A Class Act, West Quebec theatre takes center stage
Merilyn Read
More than twenty years ago, a half dozen locals met over some good beef stew and more than one bottle of wine. Hosted by Peggy Henderson and her husband Rick, that long ago gathering would soon launch the Aylmer Community Theatre, ACT, which is very much alive and thriving today. In fact, ACT’s upcoming production of The Dumb Waiter is in a new partnership with Theatre Wakefield. For the reasonable price of $25. you can see two one act plays: Your Play or Mine in Wakefield (April 24-26) and The Dumb Waiter in Aylmer (May 8-10).
“Come play with us,” is their motto. No Experience Necessary is their credo. And for the past two decades ACT has lived up to its mission of providing opportunities for those wishing to participate in all areas of theatre. “We seek to make the experience of creating theatrical productions both joyful and fulfilling for actors, crews and audiences,” says Peggy. “And we feed them well.”
Founded in 2004 by Peggy, her husband Rick, and a small band of local theatre enthusiasts, ACT teamed up with Cindy Beaton, then drama teacher at Symmes-D’Arcy McGee high school who directed their first play, Perfect Wedding. Attracting full houses for three nights, Aylmer’s English theatre was born. “We carried the company on credit cards and our wallets for a few years,” recalls Peggy. Tickets at the time were $10.
Even today, with rising insurance costs, venue and rights fees, no government funding or sponsorship, and only two Patrons, (Peggy’s sister and her daughter), ACT survives solely on ticket sales and the efforts of a committed and passionate band of local volunteers. The productions range from Canadian playwright Norman Foster, Neil Simon and Agatha Christie’s dramas to musicals and even locally penned murder mysteries staged for the benefit of patrons at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club. “I could not be prouder of this Company,” says co-founder Rick Henderson. “The creative talent in all areas of production is phenomenal.”
When COVID struck, the company, like every other theatre, had to shut down. Still ACT sought a way to keep creative juices flowing by initiating a ZOOM call every couple of weeks to share ideas and plans for the future.
After the first wave of COVID was over, and ACT was ready to launch It’s a Wonderful Life to a post COVID audience, they were shut down again. COVID wouldn’t let go but neither would this determined collective. They recorded the play to tape, phoned 75 people who had already bought tickets and offered them a link to the digital version.
Peggy was amazed at the response. “The generosity of our audience was amazing. They overwhelmingly told us to keep their ticket money and send them the link to the production.”
Not only has ACT’s audience (100-150 per performance) been supportive of local English theatre but so have local venues such as Philemon Wright High School, Aylmer United Church and Heritage College, where the plays are staged.
ACT has also mentored many students over the years. Bradley McDermid was one of those students who not only performed in a musical revue, Fragments of Broadway in 2012, he met his wife in the same revue. “I remember being so taken with her acting that I turned to my friend to ask her name. Little did I know that a year following we would cross paths again, date, move in together, attend university and marry.”
Now that’s a first-class act!
For more information and tickets go to: www.actcompany.ca
