Playing After Dark Ltd.

Past Productions

2005:  

Thunderbolts and Dunderheads (2005 all new production)

2002-2003:  

Point of Viewing (Review) 

Gone Fishin' (Review) 

Gone Fishin' Article Casting Coup

2001-2002: The season in review Knave of Hearts (Review)  

Thunderbolts and Dunderheads (Review)

Cast is stellar in comedy about Greek Gods
TINA DEPKO, Staff Writer

When most people start their first day at a new job, they worry about
embarrassing themselves at the water cooler in front of their coworkers.
Iris, Zeus' new personal assistant, has much bigger concerns.
One wrong message and she faces permanent termination caused by one of her
boss's white-hot lightening bolts.

Iris' workplace, as depicted in the brilliant comedy Thunderbolts and
Dunderheads, will make you like yours much better. You may even take your
boss coffee and donuts on Monday after seeing this production by Playing
After Dark.

Thunderbolts and Dunderheads was written by Todd McGinnis. It is evident
from this script the talented local playwright knows the ingredients to a
successful play. He starts with characters everyone knows from ancient
mythology, throws a few new ones in for colour, and gives them dozens of
lines of witty banter.
 
The play premiered in Brampton in 2001 to rave reviews. The all-new
production is worth seeing again and, if you missed it the first time, take
this opportunity and head to the Heritage Theatre.

Thunderbolts and Dunderheads follows Iris, goddess of rainbows, on her
mission to be promoted. Rainbows aren't exciting enough for this quirky
deity, so she goes to Zeus seeking more important responsibilities than
chasing rain clouds.

Downsizing is coming
However, Mount Olympus is trimming the fat from its corporation and Iris is
threatened to be downsized permanently. Her only hope for survival is to
take on the job no one else wants-- personal assistant to Zeus himself.
Her first morning on the job is already going bad enough when Zeus falls for
a visiting Nordic goddess and demands that Iris makes her fall in love with
him. Iris' scheming hits a wall when she meets Hera, Zeus' angry wife.
The comedic plot is thickened with the additional characters of Hermes,
Erronyus Miscellaneous and Hades.

These colourful roles are filled by an outstanding cast who work together so
well that it seems this isn't their first time together. There really isn't
one star, but rather each actor shares a portion of that coveted title.
William Poulin, who plays Hermes, is one of the most entertaining parts of
the production. His demeanor is ideal for the envious, pushy character.
Poulin's flawless execution of countless lines is impressive, to say the
least.

Christine Ford, as Valkyrie, the Nordic goddess, is equally comedic.
Everything about her portrayal, from her accent to her commanding stage
presence, is right on. Her scenes with Zeus are downright hilarious.
A pleasant surprise is Andrew Clegg, who plays Erronyus Miscellaneous.
The character is the traditional buffoon, but Clegg brings more to the stage
than laughs. His portrayal as the temporary god of love has the perfect
combination of outrageousness and composure, making him very likable.
Craig Marshall is also ideally suited for the role of the chauvinist
employer Zeus. Marshall is the perfect head god with his physique, voice and
attitude. His wrath will make you shiver in your seats and be thankful your
boss is a scrawny geek.

Lesley Tumber, as Hera, is vengeful, haughty and pretentious-- basically
everything the beautiful wife of the top god should be when her husband has
set his sights on another woman.

The award for the best evil laughter in the history of the theatre goes to
David Cairns, who is a dark and sinister Hades.

Tracy Rowland returns to the production as Iris. [She  played Hera in the original, 2001 production] and she brings energy to the role, giving her character the required giddy, quirky and naive qualities...

There are some very innovative aspects of the production that add to the
dramatic effect.

The costumes are fantastic, with an abundance of gold and silver
traditionally adorned by the ancient gods. Hermes' winged sandals and
Valkyrie's blonde wig and Viking helmet are nice touches.

The set takes the audience to Mount Olympus with its cloud-covered furniture
and gold columns. Props like grapes, wine glasses, a running fountain and
ancient tablets complement the setting. The lighting and sound effects are
spectacular, with everything right on cue.

Thunderbolts and Dunderheads is a very entertaining play for people of all
ages, especially for anyone who read myths in their English class or watched
the cartoon Hercules.

The play runs at Heritage Theatre tonight at 8 p.m. and tomorrow at 2 p.m.
and 8 p.m. It also runs May 12 to 14 at 8 p.m., with a matinee on May 14 at
2 p.m.

Call the theatre box office at 905-874-2800 for tickets or visit
www.playingafterdark.com for more information.

2004

"Self Help for Dummies" is a laugh riot!

KATHARINE SEALEY,  The Brampton Guardian

Playing After Dark has done it again.

Since their debut in 2001 with the hilarious Renaissance comedy Knave of Hearts, this Brampton-based troupe has produced one solid original comedy after another and Self-Help for Dummies is another direct hit.

This show centres around a psychiatrist's waiting room, emphasis on the waiting. With the doctor missing in action, his group of mixed nuts are left to fend for themselves but as time passes, each patient's particular brand of quirks -- from stress to nymphomania to just plain looney tunes -- begin to boil over.

This is the show's world debut, and is written by local playwrights Todd McGinnis (who also stars as overwound self-help guru Michael Sage) and T. Gregory Argall. Both had shows in this summer's inaugural New Works festival at the Heritage Theatre, and the pairing is an inspired one.

The casting, too, is a parade of familiar faces from the local theatre scene, featuring not only McGinnis, but also William Poulin as Jerry Bond, David Cairns as Dr. Enbridge, Christine Ford as Mrs. Quackenbush, D.Kirk Teeple as Matt Portico, Susan McLay as Mrs. Winter and Kristy Findlay as Chastity Gespate.

This solid cast seems to have really connected with their off-the-wall characters, and Ford is a stellar stand-out as the wacky Quakenbush. See it once for the laughs, and a second time just to watch her. She's like a whole show unto herself.

Head to the Heritage for a fun evening, and feel proud that such great works are being created right here in a Brampton.

The show is directed by Tracy Rowland.

Self-Help for Dummies runs tonight and tomorrow at 8 p.m., and again October 7 to 9 at the Heritage Theatre, 86 Main St. N.

There are also 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday and again on October 9.

Tickets are $18 for adults, $16 for seniors and $10 for youth under 18 years. Call 905-874-2800.The group is also offering a two-show ticket deal for this show and their next production, Thunderbolts and Dunderheads, a remount of their hit comedy which won the 2001/2002 Bloom Award for Best Original Script.

 

JUNE 10, 2004

GONE FISHIN’… AGAIN!

Playing After Dark’s Hit Comedy Selected To Open NewWorks Play Festival

The Boys Are Back… and they’re going FISHIN’ again.

Playing After Dark’s highly successful production of Todd McGinnis’s comedy Gone Fishin’ has been selected to inaugurate the First Annual NewWorks Play Festival at the Heritage Theatre starting July 8.

The first of four NewWorks to play at the Festival, Gone Fishin’ returns with its original cast and director. And the best news? Audiences get to see all four shows for only $20.

This hilarious and heartwarming comedy delighted audiences when it premiered in 2002 and tells the story of three estranged brothers doomed to spend a day fishing together as a condition of their late father’s will. returns with its original cast and director for a two week run.

Director and Playing After Dark Ltd. Co-founder Tracy Rowland: "We are very excited to be opening the First Annual NewWorks Play Festival. And we are very grateful to Steve Solski and Scott Lale of the Brampton Theatre Office for launching such an incredible idea in the first place. For the longest time there was almost no theatrical entertainment available to Brampton residents in the summer and the only place to see a new show was in Toronto or New York. It is so exciting to be involved at the very beginning of such a special new venture."

New ventures are old hat for Playing After Dark founders McGinnis and Rowland, whose company was founded with a mandate to produce only new, original comedies for theatre-going audiences right here in Brampton.

Beginning with works penned by McGinnis, and determined to highlight the strongest local talent available, Playing After Dark has staged four new comedies to great acclaim and audience response over the last couple of years. Indeed, two of the four shows (the Renaissance-farce Knave of Hearts and Thunderbolts and Dunderheads, a farce set among the Greek Gods of Mount Olympus) have both been given secondary productions by other theatre companies.

Gone Fishin’ was the company’s third production and according to McGinnis, seems to have captured a very special place in the hearts of those who have seen it.

"All of the shows we’ve done have been given very enthusiastic ‘thumbs up’ from those who’ve seen them, but Gone Fishin’ just seemed to strike some kind of magical chord. It just seems to have that rare combination of elements that make it stick with people the way the works of Norm Foster or Neil Simon seem to. It really is a great feeling, not just knowing that you made people laugh and have a great time, but that they still remember it with such fondness."

Of course, the other strength of the show may be the incredible chemistry of the three men who star in it. William Poulin, who plays eldest brother Peter, has been a fixture on Brampton stages for more than 20 years and is doubtless familiar to anyone who has even casually attended Brampton theatre. "Bill’s just one of the strongest actors we know," says Rowland, "And he and Todd have worked together so often they just have that kind of magic chemistry. Needless to say, if you’ve got these two in your show you’re already on your way to something great."

McGinnis and Poulin have performed together in Shakespeare, Murder Mysteries, comedies, dramas, and are both veterans of North America’s longest running play, The Mousetrap which only recently ended it’s 27 year run in Toronto.

Rounding out the cast is relative newcomer Brian Covert, who first met McGinnis and Poulin onstage in Bramalea Live Theatre’s production of The Wild Guys. His work in that play so impressed McGinnis, that the author/producer has created roles specifically for him in recent works. "Brian, like Bill, is in the front rank of actors in my mind when I’m writing a new play. When I was writing Gone Fishin’ and creating the character of Harry, the tightly-wound stockbroker, I could just see Brian bringing that character to life, and he did an incredible job. The three of us can’t wait to bring the whole thing back to life on the Heritage stage."

Those who missed it the first time around, or those who want to see it again, will have their chance this July when Gone Fishin’ opens the NewWorks Festival for a two week run. Followed by the remaining three shows: Bocci; Nurture; and A Year In The Death of Eddie Jester.

 

 

 

2002-2003

POINT OF VIEWING

Friday, February 28th, 2003

Point of Viewing finds humour in the frenzy of live TV

KATHARINE SEALEY, Staff Writer Photo by BRYON JOHNSON

 

Talk show hosts Sincerity Weeks (Christine Ford) and Raquel Voulet (Tina Hardt) try to squeeze some information out of Floor Director Brad (Brian Covert) in Point of Viewing.

Switch off the TV tonight and head out to the Cyril Clark Theatre, where you can watch TV live on stage. 

Point of Viewing, an original comedy by Brampton's Todd McGinnis, runs at Cyril Clark Theatre tonight and tomorrow at 8 p.m., and again March 6 to 8.

Opening to the strains of Don Henley's Dirty Laundry, the action is centred around the filming of a 10th anniversary episode for a popular daytime TV talk show, Point of View.

When a screw-up destroys their pre-taped special, the three female hosts are forced to go live to air to replace it. Rumours about the future of the show and its stars add to the tensions, which explode as the cameras roll.

McGinnis explored a similar scenario in his last show, Gone Fishin' which saw three feuding brothers trapped for a day in a row boat as a condition of their father's will.

Point of Viewing plays out in similar fashion, alternating between high-energy farce and charged-up emotional breakthroughs.

This Playing After Dark production is well-cast, with Tracy Rowland as Tabitha Smiley, the show's roving reporter who is frequently forced into crazy get-ups, Christine Ford as the hard-edged Sincerity Weeks and Tina Hardt as the sweet but vacant Raquel Voulet.

The show also features great performances from it's male cast, including Brian Covert as Brad, the put-upon Floor Director who watches his show dissolve into a free-for-all, and D. Kirk Teeple, who makes a late but memorable appearance as Dr. Darren Cooper.

The show is a fresh new addition to the local theatre scene, with interesting characters and a clean storyline.

Overall, this Point of Viewing is worth a look.

For tickets, $25, call 905-874-2800.

The Playing After Dark troupe has Gone Fishin' and it's a trip worth taking. Tonight, tomorrow and again from Oct. 24 to 26, catch the premiere run of this comedy about brotherly love at Cyril Clark Library Theatre. The show stars troupe founder Todd McGinnis, William Poulin and Brian Covert. 

The trio was last seen together on stage in The Wild Guys for Brampton Live Theatre, and that history has given them a comfort zone that shows. The three have great rhythm as battling brothers, trading abuse that is sometimes verbal, sometimes physical, and always emotional. As the writer of this original comedy, McGinnis has done a fantastic job of capturing that unique ability siblings have to push each other's buttons. Gone are the gentle manners of polite company, and in their place is a boatload of emotional baggage that only those who share your DNA would ever dare delve into. 

Set in a tiny fishing boat in the middle of a lake, no one can storm off or hide behind distractions. This is the fishing equivalent of showdown at high noon. As middle brother Paul, McGinnis [is] again cast as the comic relief, a jokester who will do anything to keep everyone smiling.   As eldest brother Peter, Poulin plays it tough. As Harry, the baby of the bunch, Covert creates a stockbroker who would sell his soul for a good cell phone connection. Their reunion is a condition of their recently departed father's will, and so they are stuck--for 12 hours or three fish, whichever comes first--with a mysterious package, which may or may not contain clues to a lost inheritance. 

With Playing After Dark's last show, Thunderbolts and Dunderheads, McGinnis produced lightening and the booming voice of Zeus on the Cyril Clark stage, and his bag of tricks is even more impressive this time around. Don't let the simple design of this show fool you; there are more opportunities for action than you could ever imagine. At a little less than two hours, this witty show about three guys in a fishing boat is surprisingly engaging. The sentimental message sometimes crosses into downright sap, but all in all Gone Fishin' is a satisfying catch. Gone Fishin' is directed by Tracy Rowland. For tickets, $25, call 905-874-2800.

Gone Fishin' Cast (in order of 'appearance')

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THUNDERBOLTS AND DUNDERHEADS

The hilarious new comedy
by Todd McGinnis
March, 2001

 The Brampton Guardian's Review of Knave of Hearts:

"Playing After Dark's debut will leave you laughing"

By KATHARINE SEALEY -- STAFF WRITER -- THE BRAMPTON GUARDIAN

"What’s that old expression about tangled webs?

It provides a fitting summary of Knave of Hearts, the hilarious new play from Brampton’s brand-new theatre troupe, Playing After Dark.

Bumbling brothers Nigel (Joseph Madden, left) and Cuthbert Dunstable (D. Kirk Teeple, right) get the point when they challenge the swashbuckling Jack Hawkins (Todd McGinnis, centre) to a duel in Knave of Hearts, which plays until March 17 at Cyril Clark Library Theatre. Photo by Bryon Johnson

The show was written by Todd McGinnis, who, along with his real-life fiancee actress Tracy Rowland, founded Playing After Dark. Knave of Hearts, their inaugural show, continues tonight and tomorrow, and again on March 14-17 at the Cyril Clark Library Theatre.

The play is set in the Renaissance England which gives the troupe a chance to parade around in some fabulous costumes and point swords at each other. All the ‘thees’ and ‘thines’ may put you in mind of Shakespeare, but this is more like The Bard by way of Mel Brooks.

The show follows the charming, but devious, Captain Jack Hawkins, who has an expertise in changing people’s minds to suit his latest scheme. As the show begins, he has just rescued Lord Henry Bannigan and his loopy daughters from highway men. Sensing a reward may be imminent, Hawkins is laying the flattery on thick.

A reward is indeed forthcoming, but is not the one he had hoped for and instead sends him into a panic. His only hope is a wager that will either win him freedom, or land him deeper in trouble.

From there, it’s two hours of dodge and weave as Hawkins tries to balance his lies, find a loophole and avoid being either— in his own words— bedded or beheaded.

The cast is small — only eight characters— but they are an instantly likeable and well-cast bunch.

Having created the character himself, McGinnis, who is also currently starring in Toronto’s long-running production of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, is logically at ease with the roguish Hawkins and he’s fun to watch, especially when Hawkin’s schemes start to fall apart. McGinnis also directed the show and has surrounded himself with some great talent.

David Cairns stars as the well-meaning Lord Henry Bannigan, who always seems to be one step behind. Deborah Shaw plays Mistress Katherine Bannigan, the head strong eldest daughter and Paige Lancaster portrays Mistress Mary, her twitchy tag-a-long little sister. The majority of Lancaster’s dialogue consists of only two words, but she still manages to make the dimwitted Mary a scene stealer.

Susan McLay, a regular with the Bramalea Little Theatre, does an excellent turn here as Lady Constance Bannigan (Susan McLay), the only person sharp enough to match wits with Hawkins. Joseph Madden, as the perpetually grumpy Lord Nigel Dunstable and D. Kirk Teeple as his simpleton brother Lord Cuthbert are a well-matched comedy team as hopeless suitors.

Rounding out the cast, Playing After Dark co-founder Tracy Rowland portrays Cinders, the mostly-mute maid who always seems to be in the right place at the right time.

Like Lancaster, Rowland, has little to say during the first act, but still produces a memorable and hilarious character using only a few squeaks and body language.

Rowland, who was most recently seen as Mme. de Tourvel in the Bramalea Little Theatre production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, really gets her chance to shine as the play progresses and Cinders moves more to the forefront.

The show is well-paced, especially in the second act, where McGinnis’ has cleverly set a gentle getting-to-know-you scene against the rowdy backdrop of a classic farce chase.

Knave of Hearts draws from many theatre staples, including Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella and Cyrano De Bergerac, but ultimately it is something new and vibrant.
McGinnis has created a show that has the potential to become a classic, making Playing After Dark a welcome addition to Brampton’s theatre scene.

The Cyril Clark Library Theatre is located at 20 Loafer’s Lake Lane."

Knave of Hearts Cast (in Order of Appearance):

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