Mick Gzowski steps into the spotlight in ACT Company’s newest production

Tashi Farmilo

Mick Gzowski, journalist, filmmaker and son of beloved CBC radio icon Peter Gzowski, is trading his notepad for the stage lights in his acting debut with ACT (Aylmer Community Theatre) Company and Theatre Wakefield’s upcoming production of The Dumb Waiter by Harold Pinter. The one-act play, paired with Your Play or Mine, will be staged in Wakefield and Aylmer beginning April 24.

This production is a dynamic collaboration between two vibrant local theatre companies, ACT Company and Theatre Wakefield. It features a talented ensemble of seasoned performers and exciting new faces. ACT Company veteran Bradley McDermid, recently seen in Sweeney Todd at the NAC, stars opposite Gzowski. His partner, Virginia Larose—an experienced ACT performer—brings her deep backstage expertise to the role of stage manager. The production is helmed by director Jennifer Piercey, a longtime collaborator with ACT Company since 2013 and a current educator at Symmes-D’Arcy McGee High School.

For Gzowski, whose usual stage is a press conference rather than a black box theatre, the experience was both exhilarating and demanding. “I participated in an improv workshop with the ACT Company last year because I thought it would be fun. And it was fun,” he said in an interview. “Then they decided to have auditions for this play. I asked for an audition, and I thought, ‘that will be fun.’ I did. And then they gave me the part.”

The play, a tightly wound, darkly comic two-hander by the Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter, presents a particular challenge with its stylized dialogue and underlying tension. “It’s a huge amount of fun, but it’s also a lot of work,” Gzowski said. “I’m on stage for the entire hour.”

He credits his fellow cast and crew for helping him climb this steep artistic hill. “Bradley is one of the most experienced actors in the company, and the director, Jen, is one of the most experienced directors and actors,” Gzowski said. “The four of us have been rehearsing like crazy and they’ve been wonderful in leading me to where we are now, and we’re ready to find an incredible mountain to climb.”

The show runs April 24–26 and May 1–3 in Wakefield, and May 8–10 in Aylmer, with tickets available through Theatre Wakefield’s website. For ticket information, visit www.actcompany.ca.

Gzowski, reflecting on the scope of the run and the effort it entails, laughed. “We have nine shows — six shows in Wakefield and three in Aylmer. It’s an incredible run,” he said. “I look forward to the audience’s reaction!”