Hoooooooold on a minute” and steer them by their elbows out of the way.   When we got them to safety, they actually said “Bless you.”  My mom and I looked at each other and thought “We’re in!”  It was our golden ticket.

FCP: I heard you in rehearsal belting out some hardcore R & B.  This is not what audiences will be used to hearing you sing!

CW: Well, it’s what I sang in dinner theatre for ten years, but no, it’s not Sondheim.  I’m a classically trained opera singer, but I realized when I left school that I wasn’t going to make a living singing opera, so maybe I should try musical theatre instead.  Then I landed a job in dinner theatre and that’s really where I developed my chops.  I developed a wicked, wicked belt.

FCP: NUNSENSE must be the closest thing to dinner theatre you’ve done.

CW: Yeah it is, especially some of the audience participation bits, like the cooking section where we play to the audience a lot.  There will definitely be some ad-libbing going on.

FCP: So Grey Gardens…

CW: …scares the crap out of me!  It is literally causing me panic attacks.  I want to be off-book for music before we begin rehearsals.  I can always learn lines quickly, and sometimes I rely on that, but I can’t take any chances with Grey Gardens.  This is the tour de force.  I will never have another role where I am on stage the entire time, playing two completely different characters.  I know that I can do it, though.  (grins) I hope all of Vancouver comes out so I can prove it to them.

FCP: Who’s your favourite saint?

CW: Lucy, the Patron Saint of Virginity.

Tackling That Temptation with a Time Step - Cathy Wilmot in NUNSENSE

See Cathy Wilmot as Sister Mary Hubert in Nunsense at the White Rock Playhouse (1532 Johnston Road) from July 6-23, 2010. Wednesdays-Saturdays at 8pm, with matinees on Saturdays at 2pm and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are $20 – $25. Tickets are available at the door, at the White Rock Playhouse box office from 1pm – 5pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays, on the White Rock Playhouse website at http://www.whiterockplayers.ca or at 604-536-7535.

Keri Smith will be a familiar face to Fighting Chance audiences, having appeared in last summer’s “Hair.”  A graduate of AMDA, Keri regularly performs in local theatre and teaches theatre at Vancouver Talmud Torah.  In NUNSENSE she’s playing Sister Mary Amnesia, having forgotten that she already played the part seven years ago in another production.

FCP: So Sister Mary Amnesia has unfortunately lost her memory after having a crucifix dropped on her head.  You’re playing her for the second time now!  Are you experiencing deja vu?

KS: It’s a completely different experience this time around, playing the part with different actors.  You react differently with different people.  I loved playing her then, and I love playing her now.  Mary Amnesia has such an innocence about her, and she really lets me bring out the child in me.

FCP: Did you know anything about nuns before you did NUNSENSE?

KS (laughing): Absolutely nothing! I’m a Jew!  Outside of The Sound of Music and Sister Act, I didn’t know much.  Certainly there are people in all faiths who are devoted to God – but the humour – well, these nuns are pretty funny.

FCP: You’ve been acting and performing all your life, but now teaching is your primary focus.

KS: Well, without drama and choir, I wouldn’t have gotten through high school.  I would have dropped out.  And now, teaching allows me to have a normal life, and to give back to the kids.  If I was still going theatre as a full-time career I think I would have lost the passion for it.  And Talmud Torah provides me with so much support towards drama – I get to put on amazing productions.

FCP: In the Broadway productions, Sister Mary Amnesia seems to interact a lot with the audience and do a lot of ad-libbing.  Will you be doing that?

KS: Well, in rehearsal, obviously you can’t do a lot of that, but there’s definitely a skeleton for that there.  I’ll be feeding off the audience’s energy – the crowd’s feedback influences every performance so much!

A Crucifix Fell on Her Head - Her Memory's Gone - What a Shame! Keri Smith in NUNSENSE

See Keri Smith as Sister Mary Amnesia in Nunsense at the White Rock Playhouse (1532 Johnston Road) from July 6-23, 2010. Wednesdays-Saturdays at 8pm, with matinees on Saturdays at 2pm and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are $20 – $25. Tickets are available at the door, at the White Rock Playhouse box office from 1pm – 5pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays, on the White Rock Playhouse website at http://www.whiterockplayers.ca or at 604-536-7535.

Nicole Stevens is a graduate of CCPA who now teaches Musical Theatre at Centennial High School.  After a few years away from the stage, Nicole has recently returned to performing, appearing in APPLAUSE! Musical’s “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” and now as tough-talking Sister Robert Ann in NUNSENSE, in her first Fighting Chance appearance.

FCP: So in the original NUNSENSE, Sister Robert Ann is from Hoboken, New Jersey…

NS: …and in our production, she’s from Wally.  She grew up in a rough part of town, and she became a nun because she admired a teacher who was a nun.  She longs to become a performer and she wan’t given a solo opportunity in the show by Reverend Mother – it’s not in the script, but I think Robert Ann is one of the reasons Reverend Mother gets high and can’t perform.

FCP: So this is your first show back after a break!

NS: Yes, I took a few years off, and this is my first show since doing West Side Story with RCMT.  I’m excited to be in costume again – but I’m sure it’ll light up in flames when I put that nun’s costume on.

FCP: Did you know anything about nuns before being cast in NUNSENSE?

NS: Well, my grandma has a sister who is a nun, who I’ve met.  And I’ve learned that nuns are really just like us.  They have dreams and ambitions –  they may not be doing what they want to do, but they are doing what they think is the right thing to do.

FCP: What’s your favourite number in the show so far?

NS: I think “A Difficult Transition,” which is the story of how the nuns have come to put on the show.

FCP: What’s your favourite part of playing Robert Ann?

NS: Well, she’s the loud and boisterous nun, which is fun, and I get to do a lot of impressions, like the Wicked Witch of the West.

FCP: And who’s your favorite saint?

NS (smiling): Saint Mama Rose!

This is Sister Robert Anne, She Sings and Drives the Car - Nicole Stevens in NUSENSE

See Nicole Stevens as Sister Robert Ann inNunsense at the White Rock Playhouse (1532 Johnston Road) from July 6-23, 2010. Wednesdays-Saturdays at 8pm, with matinees on Saturdays at 2pm and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are $20 – $25. Tickets are available at the door, at the White Rock Playhouse box office from 1pm – 5pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays, on the White Rock Playhouse website at http://www.whiterockplayers.ca or at 604-536-7535.

Celia Reid has been dancing, singing and acting since high school, and it wasn’t a tough decision to attend CCPA’s three-year diploma program.  Following graduation from CCPA, Celia moved to Vancouver and has been working steadily ever since.  She was last seen in Metro Theatre’s “42nd Street,” and will appear as Young Edie in Fighting Chance’s “Grey Gardens” next season.  We caught up with her to talk about Sister Mary Leo, the ballerina novice.

FCP: So tell us about Sister Mary Leo.

CR: She wants to be the first-ever nun ballerina.  She wants to be in the spotlight all the time, and has a hard time being humble.

FCP: Did you know much about nuns before being cast in NUNSENSE?

CR: Well, I was raised Anglican, but nuns are a completely different world – all I knew about nuns I learned from The Sound of Music!

FCP: So what’s your favourite show you’ve performed in to date, Celia?

CR (thinking): That’s tough!  I love 42nd Street, which I’ve done twice now.  I also love a show I did in last year’s Fringe Festival, called Thank You, My Love, Goodbye, which is a heartbreaking period love story.

FCP: You seem to get cast in these period pieces a lot – you have a really classical look.

CR: Yes, it was a relief to finally figure out my “look” – I guess historical pieces are kind of my niche!

FCP: What are some of your dream roles to play?

CR: That’s a tough question too, because they’re always changing!  I’d love to play Clara in Light in the Piazza, and I’d love to play Olive in Spelling Bee - or Louisa in Zorro: The Musical.

FCP: This is your first show with Fighting Chance.  How are you finding our condensed rehearsal process?

CR: I think I’d be feeling the pressure a lot more if this was a bigger show, but with only five of us in the cast it’s been relatively stress free!  It’s so different coming from 42nd Street, both in terms of the size of the show, and the roles I’m playing – change is good!

FCP: So have you tried ballet dancing in your tutu and your nun’s habit yet?

CR (laughing): I haven’t worn a tutu since I was 6! But come on, tutus feel pretty great – everyone owns one, they just don’t admit to it!

FCP: So you’ll be joining us for Grey Gardens next season and you and Cathy Wilmot (Sister Mary Hubert) will be playing the same character, at different stages in her life.

Celia Reid as Sister Mary Leo in NUNSENSE

CR: Yes!  That will take so much more process and communication – I’ve never had to do anything like that.  We’ll have to do a lot of research – I just hope to do the character justice.

See Celia Reid sing, dance and pray as Sister Mary Leo in NUNSENSE, at the White Rock Playhouse (1532 Johnston Road) from July 6-23, 2010. Wednesdays-Saturdays at 8pm, with matinees on Saturdays at 2pm and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are $20 – $25. Tickets are available at the door, at the White Rock Playhouse box office from 1pm – 5pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays, on the White Rock Playhouse website at http://www.whiterockplayers.ca or at 604-536-7535.

EMMA LEIGH HILLIER, NANCY VON EUW, BRAEDON COX, ARLIE WORTHING, LUCAS BLANEY, STEPHANIE LIATOPOLUS, MATTHEW PARSONS & LENA DABRUSIN in bare: a pop opera

Fighting Chance Productions has a very very busy summer coming up with two shows in two different cities!

First up will be the long running Off-Broadway musical NUNSENSE. If you haven’t heard of this hilarious phenomenon you’ve probably been living under a rock! NUNSENSE tells the story of what happens when all but five of the Little Sisters of Hoboken die in a leper colony. Mother Superior has a vision to stage a variety show to raise funds for the burials. Join circus-performing Mother Superior, memory-strapped Mary Amnesia, straight-shooting Robert Anne, ballet aficionado Mary Leo and second-in-command Mary Hubert in this off-Broadway smash which ran for 3,672 performances!

The Fighting Chance Production will feature newcomers and old favourites including JANET GLASSFORD, NICOLE STEVENS, KERI SMITH, CELIA REID and CATHY WILMOT. Directed by Fighting Chance Artistic Director RYAN MOONEY with music direction by VASHTI FAIRBAIRN, NUNSENSE will run for three weeks at the White Rock Playhouse. Tickets are available now at http://www.whiterockplayers.ca

MATTHEW PARSONS (MATT), LUCAS BLANEY (JASON) and LENA DABRUSIN (IVY) in bare: a pop opera

Following NUNSENSE will be the Western Canada premiere of bare: a pop opera. This touching and truthful story centres around Jason and Peter – two students at a Catholic boarding school who share a secret love for each other. While trying to stay true to the teachings of the church and each other the two boys spiral downwards into a tricky cavern of lies, deceit and mistrust. The totally sung-through show has been compared to RENT and HAIR and marks a return to the rock musical that Fighting Chance has become known for.

Featuring a cast of 19 this promises to be another hit for the Fighting Chance family. Starring Lucas Blaney as Jason, Braedon Cox as Peter, Lena Dabrusin as Ivy, Emma Leigh Hillier as Nadia, Matt Parsons as Matt, Jennifer Suratos as Sister Chantelle, Jeremy Leroux as the Priest, Nancy von Euw as Claire, Jeremy Fornier-Hanlon as Lucas, Stephanie Liatopoulus as Kyra, Arlie Worthing as Tanya and featuring Stewart Yu (Alan), Cameron Dunster (Zack), Hal Rogers (Jake), Max Friesen (Chad), Katie MacQueen (Diane), Imelda Gaborno (Rory), Arielle Tuliao (Brittany),  Morgan McTaggart (Stacey) and Katie Purych (Sam). Directed by Ryan Mooney with music direction by Caitlin Hayes – tickets for bare: a pop opera are now available at Tickets Tonight.

Here’s some photos from a recent photo shoot for our upcoming UNCOMMON WOMEN (AND OTHERS) and bare: a pop opera! Tickets for both are now available!

LEALA SELINA, SARAH SZLOBODA, TONI NEILSEN, NATALEE FERA and MARIANNE MANDRUSIAK in UNCOMMON WOMEN (AND OTHERS)

LENA DABRUSIN, STEPHANIE LIATOPOULOS, LUCAS BLANEY and ARLIE WORTHING in bare: a pop opera

LUCAS BLANEY and EMMA LEIGH HILLIER in bare: a pop opera

BRAEDON COX and LUCAS BLANEY in bare: a pop opera

NANCY VON EUW and BRAEDON COX in bare: a pop opera

MATT PARSONS, LUCAS BLANEY and LENA DABRUSIN in bare: a pop opera

NATALEE FERA: Natalee has been highly addicted to all things theatre since a young age. A graduate of the Capilano College Theatre Program and Theatre Institute, Natalee has performed in dozens of local productions over the last decade-and-a-half, including musicals with Footlight, TUTS, Metro Theatre, and as “Tina” in Vancouver’s long-running hit comedy Tony & Tina’s Wedding. Recently, Natalee was also part of the award-winning production of Forbidden Broadway with Fighting Chance Productions.  When living in the real world, Natalee is a Highschool drama teacher who enjoys playing guitar, running, and going for a pedicure.

MARIANNE MANDRUSIAK: Marianne is pleased as punch to be working with Fighting Chance Productions under the inspiring direction of Jacqueline Bennet and with such a wonderful cast and crew of women (and Ryan!) A graduate of the Canadian College of Performing Arts, she then moved to Toronto to work with Fly By Night Theatre Company.  She recently performed at Guilt and Co. with the True Heroines in Flash Forward- A Comic Strip Cabaret and in The Wiz (FCP.) Marianne would like to thank Mike and Steph for their constant encouragement and support, and MJB for making the best popcorn this side of Holyoke.  She also thanks YOU for supporting women in the arts and hopes that you enjoy the show!

SARAH SZLOBODA: Sarah is an actor/director/writer and graduate of Capilano University.  Recent acting credits include Here on the Flight Path (Metro Theatre), Boy’s Life (Penguin Pool), The First Time (Co-Writer/Terminal Theatre), and Threepenny Opera, The Ashgirl, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Exit 22).  Recent directing credits include Five Women Wearing the Same Dress (Hazel St.), Antony & Cleopatra (Assistant/Bard on the Beach), The Vic (Terminal Theatre), and Speed-The-Plow (Terminal Theatre).  In Improvisation and Comedy, Sarah has recently performed in shows with Instant Theatre, Urban Improv., Bronx Cheer, Second Story, and at Second City’s John Candy Box Theatre (Toronto).  Sarah is currently working on a site-specific remount of last year’s hit You Are Not Dead (Black Pants), as well as in pre-production for the upcoming Look Back in Anger (Penguin Pool/Terminal Theatre) at Little Mountain Gallery in the fall.  Many thanks to all the uncommon women, enjoy the show!

JENNIFER SHIRLEY: Originally from Vancouver Island, Jennifer moved to Vancouver to pursue acting after realizing her passion while working on her first project, Not Intent on Arriving – an independent feature film shot in South America. This is Jennifer’s second show with Fighting Chance Productions, having appeared previously as Tyler in Some Girl(s). Other stage credits include Lisa in Boy’s Life (Penguin Pool Theatre), and Jean in Canadian Gothic (Capricorn Productions/CBC). Past film and television credits include Psych, Supernatural, Godiva’s, Lifetime’s Mind Games, the feature film Whisper, and the upcoming television feature, Earth’s Final Hours. Jennifer is excited and grateful to once again work with such a wonderfully talented group!

SARAH ARNOLD: Sarah is so happy to be in her third Fighting Chance Production, the others being Autobahn (FCP’s first production) and Some Girl(s). Other favorite credits include Annie in Alan Ayckbourn’s Norman Conquests (Theatre BC’s Best Actress 2009), Peggy in Cat’s Cradle and The Vagina Monologues at the Red Robinson Show Theatre. This summer she’ll be acting and producing her third short film.