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Directed by Denny Kaulback
At Venables Theatre, Oliver Played November 29 to December 7, 2019 |
What's it About?Bob’s Your Elf is the perfect family comedy for the holiday season.
You will recognize The Christmas Carol, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, The Night Before Christmas and even the Nativity as the small-town Thithleville Thespians make an attempt to put on a Christmas play that needs some serious work. In comes Bob, a real live Elf sent by Santa to save the day. Unfortunately, Bob is one miserable and incompetent Elf who first needs to learn a lesson or two about the Christmas spirit. “You’re bringin’ us down Bob. You’re bummin’ us out…and that’s why I’m sending you away,” said Santa. There will be laughs, silliness, confusion and some tender moments before you know the answers in time for Santa’s big night. A play full of laughs and just in time for Christmas. Suitable for all ages Cast and CrewBOB - Joe Rupcich
SANTA & HOWARD - Bertie Barens LES BANTER - Connie Mythen GORD FORD - Nathan Linders FIONA PUTZLE - Donna MacBeth AMBER FAIRCASTLE - Chelsea Cameron-Horner Producer - Clem Jones Director - Denny Kaulback Assistant Director & Set Decoration - Lyn Kaulback Stage Manager - Jackie Brockholm Costumes - Bernice Myllyniemi Dressers - Carolyn Bowering, Linda Nunweiler, Maryanne Bolenback, Elaine Marchand & Rudy Hooge Props - Angie Stuart Chorus Master & Sound Design - Nathan Linders Lighting Design; Light & Sound Operator - Grant Leiterman Set Design & Construction - Roger Richardson Backstage Assistance - Jim Dinwoodie Graphics, Sales & Publicity - Tom Szalay & Jen Jensen |
A Word from our Director
Bob's Your Elf is the first production that I have directed for SOAP Theatre and I am excited to bring this play by Norm Foster to the stage.
In today's social climate, with division and discord coming from all directions, it is theatre's role to provide essential relief from tension and to support the ideal of tolerance and acceptance. This is Bob's lesson. Bob is a stubborn elf, set in his ways, who is sent by Santa to learn co-operation, team spirit, and how a group of individuals can accomplish great things if they all pull together. I have truly enjoyed working with this cast. Their hard work, innovative ideas and improvisations have created a reality of delight with laughter and pure merriment. Also, I want to send a special thank you to the children's choir put together by Nathan Linders. It is a great joy to see youngsters come out for theatre; and maybe, just maybe, we will see some of them in future plays. We hope you enjoyed this wacky world we have created for you. - Denny Kaulback, Director |
Playwright, Norm Foster
Norm Foster has been the most produced playwright in Canada every year for the past twenty years. His plays receive an average of 150 productions annually.
Born in Newmarket, Ontario and raised in Toronto, Norm studied Radio & Television Arts at Centennial College in Toronto and then Confederation College in Thunder Bay. Upon completion of his studies, he began a radio career that would span 25 years and which would take him from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg to Kingston and finally to Fredericton, New Brunswick. It was in Fredericton in 1980 that Norm was introduced to the world of theatre.
"A friend of mine was going to audition for a community theatre production of 'Harvey' and he asked me to go along. I went, just to see what this theatre thing was all about, and I ended up getting the part of Elwood P. Dowd. I had never even seen a play in my life before this."
Foster fell in love with the theatre right then and there, and two years later he penned his first professionally produced play, Sinners. It was produced by Theatre New Brunswick and directed by Malcolm Black, who would also direct Foster's next effort, the highly successful, The Melville Boys. The Melville Boys would go on to be produced across Canada and in the United States, including a well-received run off-Broadway in New York. It would become Foster's signature play, and the one which would bring his name to the forefront of Canadian theatre. Since then, Norm Foster has produced an astonishing output of work, over fifty-five plays in all, including The Affections of May, The Motor Trade, Wrong For Each Other, Office Hours, Opening Night, The Long Weekend, Old Love, Skin Flick, Mending Fences, The Foursome, The Ladies Foursome, The Gentleman Clothier, On a First Name Basis and Ethan Claymore.
" One of the curses of being a playwright is that you're never ever completely satisfied with your finished product. There is always that one line which you think you could improve. And when you improve that line, you find another. You must know when to stop."
Foster's plays are known mainly for their comedic qualities, but they are not without their serious moments as well. "I find it far more satisfying if I can make an audience laugh and feel a little heartache within the same story. The farces (Sinners, Self-Help) are a lot of fun to write but it's the stories that touch an audience's heart as well as it's funny-bone that are the most rewarding."
Foster has had several plays published by Playwright's Union Press. They are; Sinners, The Melville Boys, The Affections of May, The Motor Trade, Wrong For Each Other, Office Hours, Opening Night, The Long Weekend, Old Love, Skin Flick, Mending Fences, The Foursome, The Ladies Foursome, The Gentleman Clothier, On a First Name Basis and Ethan Claymore. He has also had his work published in various compilation volumes such as 'Vintage Foster', 'One Act-manship', 'Triple Play', and 'The Foster Season'. Looking and The Love List are published by Samuel French.
Norm Foster does not limit his efforts to writing though. He also appears on stage as an actor several times each year.
"Acting is great fun, but writing is my first love. A lot of people out there like the 'idea' of being a writer. The romance of it. The notion that we all sit around in cafes and talk about our writing with other writers. Personally, I would rather do it than talk about it. The actual process of writing is what excites me. Creating a world from the ground up and populating it with characters I've pulled out of my head. "
When asked to try and pin down a common theme that runs through his plays, Foster says, "I think for the most part, they're about ordinary people just trying to get by in life. I never set out with a monumental purpose in mind. I'm not trying to teach an audience a lesson or pass along some profound message, because I don't think I'm qualified. What I am trying to do is make them feel a little better about this world, and that's not easy these days."
Born in Newmarket, Ontario and raised in Toronto, Norm studied Radio & Television Arts at Centennial College in Toronto and then Confederation College in Thunder Bay. Upon completion of his studies, he began a radio career that would span 25 years and which would take him from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg to Kingston and finally to Fredericton, New Brunswick. It was in Fredericton in 1980 that Norm was introduced to the world of theatre.
"A friend of mine was going to audition for a community theatre production of 'Harvey' and he asked me to go along. I went, just to see what this theatre thing was all about, and I ended up getting the part of Elwood P. Dowd. I had never even seen a play in my life before this."
Foster fell in love with the theatre right then and there, and two years later he penned his first professionally produced play, Sinners. It was produced by Theatre New Brunswick and directed by Malcolm Black, who would also direct Foster's next effort, the highly successful, The Melville Boys. The Melville Boys would go on to be produced across Canada and in the United States, including a well-received run off-Broadway in New York. It would become Foster's signature play, and the one which would bring his name to the forefront of Canadian theatre. Since then, Norm Foster has produced an astonishing output of work, over fifty-five plays in all, including The Affections of May, The Motor Trade, Wrong For Each Other, Office Hours, Opening Night, The Long Weekend, Old Love, Skin Flick, Mending Fences, The Foursome, The Ladies Foursome, The Gentleman Clothier, On a First Name Basis and Ethan Claymore.
" One of the curses of being a playwright is that you're never ever completely satisfied with your finished product. There is always that one line which you think you could improve. And when you improve that line, you find another. You must know when to stop."
Foster's plays are known mainly for their comedic qualities, but they are not without their serious moments as well. "I find it far more satisfying if I can make an audience laugh and feel a little heartache within the same story. The farces (Sinners, Self-Help) are a lot of fun to write but it's the stories that touch an audience's heart as well as it's funny-bone that are the most rewarding."
Foster has had several plays published by Playwright's Union Press. They are; Sinners, The Melville Boys, The Affections of May, The Motor Trade, Wrong For Each Other, Office Hours, Opening Night, The Long Weekend, Old Love, Skin Flick, Mending Fences, The Foursome, The Ladies Foursome, The Gentleman Clothier, On a First Name Basis and Ethan Claymore. He has also had his work published in various compilation volumes such as 'Vintage Foster', 'One Act-manship', 'Triple Play', and 'The Foster Season'. Looking and The Love List are published by Samuel French.
Norm Foster does not limit his efforts to writing though. He also appears on stage as an actor several times each year.
"Acting is great fun, but writing is my first love. A lot of people out there like the 'idea' of being a writer. The romance of it. The notion that we all sit around in cafes and talk about our writing with other writers. Personally, I would rather do it than talk about it. The actual process of writing is what excites me. Creating a world from the ground up and populating it with characters I've pulled out of my head. "
When asked to try and pin down a common theme that runs through his plays, Foster says, "I think for the most part, they're about ordinary people just trying to get by in life. I never set out with a monumental purpose in mind. I'm not trying to teach an audience a lesson or pass along some profound message, because I don't think I'm qualified. What I am trying to do is make them feel a little better about this world, and that's not easy these days."