submitted by Vicki Graham
Theatre Night in Merrickville comes up a winner at the Eastern Ontario Drama League’s Full-length Festival. The Company entered Deathtrap by Ira Levin in the 2023 EODL travelling festival. Adjudicator Caroline Smith drove the roads last fall through to this spring, attending seven plays in six different communities. She then had the unenviable task of selecting nominees and winners in seventeen categories. The small but mighty TNIM faced stiff competition against theatre groups from Brockville, Belleville, Cobourg, Kingston and OLT from Ottawa. These groups all have their own theatre space. They certainly don’t have the special challenges that TNIM faces, where they have a week to build a stage, set and audience seating, hang lights and put on four shows in the Community Centre before tearing it all down in three hours to store back in a box car for another six months.
Andrea Howard was awarded Best Cameo Performance for her hilarious portrayal of the psychic Helga Ten Dorp. Lorraine Smith was awarded Best Costuming. Vicki Graham, Omar Simonyi, Martin Smith and Keith Stanton were acknowledged for Best Set Decor and Props. TNIM was also honoured with nominations for Technical Contribution: Stage Management (Bronwen McKnight and Omar Simonyi), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Keith Stanton), Best Actor in a Major Role (both Al Billiald and Michael Phillips), and Best Director (Vicki Graham).
Theatre Night in Merrickville has been producing award winning performances for almost 50 years. In a David versus Goliath theatrical showdown at festivals, TNIM can hold its own. We gratefully acknowledge the support of our audiences and welcome anyone interested in working behind the scenes or on the stage. It takes a village to raise a curtain!
