“God I Hope I Get It. I Hope I Get It.”…One of the many lines in the show A Chorus Line that are all too familiar to the life of a performer. It’s an ongoing battle, constantly fighting for the next job/show. The story of A Chorus Line is close to home in more ways than one. The cattle calls, the rejections, the injuries and the gossip and rumors takes its toll on us. Despite the up hill climb somehow we find our way to the top every now and then and still manage to pay rent on time…occasionally.


Its always a treat to perform in A Chorus Line because its one of those shows as an artist where you can relate to almost every character or understand where they are coming from. The last two weeks of rehearsals have reminded me of how intense and precise this show is and the dedication and focus it requires. Between singing the right notes and lyrics all the while remembering and performing the right dance steps - it’s not enough to just be a great dancer or a great singer or a great actor, you have to do it all. You can’t hide in the ensemble - everyone stands out in this show and that’s what makes it so special. The book, the music and the choreography of A Chorus Line complement each other quite brilliantly.

Julia plays the role of Cassie Ferguson in the Rose Summer Theatre Season's production of A Chorus Line, on stage at the Rose Theatre Brampton July 22 - 30. 

Sweeney in The War Show (2010)

Just days away from the opening of The 39 Steps and this place is buzzing with excitement! There are only 4 actors in the play but they’re portraying 100 characters! How is this done? With economy, efficiency and a huge dose of humour. One of the actors splitting himself into many personalities is Sweeney MacArthur. I won’t call Sweeney a veteran actor (although he is), rather a “seasoned actor”. Did you catch him in “Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day" (2009)? Or maybe you recognized his voice in “Gotta Catch Santa Claus” (2008) with William Shatner playing the big man himself? Back to The 39 Steps - I asked him what it was like playing so many different people? “I'm a bit scattered anyways! I think most actors have secret multiple personalities inside them. The tricky part is varying up things with accents, the way you move your body, etc, to make them different and interesting.” Then I point out that he’s play three old ladies as well. “I think I'm a pretty woman, but the rest of the cast seems to disagree.” Well, I promise we’ll let you know Sweeney.

The 39 Steps runs Friday, July 8 to Saturday, July 30 in the Rose Theatre Studio Two, but the first three performances are SOLD OUT! For more information and to order your tickets visit www.rosetheatre.ca or call 905-874-2800.

Written by Gabriella Currie.

We are starting another week of rehearsals and Robert Woodcock (director) has had such a clear vision of The 39 Steps from the very beginning that it has really given all of us, as actors, much freedom to explore our characters within the parameters of the script.

This is one of those wonderful shows that you get to be really challenged as an actor because you get the opportunity to play so many different characters. In my case I am playing three women who all have very distinct personalities, not to mention accents (one German, one Scottish and the last British).

Erin (with Sweeney MacArthur) in a promotional shot for 7 Stories (2010)

Rehearsals have be an absolute joy since day one. Here we are well into the process and Sweeney, Scott and Mark are continuously making me laugh as their characters grow leaps and bounds every day. It was at the end of last week Geoff Nantes (sound designer) came in and added the sound cues to the show. Which, in this show in particular, have proven to be the icing on the cake. From telephone rings to train whistles the sound has really added so much detail to the scenes and will be such an asset this week as we start to do full runs of the show.

My favourite sound cue, although I am a little biased, will be my seven week old daughter's stage debut....so you will have to listen for it. This is my first show since she was born and I have to say that working with such a creative and inspiring group of people during the day and coming home to a beautiful little baby makes me feel like I have it all. I am very blessed indeed.

The 39 Steps runs Friday, July 8 to Saturday, July 30 in the Rose Theatre Studio Two. For more information and to order your tickets visit www.rosetheatre.ca or call 905-874-2800.

 Two plus weeks into rehearsals for the fabulous choice for this summer's Rose studio lineup, The 39 Steps. I honestly can't remember the last time I was involved in a project that was so intrinsically and delightfully creative in nature. So much of the way the piece is presented is left open to the ingenuity of not only the creative team and cast, but also the stage management crew, set builders, and props masters. Certainly the show presented at the Rose will be unlike any other production of The 39 Steps anywhere else. Each production, though sharing certain universal concepts, will have several completely unique moments and sequences, limited only by the imaginations of each unique collection of creative minds.

Scott performing with Jaden Carmichael in Scrooge! (2009)

Director Rob Woodcock had clearly put in countless hours of pre-work and research before the first day of rehearsals, as he had ready for us on day one not only a clear and firm vision of how we were going to stage the show effectively in the somewhat restrictive studio space, but many of the set pieces and props already built and available for we actors to use! Before the first week was finished we also had many of our costume pieces already on-site down at the rehearsal hall on Orenda Rd.

One of the challenges (and greatest delights) for me personally working on The 39 Steps, is the opportunity to play multiple characters. The show is based on the classic Hitchcock movie of course, and one of the stageplay's devices (and hopefully great sources of entertainment) is the fact that Mark is playing the main character of the film and the 3 remaining actors (Erin, Sweeney, and myself) play all the rest of the characters in the film!!!

It is a true test of my skills and repertoire as I am responsible for creating 14 clearly defined and unique characters. Many changes are in rapid-fire style (sometimes for comic effect) requiring a quick and seamless transition into a different costume, age, physicality, and accent in moments!

Thank goodness Sweeney (who is also a professional and well-reknowned accent coach) is around to help....

Look for another update from me soon....it's time for me to get back to committing my lines to memory :)

Scott C

We’re very passionate about theatre! And we know you are too so we’re determined to let you know what’s happening this summer in our studio theatre and on the main stage. We’re serving up 2 great plays and 2 great musicals. All the stuff that happens around each production will be fodder for your curiosity. Our producers, technicians, directors, actors, wardrobe people, set designers, choreographers - well pretty much every person who’s involved in production – will share their thoughts, ideas and creations with you. We’re going to blog, vlog and otherwise flog ourselves for you. Check us out anytime at www.rosetheatre.ca/

Don't miss 'That Canadian Guy' Glen Foster at the Rose Theatre Brampton on April 15 at 8PM!



2. What was the best day of your life?

The best day of my life would have to be the day that my daughter was born. I tell her all the time that my favourite thing to do is anything that we can do together. Last year we went to wonderland and it was the first year that she was tall enough to make the cut for the big rides. We went on The Behemoth together and she loved it. Afterwards we shared an ice cream cookie sandwhich that was almost as big as her head. That was a great day too.


3. Who was your celebrity crush when you were young?

My biggest celebrity crush was hands down, no contest, Raquel Welch. I forced myself to sit through some pretty bad movies just to see her sometimes. Case in point, "! Million BC" She's over 60 now and still looks pretty good. Some of my other crushes included Renee Russo, Sharon Stone and Theresa Russel. What can I say, I like the bad girls!


4. What video do you find yourself watching over and over on YouTube?

I loved "United Breaks Guitars" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo So do ten million plus other people. Lately, I have watched "Guilty Dog" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8ISzf2pryI a few times. I'm also a big fan of "The Onion News" videos. They're usually very funny, and some like, "The Money Hole" are absolutely hysterical http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnX-D4kkPOQ  Of course, I have a good collection of my own videos available on YouTube as well. Go to www.youtube.com/thatcanadianguyclips