1992

The year 1992 saw Sault Opera doing two revivals of popular musicals from the era of great Broadway shows of the 1940s and '50s, both done in the traditional way of stage presentation accompanied by a pit orchestra and the use of the normal proscenium stage area. Also, the company hired professional directors for both the spring production of Cole Porter's "Kiss Me, Kate" and the fall production of Irving Berlin's "Annie Get Your Gun".

Sault Opera received a Theatre Ontario Community Theatre Training grant to engage the services of professional director and choreographer Thom Jaskula for "Kiss Me, Kate". In addition, Diane Wysynski produced the show and Frank Elliott directed the music and conducted the 18-piece pit orchestra. Erik Wainio designed the set with the assistance of master carpenter and set constructor Mark O'Donoghue. Vicky Hayes designed the costumes and Margaret Gordon was the stage manager. In total, there were 20 various department heads of production staff plus numerous assistants involved in the show. Also, there were three choreographer trainees assigned to Thom Jaskula to learn and assist with the choreography: Francine St. Jules, April Ross, and Stephen Rutti. Thirteen actors played the lead roles including: Steve Ballantine as Fred, Louise Griffith as Lilli Vanessi, Scott Infanti as Bill, Dawn Hobbs as Lois, Don Nixon as Baptista, Steve Rutti as Paul, Lise White as Hattie, Dave Walsh and Miguël Cormier as gangsters, Clinton Hammond as Gremio, Will Gartshore as Hortensio, and Jo Ramakers as Harrison Howell. In total, there were 35 actors in the cast.

"Kiss Me, Kate" was well-attended and received enthusiastic reviews in the local media. The choreography and direction were brilliantly conceived and executed, including the original idea of incorporating six very appealing "ghosts" in white costumes of Commedia dell'Arte period characters as the connecting link between scenes and musical numbers. Director Thom Jaskula created and staged a very original and well-prepared concept of a difficult musical show. Financially, the show earned a net surplus of over $1900.

In October, Sault Opera staged Irving Berlin's "Annie Get Your Gun". For this production, the company received a Theatre Ontario Community Theatre Training Grant of $4000 to engage professional set designer and consultant Ms. Ann M. Goetz. Doreen Bailey and Scott Infanti co-produced the show under the guidance and instruction of Diane Wysynski. Joy Lowry, who successfully directed and choreographed the 1982 production, was hired again to direct and choreograph this show. Frank Elliott directed the music and conducted the full-size pit orchestra, along with the assistance of Louise Griffith, who also was the vocal coach. Nicole Thibodeau assisted with the choreography and was also the dance captain. Kate McNally designed and co-ordinated the costumes, Kevin Cameron was the technical director, and Penny Martin was the stage manager.

Featured in the leading roles were: Lise White as Annie Oakley, Ross Darlington (from Toronto) as Frank Butler, Francine St. Jules-Giroux as Dolly Tate, Scott Infanti as Charlie Davenport, Robert LaPorte as Buffalo Bill, Al Murray as Pawnee Bill, Wilf Beauchamp reprising his role as Sitting Bull (also from the 1982 show), and a large number of secondary leads and a cast of 40. A welcome addition to the cast was the barbershop quartet "Harmony on Tap" consisting of Al Carscadden, Al Murray, Bob Shami, and John Tully.

Even though the show had well-executed big production numbers and interesting "cute" dance numbers, Sault Star theatre reviewer Robin Waples felt that "Annie's [ie: the show's] Debut Entertains, But Lacks Emotion" (headline of the review). This might have been attributed to long and confusingly planned rehearsals in the week following the opening night that caused significant energy drain on the cast. In addition, there were problems with interpersonal communications among the director, cast, and production people which lowered the morale and energy level of the whole company. However, there was a significant improvement in the energy level, emotional portrayal of the characters, and the flow of action onstage in the later performances but the harm was already done on opening night as ticket sales decreased at the box office instead of increasing as would be the case after opening night. On a brighter note, set designer Ann Goetz got praise for the look of her set and the way it "worked well". Her trainee, Mark O'Donoghue, and other people involved in the set construction were impressed by Ann's ideas and learned a lot in a friendly and efficient training process.

Financially, the show suffered a net loss in excess of $5300 (OUCH!) primarily due to disappointingly low ticket sales and overspending on professional salaries for the director and lead baritone directly from the Sault Opera treasury.

Over the summer, Sault Opera hired three students for 8 weeks with the assistance of a SEED Grant from the Federal government to prepare the campaign for the next season, computerize and update the files and paperwork, re-organize the archive files, and clean and mend the costume stock. Also, the students observed the organizational procedures of the company.

Also, Sault Opera was given the use of an empty store/warehouse space through the efforts of Diane Wysynski and the generosity of Mr. Tishman for the purposes of set construction and storage throughout the year. Indeed, this was a "godsend" for the company. Furthermore, Sault Opera's tireless "2nd Vice" Diane Wysynski worked hard to create a new organization of all the theatre groups in Sault Ste. Marie called "The Coalition" to represent and exert some pressure on behalf of the groups to obtain better facilities for set building, material storage, and other goodies from the "powers-that-be" in the city. The company relocated its costume stock to a newly created costume storage area in the Sault Community Theatre Centre and combined it with the wardrobes of the other prominent local theatre groups: The Musical Comedy Guild and The Sault Theatre Workshop.

It could be said that 1992 did not prove to be a financially sucessful one. The production costs of any show have risen to approximately $30,000. In order to "sell the show", more attention would have to be paid to the changing tastes of theatre-goers in the selection of repertoire and also in the overall concept of the presentation of any show (be it a classical opera or a musical stage show in the current style) by the director, designers, choreographer, etc. Sault Opera was fortunate enough to obtain the services of the brilliant director Richard Howard for the second half of the 1992/93 season and the entire 1993/94 season. All in all, the company appeared to be on the right track and Sault Opera was still the most popular producer of musical theatre in Sault Ste. Marie and the outlying districts of both sides of the border.